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A six-hundred-mile canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness is a seventeen-year-old's dream adventure, but after he is mauled by a grizzly bear, it's all about staying alive.
This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts seventeen-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive. Over the next hours and days, Alex and his companions tend his wounds and use their resilience, ingenuity, and dogged perseverance to reach help at a remote village a thousand miles north of the US-Canadian border.
The Twenty-Ninth Day is a coming-of-age story like no other, filled with inspiring subarctic landscapes, thrilling riverine paddling, and a trial by fire of the human spirit.
"Almost fifteen years later, Alex Messenger revisits the canoeing expedition that in a matter of minutes turned into a life-changing ordeal. That distance lends honesty and verve to a narrative that steadily builds toward its gripping climax."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day...well done! Alex Messenger is quite a good writer. It felt like I canoed the Barrens and long for a hot bath to soak my wounds."
"I will never forget the first time I met Alex and his impressive telling of the bear attack. I was transfixed. I thought if he is that adept and can think so quickly in the face of such extreme danger he would be a great person to work with. I was right. And now with his whole story down in book form, I see his writing is even better than his storytelling! I was transfixed again."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day is a riveting read. Alex Messenger paints the realities of a multiday backcountry canoe trip, as well as the wild Canadian taiga and tundra, in equally vivid detail. Reminiscent of the Beckey brothers adventures into similar country at a similar age, this book calls us to reconsider what we believe possible of ourselves and our youth. The harrowing encounter with a grizzly bear and subsequent survival decisions take us straight to the heart of both life and adventure."
"This riveting true story of thrashing white water, mad bears, big fish, and graphic wilderness triage kept me turning pages well into the night."
"To put it simply, we were completely swept up in this story of wilderness adventure and survival. Alex Messenger has a knack for immersing the reader in an unforgettable journey in the Canadian tundra. Through his skillful descriptions of the place and interactions of the group, you will experience the stark beauty of the landscape as well as the adrenaline rush of paddling white water as six young men make their way through one of the most remote places on the planet. You will also be right there with him, heart pounding, the moment he comes face-to-face with a barren-ground grizzly.
We really enjoyed reading it-and realize how much courage it must have taken to write this and be willing to share such a traumatic story with the world. Great job!"
"Messenger is a strong, observational writer, and the subarctic landscape becomes a character of its own."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day is the kind of book that requires the reader to set some time aside. Intrigued to find out what happens next, phone calls will go to voicemail and work deadlines will get postponed. His story is a solid addition to the genre of wilderness survival tales."
"The tale of six young men on a canoeing expedition in northern Canada-and the bear attack that almost killed one of them...From the beginning, this chronicle of their days afield is populated by original observations...and salutes to a landscape rich with possibilities...A shimmering account both as a trav
This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts seventeen-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive. Over the next hours and days, Alex and his companions tend his wounds and use their resilience, ingenuity, and dogged perseverance to reach help at a remote village a thousand miles north of the US-Canadian border.
The Twenty-Ninth Day is a coming-of-age story like no other, filled with inspiring subarctic landscapes, thrilling riverine paddling, and a trial by fire of the human spirit.
"Almost fifteen years later, Alex Messenger revisits the canoeing expedition that in a matter of minutes turned into a life-changing ordeal. That distance lends honesty and verve to a narrative that steadily builds toward its gripping climax."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day...well done! Alex Messenger is quite a good writer. It felt like I canoed the Barrens and long for a hot bath to soak my wounds."
"I will never forget the first time I met Alex and his impressive telling of the bear attack. I was transfixed. I thought if he is that adept and can think so quickly in the face of such extreme danger he would be a great person to work with. I was right. And now with his whole story down in book form, I see his writing is even better than his storytelling! I was transfixed again."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day is a riveting read. Alex Messenger paints the realities of a multiday backcountry canoe trip, as well as the wild Canadian taiga and tundra, in equally vivid detail. Reminiscent of the Beckey brothers adventures into similar country at a similar age, this book calls us to reconsider what we believe possible of ourselves and our youth. The harrowing encounter with a grizzly bear and subsequent survival decisions take us straight to the heart of both life and adventure."
"This riveting true story of thrashing white water, mad bears, big fish, and graphic wilderness triage kept me turning pages well into the night."
"To put it simply, we were completely swept up in this story of wilderness adventure and survival. Alex Messenger has a knack for immersing the reader in an unforgettable journey in the Canadian tundra. Through his skillful descriptions of the place and interactions of the group, you will experience the stark beauty of the landscape as well as the adrenaline rush of paddling white water as six young men make their way through one of the most remote places on the planet. You will also be right there with him, heart pounding, the moment he comes face-to-face with a barren-ground grizzly.
We really enjoyed reading it-and realize how much courage it must have taken to write this and be willing to share such a traumatic story with the world. Great job!"
"Messenger is a strong, observational writer, and the subarctic landscape becomes a character of its own."
"The Twenty-Ninth Day is the kind of book that requires the reader to set some time aside. Intrigued to find out what happens next, phone calls will go to voicemail and work deadlines will get postponed. His story is a solid addition to the genre of wilderness survival tales."
"The tale of six young men on a canoeing expedition in northern Canada-and the bear attack that almost killed one of them...From the beginning, this chronicle of their days afield is populated by original observations...and salutes to a landscape rich with possibilities...A shimmering account both as a trav