A Road out of Naknek: Alaskan Salmon Fishing, Long-Distance Running, and Life According to the Tide

by Keith Catalano Wilson

While growing up in Naknek, a remote commercial salmon-fishing town in southwest Alaska, Keith began running as a way to deal with a feeling of isolation and restlessness. As an adult, he has left Naknek, moving from place to place, job to job, and adventure to adventure. All the while, he competes in a number of long-distance races of up to 100 miles. Running provides him a time for reflection and a sense of inner clarity that nothing else seems to offer— but as life moves forward, he continues to return to Naknek every summer for the commercial fishing season.A Road out of Naknek predominately moves in chronological order through different stages of a life. We are brought along a journey of contemplative exploration, inspiring us to strive toward a greater understanding through the biological cycle of salmon, retreading the same path on a long-distance run, and the power and inevitability of the tide.

269 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2020

About the author

Keith Catalano Wilson is an endurance athlete and the winner of such races as the Salt Flats 50-Miler, the Boise Foothills 50K, and the Sun Valley Endurance Run. His regular column appears in Mountain Running Magazine, and his work has been featured in Wanderlust Journal and the Young Fishermen's Almanac. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Northern Michigan University. His upbringing was in Naknek, Alaska, where he still returns for the commercial fishing season during the summer. He currently lives in Hailey, Idaho with his wife, Mandy, where they both teach, coach, and sell fish via their business, Wilsons' Wild Salmon.