REVIEWS of COMPANIES and PRODUCTS
Companies and Products ENDORSED
GIFT SUGGESTIONS & REVIEWS
for the wilderness enthusiast
Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada
book by MacKinnon, Kershaw, Arnason,
Owen, Karst, and Hamersley Chambers
Wild Berries of Ontario
book by Hammersley Chambers and Harris
Butterflies of Ontario & Eastern Canada
book by John Acorn and Ian Sheldon
Spiders of Western Canada
book by John Hancock and Kathleen Hancock
Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada
book by George Barron
Turbo Jetslams
book by Jass Richards
Wanapitei Canoe Trippers' Cookbook III
book by Carol Hodgins
The Bow Drill Fire
book by James Black
Birds of Canada
book by Tyler L. Hoar, Ken De Smet,
R. Wayne Campbell & Gregory Kennedy
Manigotagan River Canoe Map
map by Manitoba Eco-Network
River Rough, River Smooth
book by Anthony Dalton
Black Spruce Journals
book by Stewart Coffin
True North
book by Elliott Merrick
A Death On The Barrens
book by George Grinnell
Sleeping Island
book by P.G. Downes
Animal Tracks of Manitoba
book by Ian Sheldon & Tamara Eder
Manitoba Birds
book by Andy Bezener & Ken De Smet
Mushrooms of Western Canada
book by Helene M.E. Schalkwijk-Barendsen
Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland
book by Derek Johnson, Linda Kershaw,
Andy MacKinnon & Jim Pojar
Reptiles and Amphibians of Canada
book by Chris Fisher, Amanda Joynt, & Dr. Ronald J. Brooks
Plants of Alberta
book by France Royer & Richard Dickinson
Manitoba, Naturally
book by Bill Stillwell
Compact Guide to Manitoba and Saskatchewan Birds
book by Alan Smith, Ken De Smet,
Krista Kagume & Carmen Adams
Classic Solo Canoeing
video by Becky Mason
Paintings and books by Clarence Tillenius, wildlife and nature artist extraordinaire.
R.M. Patterson, A Life of Great Adventure
biographical book by David Finch
Paintings, books or canoeing videos by authors and artists
Becky Mason, Reid McLachlan & Bill Mason, Paul Mason
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Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada
by Andy MacKinnon, Linda Kershaw,
John Thor Arnason, Patrick Owen,
Amanda Karst and Fiona Hamersley Chambers
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This compact book from Lone Pine Publishing proves to be a very useful book in the field for identification of more than 600 wild plants common across Canada including trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mosses and lichens used by people through the ages as foods and medicines.
The book is colour-keyed into seven major sections: trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, grasses, ferns and poisonous plants.
Over 800 photographs and sketches of various plants provide visual information to assist in identifying the species. The numerous photographers, illustrators and other contributors are acknowledged in the book credits.
A colour-keyed pictorial quick reference guide is followed by the Introduction at the front of the book. The Introduction discusses sources of information, the use of wild plants, gathering tips, plant names, uses as food, uses as medicine, other uses, and important warnings. Plants are grouped according to the colour-key category, then by the family. Each genera or species description includes the common name(s), scientific genera and species names, uses as food, medicine, and other uses as well as keying description and associated warnings for the various species within the genera. Cautions and warnings are provided due to the possibility of confusing poisonous for edible species.
The reviewer uses the book to assist in keying out numerous plant species in various locations in Manitoba and NW Ontario. The book is used in University field study courses such as Indigenous Ethnobotany and as an alternate reference to historical botanical keys such as "The Flora of Manitoba" by H. J. Scoggan. The medicinal information includes historical uses common to First Nations peoples as well as peoples of Europe and other continents. Active ingredients are identified as well.
The back of the book includes a glossary, plant conservation status specific to each species, references, photo credits and an index to common and scientific names.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.75"
448 pages
ISBN 978-1-55105-572-5
Price $29.95 CDN
Publication date 2009
New Edition Publication date 2014 by Partners Publishing
Note that there is no difference in the contents of the book between the original and new edition.
