A Voyage Beyond Reason
He Dared to Dream an Impossible Dream. He Risked Body and Soul to Make it Real.
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A VOYAGE BEYOND REASON
On September 13, 1996, twenty four year old Benjamin Wade set out on a solo voyage in a tiny sea kayak. As he pushed off from the shores of San Felipe, his goal lay 6,000 miles away – and deep within his own soul.
The chance discovery of his journals, buried on a Colombian cliff above the sea, uncovered a mystery which took many years to finally solve. His journals tell of misery and elation, of triumph and failure, of insight and insanity.
Follow the events which will forge his character, and follow the mind of a young man set on achieving a dream that no amount of misfortune can dissuade him from reaching . . . on a journey that challenges his survival, and brings him face to face with himself.
Tom Gauthier weaves the word pictures and intimate thoughts of Benjamin Wade into a gripping story of the struggle for survival and the reshaping of a young life in a way that few of us could imagine.
A Voyage Beyond Reason
By
Tom Gauthier
Published March 2009 by Outskirts Press
ISBN 978-1-4327-1234-1, ISBN 978-1-4327-1235-8
Copyrights: Tom Gauthier
Best Sellers World
(bestsellersworld.com by Mary Z)
“Wow! That’s the only word which describes this marvelous book. It is one you will hate to see end and will try to sparingly read to the finish.”
“Tom Gauthier has taken Ben’s notes and fleshed out the experiences of this man. The result is an extraordinary adventure, outward and inward. I don’t want to give too much away but, please, if there is only one book you will read this year, read this one. It will entertain you and make you think.”
PODBRAM
(Reviewed by Juliet Waldron)
“The first person who walked between the glaciers into a pristine valley, and then managed to come back and show the others how to get there, had a certain gene. Nowadays, this particular gene doesn’t get a workout very often, but here’s a story about a young man who possesses it, and what it made him do.”
“A Voyage Beyond Reason is a fine adventure story. If you are a fan of the “true adventure” genre, ocean-going, exotic locale variety, or, if you are a Survivor junkie, you’ll probably enjoy this one.”
Dan’s Journal: A Voyage Beyond Reason
(My Thoughts: 5 Star Inspirational)
“Tom Gauthier has written a truly inspiring story of Bens’ search for inner worth. Gauthier interlaces his own thoughts when reading the journal, sections of the journal and recreates actual events from interviews and remembrances. He has done an excellent job of capturing the human spirit. I loved this book.”
“Mother Lode Beth”
(Top 100 Reviewer: Amazon.com)
“Male or female, if you love the out of doors, taking calculated chances and loved books like Into The Wild, you will probably love this book. . . Just an all around awesome read.”
Amos Lassen
(Top 500 Reviewer: Amazon.com)
“We learn a lot about the human condition from this book and it is a great story of survival.”
OMNIBUS ON LINE
Book chronicles Wade's journey
Imagine telling your friends and family you are going to take a six month solo kayaking journey through the treacherous ocean. Before Benjamin Wade took on "Survivor-Tocantins," he went through a transformation of mind and body on a 6,000 mile odyssey. In "A Voyage Beyond Reason," Tom Gauthier chronicles this quest in a semi-fictionalized account, using Wade's original journals from the trip that took him from San Felipe, Calif. to Colombia, South America.
Longing and utter loneliness envelop Wade from the outset. Just two weeks ago, he fell for a woman named Heather; now their love is interrupted by his departure. At the same time, Wade feels the higher calling of the challenge goading him onward. The conflicting emotions and early journey struggles relate to me the difficulty of making a huge change in one's life. Seldom is change easy, and many times we want to go back to our comfort zones. But Wade fought those inclinations with determination, although many days were spent without progress against the wind. At other times early in the journey, he treks 75 miles in three days with no sleep. Sentiments of home are fully forgotten as the young man faces 30-foot hurricane waves. "As Ben floated on top of this huge mountain of water, he braced himself to begin flying down the waves' face, end over end into its jaws of death … it was then he heard the voice."
Wade survives Hurricane Hernan by relying on God, who in return asks him to tell everyone he meets on his journey about Jesus. More hardships met Wade. This time near the shores of Mazatlan, Mexico where the police thought his white powdered muscle gainer was cocaine. The cops were paid off with the rest of his money. Wade is forced to stay in Mazatlan, working and sometimes eating out of the trash, waiting to get enough money to continue his journey.
"I have no money now, thanks to the Mexican government. I was ripped off blind today because the police thought I was carrying cocaine… I have been humbled, humiliated and reduced to tears by this ocean and her country, but I will not quit!"
After Mazatlan, Wade's character is forged as a stoic nature-lover. Loneliness comforts him as he takes solitude in nature and in completing the challenge. The parts where Wade rails against human progress for damaging God's creation, journal entries on love for the ocean, and Gauthier's acute descriptions made me feel like I was in the kayak. Shark attacks, Pacific sea snakes, and poisonous water still await Wade.
How does the kayaker's journey end? The only clue I give is, "Shots rang out and screams pierced the solitude of this sacred place."
"A Voyage Beyond Reason" is now available from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.
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