Nuk Tessli: The Life of a Wilderness Dweller

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental consultant in Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories.

Chris Czajkowski is a true woman of the wilderness: a skilled carpenter,
former tree planter, amateur botanist, artist, loner. For the last 10
years, she has been living in Nuk Tessli, a stretch of high-altitude
mountainous wilderness in British Columbia. She built her log cabin on
the edge of an unnamed alpine lake, accessible by float plane or by a
20-mile hike from the nearest logging road. This is the wonderful
natural setting for her book, which describes the struggles and joys of
living an isolated, wilderness lifestyle.

The book’s 22 chapters consist of descriptions of the everyday life
of an individual who has chosen to live away from civilization. They
depict a life that is more difficult, yet ultimately more rewarding,
than the more stressful urban life. The reader is charmed by the
beauties and truths that the author finds in the simplest things: the
acrobatic squirrels, the search for a rare mountain wildflower, the
persistent mice, the birds, the snow, the light. In Nuk Tessli, we come
close to sharing the spirit and vision of a wilderness dweller.