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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Wild Berries of Ontario
by Fiona Hammersley Chambers and Cory Harris
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This is another compact book from Lone Pine Publishing that provides excellent information on 152 species of wild berries found in Ontario. Some of the species are also found in the prairie provinces especially Eastern Manitoba.
The book is colour-keyed into three major sections: trees and shrubs, wildflowers and poisonous plants. 18 recipes are also distributed throughout the book.
The photographs and sketches of the plants provide relevant morphological information to assist in identifying the various species which are listed by common and scientific names. The numerous photographers, illustrators and other contributors are acknowledged in the book credits.
A pictorial quick reference "Plants at a Glance" guide is provided at the front of the book prior to the Introduction. The Introduction discusses plant and berry morphology, species accounts, edibility classifications, geographical ranges and seasons, description and tips on collecting, drying and freezing. Cautions and warnings are also provided due to the possibility of confusing poisonous for edible species. Each genera of berry species is listed by the common family name and a general description of the family, followed by scientific genera and species names, informative text and anecdotes about the genera and species, and information on identification, habitat, berry fruiting seasons, native uses and health benefits, and warnings for similar or poisonous look a-like species.
The reviewer has used the book to assist in keying out several species, such as Dewberry, False Solomon Seal, Silver Berry (Wolf Willow), Nanny Berries, in various locations in Manitoba and NW Ontario. The various blueberry species descriptions are useful in differentiating the various species of Vaccinium. The information proved to be beneficial in keying out species where other available references were lacking in information.
The back of the book includes a glossary, references, an index of common and scientific names and photo and illustration credits.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.44"
232 pages
ISBN 978-1-55105-867-2
Price $21.95 CDN
Publication date 2012
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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Butterflies of Ontario & Eastern Canada
by John Acorn and Ian Sheldon
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This compact book is optimal for novice "butterfolk" because it is compact and inexpensive ($28.95 CDN) and provides information on common butterfly species a person would find in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Some of the species identified in the book may also be found further West. This book is not meant to be comprehensive.
The book is broken into five major sections reflecting the major groups of butterflies: swallowtails; whites and sulphurs; gossamer-winged; brush-footed; and skippers.
The photographs in the book are by Author John Acorn, who is the well known host of the television series Acorn, The Nature Nut, as well as a number of photographers who are acknowledged in the book credits. Ian Sheldon created excellent illustrations showing the intricacy of patterns on the tops and bottoms of the butterfly wings, essential to species differentiation. Male and/or female sex symbols help to differentiate the colouring of the identified species and maps of Ontario and Eastern Canada are shaded to indicate distribution.
It is the opinion of the reviewer that if the maps are shaded in North East Ontario or all of Ontario it could be inferred that the species also exists in Manitoba and further west. The text provides further geographic distribution information, some seasonally, which may indicate extended distribution. For example, I have seen Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Papillio canadensis (the map shows distribution through all of Ontario) and White Admiral Limenitis arthemis arthemis (the map shows distribution through Southern regions of Ontario and NE Ontario) in various locations in Southern Manitoba.
A pictorial Quick Reference Guide is provided at the front of the book prior to the Introduction which provides an overview of butterfly biology, morphology, identification history and references, study, field methods, equipment and naming. A general pictorial key is provided on the back cover of the book breaking the covered species down to the five groups of butterfly species with associated page numbers and colour keyed pages: swallowtails; whites and sulphurs; gossamer-winged; brush-footed; and skippers. Each section begins with an overview of the group. Each species is listed by the common name followed by Genera and species names, informative text and anecdotes about the species, and a description which includes information on Identification, Wingspan, Habitat and Flight Season, Caterpillar food plant, and Similar species.
The back of the book includes an Index of Scientific Names, an Index of Common Names, a Checklist of common and scientific names, a Glossary and References.
