To put it lightly, Chuck Wirschem is an adventurer. He has spent time on six continents, skied the top 50 ski areas in North America, traveled from Los Angeles to Savannah, Ga., by bicycle and landed his Cessna 185 on the North Pole and Greenland. He shares his adventures hitchhiking across North America in the early 1960s in his memoir, “HitchHiking 45,000 Miles to Alaska” (ISBN 1475184840).

Growing up in Michigan reading outdoor magazines and adventure books and hitchhiking since he was nine years old prepared Wirschem for the adventures that awaited him when he set out in 1960. Over the next four years, he hitchhiked across North America before ending up in Alaska, where he has remained for nearly 50 years.

While he traveled 45,000 miles through 44 states and three countries, Wirschem experienced everything from the World’s Fair and the unveiling of the Space Needle in Seattle to spring breaks in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The author shares how he got to see New York City on less than $10 and even bought an airplane without knowing how to fly it.

Wirschem wants to share his experiences with others, both old and young, to remind them of the great possibilities in life, if they are courageous enough to take them.

“HitchHiking 45,000 Miles to Alaska” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.