Changing Paths: Travels and Meditations in Alaska’s Arctic Wilderness is an autobiographical exploration of author Bill Sherwonit’s relationship with the Alaska wilderness. Written in three parts, it first describes Sherwonit’s introduction to the Brooks Range and his years as an exploration geologist. Taking a step back, the author then takes us into the past to explore his childhood roots in rural Connecticut and his recognition of wild nature as a refuge. He concludes with his emergence as a nature writer and wilderness advocate.

An engrossing, fascinating, and eye-opening tale of one man’s life and of wilderness conceptions, this vivid description of an area of Alaska that few people get to experience is authentic and enlightening. It is an extraordinary contribution to the literature of place from one of Alaska’s most accomplished nature writers.

"Thank goodness for Bill Sherwonit, . . . who in this lovely book invites us to join him on his journey into the Church of Wild Nature, from a childhood with Uncle Peach to an epic hike through Alaska's Brooks Range, the northernmost mountain range in the world. If every kid in America could spend a summer with this guy—or read this important book—we'd have something truly remarkable: a national ecological conscience, and countless fewer cases of attention deficit disorder."

"Alaska's Brooks Range is one of the most self-willed (i.e., "wild") places on the planet. Maintaining the opportunity for extended self-reliant, unmechanized trips in this country should be one of the nation's top priorities in environmental policy. Bill Sherwonit's exciting book tells why."

"Bill Sherwonit writes with the clarity of a journalist, the technical precision of a geologist, and the narrative energy of a natural storyteller—throwing in the occasional flash of poetry. Changing Paths: Travels and Meditations in Alaska’s Arctic Wilderness is a vivid contribution to American nature writing, in the tradition of Barry Lopez and Richard Nelson, that will help readers understand why wild places are so important to our inner lives."

"To a young geologist named Bill Sherwonit, discovering the magic of mountains was life changing, and we are most fortunate that he found his calling in sharing what mountains have to say. . . . Join Bill on his journey of self-discovery as he explores the path blazed by Bob Marshall through Alaska's farthest north mountains and ruminates on such topics as how to cross a river without dying, why the world needs wilderness, the importance of bones left alone, what to say to a curious grizzly bear, the irrational pull of the wristwatch, the futility of worrying too much, the joy of friendship, and why "wild" is a necessary fuel for life."