The colour coded pages and keys, simplified grouping, common name index, scientific name index and excellent illustrations make it possible to quickly find a given species in the book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.75"
320 pages
ISBN 978-1-77213-032-4
Price $28.95 CDN
Publication date 2017 April 1
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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Spiders of Western Canada
by John Hancock and Kathleen Hancock
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This is a very good introductory spiders book for novice arachnologists because it is compact and inexpensive ($24.95 CDN). By no means is it meant to be, nor is it, comprehensive.
The book covers British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Many of the species identified in the book can also be found in Manitoba. The book is broken into two major sections Hunting Spiders and Web-Weaving Spiders. Hunting Spiders includes Tarantulas and their kin (Mygalomorphae) and True Spiders (Araneomorphe). Web-Weaving spiders includes True Spiders (Araneomorphe) that weave webs. The book includes a useful pictorial Reference Guide of spiders based on their morphology, an arachnologist's Glossary, References including websites, and an Index which mixes common names with scientific names of which the primary species taxa are bold-faced.
The artwork in the book is excellent, including coloured pencil drawings of intriguing spider faces, body parts, intricate webs and/or prey by John Hancock as seen through his stereoscopic binocular microscope, part of a collection of 4000 drawings he has created over several decades. John's artwork was inspired by Michael J. Roberts, a British arachnologist. The species database is based on data collected by Don Buckle, a Saskatchewan arachnologist. The photographs are by Kathleen Hancock.
A pictorial quick reference guide is provided at the front of the book and a general key is provided at the back of the book.
The various species are grouped with an array of colour codes to facilitate finding the species in the book. The introduction and descriptions provided with each species includes information such as their relations with other organisms, life cycle, reproduction, anatomy, habitat, size, mobility, web building, moulting and how they fit in the "food web". Over 100 species are illustrated and information is provided how to collect and observe them. The book may inspire you to start to sketch them as well.
"The Spiders of Western Canada" is available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on the web and directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information on this book, go to Lone Pine Publishing.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.41"
192 pages, over 400 colour illustrations and photos, over 100 species discussed
ISBN 978-1-55105-916-7
Price $24.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada
by George Barron
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This is the New Edition of the book, published in 2014.
This is one of the two or three mushroom books I now carry with me when I go foraging, I highly recommend it. The book identifies species common to Ontario and Eastern Canada, Quebec, Eastern Canada and North Eastern Unites States. However, many of the species are also found in Manitoba and other places in North America. It includes mushrooms found in gardens, around the home as well as in the wilderness.
The book is well laid out in colour-coded sections each of which begin with an explanation of mushroom life, morphology, toxicology, edibility and other facts pertinent to the section. There is a handy photo reference guide at the start of the book and the sections identifying the various species include the taxonomical order and family of mushrooms. The first section is the Non-Gilled Mushrooms including Myxomycota slime moulds, Ascomycota sac fungi, and Basidiomycota including puffballs and allies, jelly, coral, tooth, bracket, and boletes. The second section deals with all the Gill Fungi (which are also Basidiomycota) in four colour coded sections delineating gilled mushrooms based on spore colours. The final section Mushrooms as Food addresses Edible Fungi and Mushroom Poisoning.
I recommend that all mushroom foragers read the last section of this book before their next foray or experimentation with mushrooms, as it provides an excellent introduction to mushroom toxicology. And be sure to carry a second mushroom reference guide to verify the species you have encountered, as no one mushroom book.
The photos of mushrooms are quite good, capturing the morphological features of mushrooms. Throughout the book there are interesting tidbits of other species of fungi that have impact on other organisms. When a species is poisonous, it is noted as such in bold face in the description. Some poisonous look-alikes of edible species are also described.
