Waters Beneath My Feet: New Orleans to Nome... My 3 Year Odyssey Paperback – February 14, 2019

I had heard about Jerry's trip from a mutual friend and when I saw him out front of his house I introduced myself. He invited me in with stunning hospitality. As we sat down I mentioned he should write a book and he showed me the stack of papers he was editing. Eventually they became this book. Originally I bought the book to support a local author and I admit I did not think it would be well written because as interesting as Mr. Pushcar is he speaks so little. I could not imagine he would be able to write a captivating story when, for him, a long sentence has 4 words. He proved me wrong in extraordinary fashion. This is not a travelogue of a wealthy or sponsored adventurer, nor is it authored by a hipster looking for the social media fame. Jerry went on an extreme voyage and has been kind enough to share his experiences with us. From meeting him and from personal experience I can tell you that he consistently understates the difficulty of his feats. Marching across the tundra has killed many people even when the weather is favorable. Every so often someone tries it here and they are never seen again. The final walk to Nome after freeze up is just a tiny portion of the dangers he faced. He shows wonderful unvarnished examples of the people he met and the places he went. It is well and thoughtfully written and shows the literary influences of the great explorers of the past but is still simply and captivatingly articulated. In short, this is a great read even if you do not care about canoeing, the arctic, or extreme travel. I have given extra copies as gifts and the recipients agree. As a side note which is not covered in the book, Jerry told me he recovered his boat after the thaw.

This is an amazing story, very well told! While the writing could use some edits, the writing style is very engaging and keeps the reader moving along. Bravo to Jerry for doggedly maintaining a journal through the ups and downs of his long adventure, and for then crafting and sharing the story of the amazing journey. By the end I still wasn't sure WHY he undertook the journey, but it seems he might not be sure, either.About halfway through the book I got a little bogged down, maybe because, as a person who hasn't canoed much, I didn't really understand all the details of travel by canoe. I also would have benefited from maps here and there showing trip segments (the whole Canada section left me feeling lost).But I got through that spot in the middle of the book and then bounded through until Jerry struggled into Nome in November 1977.I will admit that the next couple evenings after I finished it, I missed having that book to pick up. I wondered what Jerry was up to next. He made for a very good traveling companion for the length of the book. Waiting for his next book, but meanwhile might have to reread this one.

Real life adventure. No frills story, just tells it as it was. Couldn't put it down. You really start rooting for the guy to pull through and finish.

Well written, easy to follow storyline. What ever happened to Molly. Exciting and interesting, full of great characters and none of them were fictional people.

I bought this book to give to a friend for Christmas. I opened it up just to peak at it and see what it was about. I could not put it down. Absolutely amazing. I know Jerry, as he was a customer of mine in Nome, but I did not know this about him. Jerry Pushcar in the 70’s was either completely nuts or tougher than anyone else I’ve ever met. I’m guessing it was combination of the two.

What an odissey! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mr Pushcar’s adventures and can’t help wondering what followed for him. Well written book, I recommend it for people who enjoy adventures in the wilderness.

Great read! Couldn’t put it down! Very well written and a very captivating tale! 10/10

I enjoyed the story of Mr. Pushcar’s feat; the entire trail was well told. But what I actually enjoyed more was the story taking me back to the 70s. I imagine younger people reading this book won’t believe that people actually were friendlier back then…especially when you were away from the cities. I’m glad the author finally found someone to help him write this book and I wish him success with it. Good job, Mr. Pushcar!

This is a well written story of a young man's adventures while enacting his dream. The author glosses over the many hardships encountered while painting a vivid picture of the people and places he encountered nearly 45 years ago.It does not lose momentum, and is not without humor, as it takes one through changing landscapes and seasons; this is a must read for anyone vaguely interested in travel and adventure.

I actually put this down part way through the first chapter or two and only picked it back up again one day when I had nothing else to read and decided to give it another go, and wow - so glad I did. What an amazing journey simply told. Just amazing.