BANFF Mountain Film and Book Festival judges have awarded the Adventure Travel Book Prize to Land of Lost Borders, the debut memoir by explorer Kate Harris ’05.

The jury wrote, “In thoughtful, melodic prose, Kate Harris embraces the spirit of adventure in this story about cycling the Silk Road even as she confronts the entangled nature of science and imperialism in the history of exploration. From permits and packaged noodles to sage-speckled horizons, Lands of Lost Borders relates the ordinary, unglamorous details of life on the road alongside moments of beauty and insight. 

In her travels with Mel, a childhood friend turned cycling companion, Harris also reveals how the shifting contours of a friendship can form new landscapes worth exploring. All the while, Harris maintains a hope in the power of the exchange of ideas to reimagine borders along territories and, perhaps, within the human heart.” ⁣⁣

Kate wrote on Instagram, “I’m floored and flying at once. Amazing the places words can take you.”