The book is most useful as a field guide for mushroom hunters who sometimes want to collect edible species. It does not address all possible mushroom species, no one field book can possibly do this. The author does not include popular herbal medicinal ethnobotanical uses of mushroom species in the descriptions although some are briefly discussed in the Mushrooms For Food section. For example, the use of Ling Chi Ganoderma tsugae as popular Reishi herbal tinctures, or Turkey Tail Trametes versicolor as an immune system booster. Although this book does identify two Inonotus species, it does not include Chaga Inonotus obliquus a very popular herbal mushroom used as an anti-cancer preventative and cure. Hence the need for additional reference books.
The index at the back of the book references the common names and the latin scientific names of the mushrooms.
"Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada" is available from many sources, at numerous bookstores and on
the web and directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web site.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.65"
336 pages, 875 colour photos, 609 species
ISBN 978-1-77213-001-0
Price $29.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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TurboJetslams:
Proof#29 of the Non-Existence of God
by Jass Richards
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This compact and inexpensive ($9.99 CDN) pocket book provides insight to a phenomenon experienced by many people who go to the wilderness for solitude and are confronted by other people who are obnoxious, belligerent and unfriendly.
The story is set in the Canadian wilderness, about a single woman who attempts to retire in a cabin on a lake that is populated with cabins. That right there sets the stage for calamity and frustration. As a paddler I typically expect to find motors and noise of all kinds that are used by people getting to their cabins or motoring around the lake.
The book builds on numerous stories that lead to sarcastic or, more appropriately, sardonic humor relating to the protagonist's experiences with how noisy, drunk, raucous cabin dwellers residing on the same lake end up being maligned in various manners over a number of years. The Non-Existence of God is shown in the many conflicts and affronts to the protagonist's expectations of a wilderness experience.
As a paddler and lover of wilderness, I disagree with the tendency for people to acquire a cabin in nature as it inherently destroys the essence of that nature and solitude that one is seeking and the disruption to the environment changes forever the wilderness that was there. In my honest opinion, to expect solitude in a lake cohabited by other people is a pipe dream. The sarcasm in the book illustrates the frustrations and entertainment one would encounter in such a scenario. If you want to experience life in a wilderness cabin do it vicariously through this book, perhaps it will fuel your resolve to never own a cabin on a lake cohabited by other people.
The single illustration is justifiable in its solitude as it indicates how gasoline toxifies our lakes, negatively affecting aquatic life. Sarcastically expressed, of course.
I had trouble laughing at some of the humour in the book, because I have found my own such ludicrous encounters with other people to be unsettling in their disrespect for nature, other humans and beings.
"TurboJetslams" is available from many sources online in paperback, as well as softcopy, Kobobooks, iBooks, etc.
For more information on this book, go to TurboJetslams web page
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.25"
120 pages, 1 illustration
ISBN 978-1-926891-65-1 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-926891-66-8 (html)
ISBN 978-1-926891-67-5 (pdf)
Price $9.99 CDN (paperback)
Publisher: Magenta
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Wanapitei Canoe Trippers' Cookbook III
by Carol Hodgins
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
When I bought the first issue of the Wanapitei Canoe Trippers' Cookbook in 1986 I was not expecting to obtain the value it has since given me. Ever since then paddling partners on numerous canoeing and hiking trips have commended the meals I made from recipes such as Mulligatawny Stew, Logan Bread or Vegetarian Chili. There are many other recipes in Issue III that are equally scrumptious and that are on my list to prepare.
This issue is a combination of the two previous editions with updates and metric measurements; Issue I was first printed in 1982 by The Highway Bookshop and Issue II was first published in 1999. As before, all recipes are sized for six energetic people.
Carol Hodgins has arranged the book with contributions from other sources into sections dealing with:
- Water treatment and environmental concerns
- Nutrition, meal planning, preparation and packaging
- Recipes for meat-eaters, vegetarians and allergies
- Fires, stoves and ovens
- Breakfasts, pancakes, bannocks and breads
- Meals, fish, soups, and salads
- Dressings, sauces, dips and spreads
- Desserts, snacks and fruit leathers
- Fitness and injury prevention
Issue III of the cookbook includes numerous photos that inspire the reader to get out cooking and canoeing and it most aptly closes with:
Happy Tripping! Eat Well, Have Fun!
