Melozi: A Teenager's Search for a Summer Job Lands Him an Adventure in the Alaskan Bush

Would you send your teenager into the Alaska wilderness to work for people you never met? On June 9, 1973, 16-year-old Michael Travis put an advertisement in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner looking for work. What he got was more than he bargained for. Michael accepted an offer to help an older couple build a lodge at Melozi Hot Springs—a remote camp north of the Yukon River. The couple is shocked when they see a boy step out of the bush plane, instead of a capable man they sorely needed. Michael must prove his worth and learns quickly this beautiful land can turn deadly — handing out hard lessons. Confronted with bears, hordes of mosquitoes, and the realization he is truly on his own, Michael gradually earns his place among his employers and becomes an Alaskan.