Travels in Kamtschatka, during the years 1787 and 1788, Volume 2 by Lesseps

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Travels in Kamtschatka, during the years 1787 and 1788, Volume 2 by Lesseps

(4 User reviews) 442

By Victoria Lefevre Posted on Mar 30, 2026

In Category - Motivational Reads

Authors: Lesseps, Jean-Baptiste-Barthélemy, baron de, 1766-1834 Published By : Lesseps, Jean-Baptiste-Barthélemy, baron de, 1766-1834

Book Language: English

Okay, hear me out. This isn't your average travelogue. Imagine being a French diplomat in the late 1700s, stranded in the wildest corner of Siberia after a legendary explorer's ship sails away without you. That's Jean-Baptiste de Lesseps. His job? To carry vital dispatches from a Russian expedition all the way back to France... alone. This book is his insane, true story of that journey. We're talking a year-long trek across a frozen, unmapped peninsula called Kamchatka, facing blizzards, navigating by reindeer, and relying entirely on the kindness of Cossack outposts and Indigenous communities who had every reason to distrust a foreigner. The real mystery isn't about what he finds, but how on earth he survives. It's a raw, boots-on-the-ground account of endurance when every single day is a test. Forget polished adventure tales; this is the real, gritty, sometimes terrifying deal. If you've ever wondered what true solitude and resilience look like, told by the guy who lived it, start here.

File: Travels in Kamtschatka, during the years 1787 and 1788, Volume 2 by Lesseps

Published in 1790, this is the second volume of Jean-Baptiste de Lesseps' firsthand account. He was the French interpreter on the famed La Pérouse expedition. When La Pérouse's ships continued their voyage into the Pacific, Lesseps was given a monumental task: take the expedition's records and travel overland from the remote tip of Siberia back to Europe. This book picks up as he begins the most perilous leg of that journey, crossing the vast Kamchatka Peninsula in the dead of winter.

The Story

This isn't a plotted novel, but a diary of survival. Lesseps describes his world shrinking to the next sled ride, the next frozen river crossing, the next hut offering shelter. He travels by dog sled and reindeer, guided by Cossacks and aided by the Indigenous Itelmen and Koryak peoples. The "story" is in the details: bartering for fish, repairing sleds with frozen fingers, navigating white-out storms, and the profound isolation of a landscape where settlements are weeks apart. There are moments of unexpected warmth in a shared meal, and stretches of sheer terror when the path vanishes. His goal is simple—get west to the mainland—but every mile is hard-won.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me was the complete lack of romantic gloss. Lesseps isn't a hero; he's a competent man in an impossible situation, often scared, always cold, and persistently observant. You feel the weight of those dispatches in his pack. His writing reveals a deep respect for the people who live in this harsh environment, making it more than just a landscape of suffering—it's a portrait of a way of life. Reading this is like sitting across from him by a smoky fire as he recounts the wildest year of his life. It strips away any modern notion of adventure and shows you the core of it: logistics, trust, and the will to put one foot in front of the other.

Final Verdict

Perfect for readers who love true survival stories, armchair historians, and anyone tired of flashy explorer narratives. If you enjoyed the grounded struggle of books like The Endurance or Into the Wild, you'll find a fascinating 18th-century cousin here. It's not a fast read, but a immersive one. You come away with a new appreciation for a cup of hot tea, a solid roof, and the forgotten individuals who carried the world's knowledge, step by frozen step, across the wilderness.