For more information, go to White Mountain Publications web page about this book.
Glossy softcover, spiral cerelux bound, 6" x 8.5" x 0.5", color
188 pages, Black and White and Color Photos and Illustrations
ISBN 10: 1-894747-43-7
ISBN 13: 9781894747431
Price $24.95 Canadian
Publisher: White Mountain Publications
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The Bow Drill Fire
by James Black
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
James Black provides very thorough step-by-step instructions on how to select materials found in nature and use them to start and nurture a fire without use of flint, matches or lighter. Instead a bow is used to drill a piece of wood on another piece of wood to cause friction in turn creating ashes that are used to nurture a flame in flammable duff material. This is a valuable survival or camping skill for those who venture into the wilderness because a person can not always depend on other sources of flame or spark being available to start a camp fire.
The book includes a fire-making troubleshooting section and also describes how to make your own string or cord from plant or root fibers. Black and white illustrations and photographs help clarify the instructions.
For more information, go to White Mountain Publications web page about this book.
Softcover, edge stapled, 5.38" x 8.5" x 0.25", color cover
45 pages, Black and White Photos and Illustrations
ISBN 10: 1-896331-51-3
Price $8.95 Canadian $7.00 US
Publisher: White Mountain Publications
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Birds of Canada
by Tyler L. Hoar, Ken De Smet,
R. Wayne Campbell & Gregory Kennedy
with contributions from Krista Kagume
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This comprehensive book includes:
- ID, size, habitat, nesting, feeding, voice and similar species
- Common and latin names
- Notes on each species' natural history, name origins
- Specific behaviours and habits to watch for
- Mnemonics to help remember species
- Update conservation activities underway in all provinces
- Beautiful full-colour illustrations and photos for each species
- Range maps
- Birdwatching tips and best sites.
Lone Pine Publishing has produced quality bird field guides for cities and provinces across Canada for many years. This book presents up-to-date, fascinating information for people of all ages interested in watching birds and learning more about them.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 6" x 9" x 1", color
Hardcover also available
528 pages, Illustrations
ISBN 13: 978-1-55105-589-3
ISBN 10: 1-55105-589-9
Price $32.95 Canadian $32.95 US
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
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Manigotagan River Canoe Map
by Manitoba Eco-Network
Map Review
by Donna R Kurt
The Manigotagan River Canoe Map provides an excellent resource of information regarding a multitude of aspects of this very popular whitewater river which is just a few hours drive northeast of Winnipeg in Nopiming Provincial Park. It has a number of very good nature photographs, illustrates forest fire burn areas, and provides information on historical, geological, ecological and environmental aspects of the river.
The Manigotagan is a fun and challenging whitewater canoe route only a few hours north of Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital and population centre. Its watershed drains an area of approximately 217 square kilometers or 22,000 hectares, most of which is located in Manitoba (the river originates in Woodland Caribou Park in North-Western Ontario), and discharges into Lake Winnipeg from the East. The part of the river that is most frequently paddled is the 134 kilometres between Highway 314 and the community of Manigotagan at the mouth of Lake Winnipeg. This novice to intermediate canoe route takes between 5 and 7 days, although there are access points further downstream should you wish to shorten your trip (for more information regarding access points, see below). There are 32 beautiful waterfalls and rapids which range from Class I to Class IV depending on the water level. The longest portage is close to 450 metres, while the shortest is less than 20 metres long. Note that some rapids do not have a portage trail and must be run.
