Lines on a Map
Unparalleled Adventures in Modern Exploration
About the Book
Shortlisted for the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Award for Adventure Travel
Two decades of adventure writing are captured in this entertaining and inspiring collection of travel journalism by renowned adventurer, writer, filmmaker and environmentalist Frank Wolf.
Lines on a Map is a compilation of Frank Wolf’s best work from the past two decades. Some of the adventures include: two friends on a cycling and volcano-climbing odyssey across Java, the world’s most populous island, in the world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, in the wake of 9/11; a surreal private lunch with former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during an 8000 km canoe journey across Canada; discovering the past and present on a 900 km hiking and kayaking journey from Skagway, Alaska, to Dawson City, Yukon; negotiating the cultural divide during a whitewater paddling expedition in Laos and Cambodia with Russian extreme kayakers; exploring the nature and politics of a multi-billion dollar pipeline in northern BC by hiking, biking and kayaking the GPS track of the proposed project route from the oil sands to the British Columbia coast; conducting a mammal tracking survey in the course of a 120 km ski traverse of Banff National Park; discovering the truth about the existence of Sasquatch in northern Ontario; retracing Viking history during a canoe trip across Scandinavia.
Complete with dozens of colour photographs, Wolf weaves together humour, drama and local knowledge to transport readers to some of the outermost corners of the globe in an epic quest to celebrate the freedom to move, explore and be wild.
Reviews
“Wolf’s new book collects the best stories from a full 24 of his mainly Canadian expeditions over the past two decades, and the result is a pretty gripping montage of his quests, body-breaking travails and the humour that gets him through.”
-Nick Walker, Managing Editor, Canadian Geographic
“As you make your way through these pages, and into Wolf’s wild hinterland, you may feel justifiably glad it’s not you in the boat, but I guarantee there will also be moments when you’ll wish to hell you could have been there.”
-John Vaillant, author of The Golden Spruce and The Jaguar’s Children
“Frank is a master at weaving together his love of the land, people, culture and the importance to protect it. That’s what really sets him apart from other extreme adventures.”
– Explore Magazine
“Wolf is at his best when he’s exploring his personal definition of adventure, inspiring readers to cut loose, accept the challenge and live their most audacious dream.”
– Canoe & Kayak
‘Wolf has survived countless worldwide explorations, and the magic of this book is reading about how he did it. Lines On A Map is written with self-aware humour, high-stakes survivalist drama and a frank awareness of our fragile, beautiful planet.’
– Grant Lawrence, Vancouver Courier
“….you will cheer as you read Wolf’s humorous and exciting narratives. [Y]ou will be inspired by his sheer strength and indomitable will to prevail.”
– Ormsby Review
“[Frank Wolf] weaves humour, drama, and local knowledge to transport readers around the globe in a quest to celebrate exploration and the wild.”
– Paddling Magazine
“…[R]eading Wolf —as he takes the time to see our wilderness and talk to Canadians across the nation—helped remind me that first, the disparity of regions and people is nothing new, and second, we’d be much better off focusing on what we have in common.”
– Heather Allen, Armchair Book Club
“Wilderness adventurer, documentarian and writer. He was the first to canoe across Canada in one season, and has completed a diversity of other expeditions, including skiing Arctic islands and canoeing, ocean kayaking, cycling and trekking incredible distances.” – Canadian Geographic
“…a collection of stellar travel journalism…” – Outside Magazine
“…one of my favourite Canadian adventure books from the last few years” – happiestoutdoors.ca