Harry de Windt had cojones. A Fellow
of the prestigious Royal Geographic Society of England, De Windt was known for two classic traits among
explorers: bravery and foolhardiness. One day, he told his friends and admirers that he was going to do
something no one had done: travel overland from Europe to New York going east.
He lashed the massive shanks of horses as we rode a sleigh across the frozen steppes of Siberia. He howled
at dogs as they pulled him over the ice-packs of the Arctic Ocean. And finally after crossing dark
oceans and scortching deserts, he made it to New York.
Why is all this important? It’s not. It’s just that a friend of mine recently recommended that I read De
Windt’s
book: From Paris
to New York by Land, which he called one of the best adventure yarns he’s ever read. So I thought I’d pass on his
rec. A gift from me to you.