The area between Highway 314 and Quesnel Lake is typical Canadian Shield country, boreal forest interspersed with marshy areas. This is part of Nopiming Provincial Park. You will need to cross 4 larger lakes (Long Lake, Manigotagan Lake, Quesnel Lake and Turtle Lake, some of which have cottages. The area downstream of Quesnel Lake is undeveloped (with the exception of Turtle Lake), but was largely burned in a forest fire in 1999. This part leads you through regrowth forest and marshy areas and belongs to Manitoba's newest provincial park, Manigotagan River Provincial Park.
The entire river flows through beautiful landscapes. The map is an excellent on-water resource and it has an excellent on-line interactive version that is worth exploring on the Manitoba Eco-Network website. The paper map includes the various names that have been given to a number of the rapids and which can cause some confusion, a long-standing problem for those who paddle the river.
Untreated, 6" x 8" x 0.125",
unfolds to 23.675" x 34.75", two sided, color
2 pages, text, photos and maps
ISBN 1-895465-26-5
Price $10.00 Canadian
Publisher: Manitoba Eco-Network
(204) 947-6511 phone
www.mbeconetwork.org web
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River Rough, River Smooth
Adventures on Manitoba's Historic Hayes River
by David Finch
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
Manitoba's Hayes River runs over six hundred kilometres from near Norway House to Hudson Bay. On its rush to the sea, the Hayes races over forty-five rapids and waterfalls as it drops down from the Precambrian Shileld to the Hudson Bay Lowlands. This great waterway, the largest naturally flowing river in Manitoba, served as the highway for settlers bound for the Red River colony, ferrying their worldly goods in York boats and canoes, struggling against the mighty currents.
Traditionally used for transport and hunting by the indigenous Cree, the Hayes became a major fur trade route in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, being explored by such luminaries as Pierre Radisson (1682), Henry Kelsey (1690), David Thompson (1784), Sir John Franklin (1819), and J.B. Tyrrell (1892). This is the account of the author's invitational journey on the Hayes from Norway House to Oxford House by traditional York boat with a crew of First Nation Cree, and later, from Oxford House to York Factory by canoe in the company of other intrepid canoeists - modern-day voyageurs reliving the past.
Softcover, 6" x 9" x 0.675"
304 pages, photos and maps
ISBN 978-1-55488-712-5
Price $32.99 Canadian
Publisher: Dundurn Press
www.dundurn.com web
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Black Spruce Journals
Tales of canoe-tripping in the Maine Woods, the boreal spruce forests of northern Canada, and the Barren Grounds.
by Stewart Coffin
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
When the trail peters out in tangles of Labrador
tea, follow a compass bearing onward through unbroken wilderness to an
unnamed lake. You can imagine you are exploring new country in this
land of the beaver and moose. Yet you know in your heart that sometime
in the dim and distant past, your lost lake has seen paddles dipped
into its waters, snowshoe tracks made upon its frozen surface, or
moccasin footprints pressed softly into caribou moss along its shores.
As these ancient trails gradually disappear, a bit of history vanishes
along with them. Herein lies the story of a least a few of them, as
traveled and photographed by the author.
The book includes photos, historical and personal
anecdotes from wilderness canoe trips on the following rivers: The
Rapid, Dead, Kennebec, Kazan, George, Wacouno, Naskaupi, Moisie,
Kipawa, Dumoine, Bow, Ste. Marguerite, Wakwayowkastic, Ugjoktok,
Magpie, Ashuanipi and features other canoeing areas in the backwoods of
Maine and wilds of Labrador.
"Black Spruce Journals is an
account of one man's explorations of wild places. Starting at an early
age, Coffin's love of adventure inevitably drew him from his New
England beginnings farther and farther into the boreal forests of
northern Canada and beyond. His retrospective of forty years of
wilderness journeys, which includes many remarkable photographs,
reveals the writer's deep attachment to the land." -Herb Pohl
"Black Spruce Journals" is available at Heron Dance Press.
