Caroline Van Hemert

“In life, we’re always closer to the edge than we like to admit, never guaranteed our next breath, never sure of what will follow this moment. We’re human. We’re vulnerable. With love comes the risk of loss. There are a million accidents waiting to happen, future illnesses too terrible to imagine, the potential for the ordinary to turn tragic. This is true in cities and towns as much as it is in the wilderness. But out here we face these facts more clearly, aware of the divide between today and tomorrow. And, for this reason, every day counts.”
― Caroline Van Hemert, The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds

“And so crossing this river has become necessary, in the way that it’s necessary to kiss a lover before leaving, to pause and look up when the moon is rising. Our bodies know what is essential and what is not.”
― Caroline Van Hemert, The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds