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I can feel the bugs and the "getting lost" frustration. Great sense of humor. Good complement to "Canoeing with the Cree". Interested in wilderness experiences and especially the North. Good read so far.
I concur. They even commented on the huge mosquitos that invaded while camping on the Canadian lake that I grew up visiting. A quick read. I really enjoyed this adventure of 2 men canoing up in the Northland to Hudson Bay. They actually canoed across lakes that I have camped on.
However, don't look for a great survival story or weaving a poet view of the outdoors. The author does a fantastic job describing the efforts of their epic trip. While it wasn't the exciting adventure I had anticipated, it was a true protrayal of a long distance canoe trip. Learning from our mistakes is what makes us a good outdoorsman and sometimes making the same mistake repeatedly makes for a funny story.
While employed as an F-16 Fighter pilot for the Minnesota Air National Guard in Duluth, he also had a side job as a test pilot for Cirrus Aviation in the same city. Armed with 45 pounds of Macaroni & Cheese, Scott and friend Steve Baker headed North up the big lake. Scott lived life to the fullest and it was reflected in the way he died. This is an inspirational story, mixed with generous amounts of humor, and one that should be on the "must read" list for any child. I was one of the fortunate ones to meet Scott Anderson.
A word of caution. To have a better appreciation of Scott Anderson's trip, it is recommended that you read Sevareid's book first. The start of this epic journey from his home in Duluth to Hudson Bay required him to carry the canoe and a pack four miles to the Lake Superior shore, before the water adventure could even get underway. Eric and friend Walter Port canoed from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay by a different route, but with the same destination. About the book. Scott and Steve were inspired by the book written in 1935 by famous newsman Eric Sevareid titled "Canoeing with the Cree". Needless to say that it was a big loss for the state of Minnesota. The race to get to Hudson Bay before being trapped by the onset of winter and the thoughts of ending up in polar bear country at the finish is the timeless story of man against nature.
Within the first two minutes of converstaion with him, you knew you were talking with someone special. The trials and tribulations are well chronicled and will make you feel that you are a part of the voyage. Reading these accounts may cause you to run out and purchase a large aluminum object and talk some other fool into attempting something crazy. The Cirrus aircraft that he was testing developed control problems and struck a building at the Duluth airport. It speaks to those who say that there are no challenges left for modern day young adults.
This book is testomony to what's in the future and beyond the horizon. "Distant Fires" was published in 1990 and is the true account of a summer canoe trip from Duluth Minnesota to Hudson Bay Canada by two men in their early 20's. Thank you Scott Anderson for sharing your uncommon knowledge and insight of "Distant Fires" on earth and in our lives. It cannot be over-recommended for young and old. More than anything else, this book speaks to the modern charisma and abilities of the author, who planned and accomplished the journey, then, wrote such a wonderful and humorous account of it. Chapter by chapter, the reader is taken to the water, along the route, and into the perspective of the adventure.
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