Laminated softcover, 6.75" x 9.75" x 0.38"
196 pages, many black and white photos and maps
ISBN: 978-1-933937-40-3
Publication Date: 2007
Price: $19.95 US
Publisher: Heron Dance Press
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True North
by Elliott Merrick
with an introduction by Lawrence Millman
Book Review
In 1929, at the age of 24, Elliott Merrick left
his position as an advertising executive in New Jersey and headed up to
Labrador to work as an unpaid volunteer for the Grenfell Mission.
In 1933 he wrote True North about his experiences
in the northern wilderness, living and working with trappers, Indians
and with the nurse he met and married in a remote community.
The book describes the hard work and severe conditions, along with the joy and friendship he and his wife experienced.
"Merrick's account of life in a harsh and
unforgiving land is a tribute to the hardiness and generosity of the
people whose life he shared. His vividly evocative prose stimulates the
imagination such that the reader becomes a participant in the
exhausting struggles and profound joys of the trail. An absolute
masterpiece."
- Herb Pohl, retired McMaster University biology
department instructional assistant and lab supervisor and a solo
canoeist who paddled extensively in the Canadian North.
"True North" is available at Heron Dance Press.
Laminated softcover, 5.5" x 8" x 0.75"
305 pages, map of the voyage through Labrador
ISBN: 0-9755649-9-4
Publication Date: 1933, republished 2005
Price: $19.95 US, $24.00 CDN
Publisher: Heron Dance Press
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A Death On The Barrens
by George Grinnell
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
Once this book is started, you will not want to put it down, especially if you are a canoeist.
George Grinnell published "A Death on
the Barrens" in 1995, 40 years after his ill-fated 1955 canoe trip down
the Dubawnt and Thelon Rivers in Northern Canada with 4 other men in
their twenties, and 36-year-old leader Art Moffat. With spell-bounding
clarity and insight Grinnell recollects the emotions, energy and
timelessness defining the group interaction and events that occurred
such as the canoe upsets in the rapids, death and near death from
hypothermia, societal isolation, interpersonal conflicts, hoarding and
sharing, loving and caring.
I first heard Grinnell introduce the
story and book "A Death on the Barrens" at the Wilderness Canoeing
Symposium in Toronto in 1995. Since then, while preparing for many of
my own wilderness canoeing trips, I would recall George's various
anecdotes about the trip in which Moffat dies of hypothermia following
an unexpected lengthy immersion in a large set of rapids nearing the
end of their journey. The group was not prepared for the cold and had
used up most of their food. What I recalled most from the presentation
was how Grinnell had emphasized the limited food rations for the trip
and how important the rationing of the sugar was to the men.
It seemed a shame that someone would
die due to lack of time and provisions in the North; I would have
expected a Northern expedition to be better prepared. Since then I have
learned that there are many factors that can affect the integrity of a
wilderness canoe trip, even if provisions are adequate. I should have
purchased "A Death In The Barrens" at that Symposium, as well as a
number of other books that were released at the event, but it was not
within my budget. I was President of the Manitoba Recreational Canoeing
Association and was attending the Symposium to hear my friend Victoria
Jason introduce her book "Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak". There were so
many excellent presentations that year, and it was an honour to have
been able to meet all those amazing paddlers, telling stories of their
wilderness adventures; they have all inspired me greatly.
As the story progresses, Grinnell's
spiritual interpretations transform from traditional western beliefs to
those of eastern and also aboriginal beliefs. His involvement in the
events are grounded in his understanding and explanations of his
upbringing, family history, education and work experiences up to the
canoe trip. Grinnell effectively connects the reader to the beauty of
the Barrens, to timelessness in paddling, and freedom from identity
that can be encountered during isolated wilderness travel.
