This is a book I looked forward to reading, after all it was
based on the famous early twentieth century canoe journey of one of my
environmental heroes – Ernest Oberholzer and his good friend and native guide –
Billy Magee.
It was a journey that took all summer and challenged the ice
forming days of autumn as they paddled where few non-Indians had
journeyed. Billy, while native, was not
from these tribes, bands, or locations, so he was a guide without a reference
and they were in the transition from Taiga to Tundra.
They traveled where the Caribou herds traveled with Dene and
Chippewyan and visited the outposts of Hudson Bay Company. No airplane, no backup system and not very
good maps – yet they made it because they had the desire and perseverance that
is demanded in true wilderness expeditions.
Today their route has modern canoeist, float plane support,
and GPS support, but in fact Ernest was not just doing an Arctic paddle, he was
pioneering some sections and was only the second non-native in other portions
of the journey.
While this story is the impetus for the book, the book
itself diverges greatly from the classic trip and the few journal entries that
are used for setting. Instead it is a
study in the history and the people of this area. Many descendants of people Ernie
encountered. It is about villages and
changing populations, the influences of the outside world, and the connection
between the world we would discover today and the one that awaited the two
intrepid paddlers.
I enjoyed the book, but I was disappointed because I started reading with the assumption that Ernie and Billy would be the central figures throughout. If I remove that bias, I can recommend this as an excellent look at the place where the barren grounds meets the Tiaga forest.
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