Even though the reader is prepared for
the eventuality of Moffatt's death, the event occurs at an unexpected
time and place, as is typical of mishaps, and with unexpected
consequences. The loss of Moffat has a profound effect on the character
and interaction of each man in the surviving party. They are humbled in
realizing their existence is no more important than the Inuit family
that shares their meager food supply with them in the face of
starvation. The characters are built very well by Grinnell up to the
point in time when Moffat dies, so that the ensuing changes in
character of the surviving party is fully understandable in light of
their need to survive and reach civilization. Their determination to
survive and persistence in reaching their goal, the Hudson Bay Post on
Baker Lake, is admirable despite not having any food or provisions for
the ensuing freeze up.
Grinnell's story does not end with the
canoe trip; he shares with the reader how his life unfolds following
the trip and how he is affected by the experiences of the trip.
Photos of the group are provided at
the start of the book and it is illustrated throughout with maps
showing the progression of the trip. The latest version of the book is
illustrated with wonderful watercolors by Rod MacIver.
"A Death On The Barrens" is available at Heron Dance Press.
Laminated softcover, 6.25" x 9" x 0.45"
188 pages, photos, watercolors
ISBN: 1-933937-17-3
Publication Date: 1996, republished 2006
Price: $19.95 US, $23.95 CDN
Publisher: Heron Dance Press
TOP OF PAGE
Sleeping Island
A Journey to the Edge of the Barrens
by P.G. Downes
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
In an age when bush planes and outboard motors
were opening up previously inaccessible regions of the Canadian North,
Prentice G. Downes, a graduate of Harvard who worked as a school
teacher just outside Boston, chose to travel alone by canoe to explore
the Great Barren Lands. Sleeping Island is the sensitively written and
moving account of one of his trips, a journey made in 1939 to remote,
and at that time unmapped, Nueltin Lake.
In Sleeping Island, Downes records a North that
was soon to be no more, a landscape and a people barely touched by
white men. Downes describes the excitement of wilderness canoe travel,
the delights of discovering the land, and his deep feeling for people
met along the way. His respect for the Indians and the Inuit and their
ways of life, and his love of their land, shine through this richly
descriptive work.
The illustrations and maps are from authentic
sketches; the photos of the Indians and Inuit, of Downes portaging and
of his canoe connect the reader with the era of the story.
With the kind permission of the Downes family Heron Dance has republished this classic.
"Sleeping Island" is available at Heron Dance Press.
Laminated softcover, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.8"
324 pages, photos, drawings
ISBN: 0-9755649-4-3
Publication Date: 1943, republished 2004
Price: $19.00 US, $24.00 CDN
Publisher: Heron Dance Press
TOP OF PAGE
Animal Tracks of Manitoba
by Ian Sheldon & Tamara Eder
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
"Animal Tracks of Manitoba" is a compact field guide useful for identifying tracks of animals common to Manitoba.
Each species is identifed with concise
line drawings of the animal and it's tracks as well as it's front and
rear prints, stride patterns and other important aspects. Each animal
is drawn very well in black and white illustrations including pattern
and print comparisons. The descriptions of each animal are informative
and interesting.
The key at the front of the book helps
the reader quickly identify where to find more detail about each
animal. The rear of the book has very useful indexes.
"Animal Tracks of Manitoba" is
available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on the web and
directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 4.25" x 5.75" x 0.69"
176 pages, 198 Illustrations
ISBN-13: 978-1-55105-316-5
ISBN-10: 1-55105-316-0
Publication Date: 23 February 2001
Price $9.95 CDN, $9.95 US
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Manitoba Birds
by Andy Bezener & Ken De Smet
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
"Manitoba Birds" is a compact guide to the birds of Manitoba.
The back cover has a colour-keyed
quick guide to various bird groups with page numbers to 145 species of
the most common birds found in Manitoba. At the front of the book there
is a 5 page detailed color-coded key as well. This book is not meant to
be a comprehensive book on birds but proves to be a handy quick
reference book.
Each species description includes the
bird's key features as well as the bird's voice (song), size, abundance
status, habitat, nesting locations, feeding habits, similar species and
best sites for viewing. The book is beautifully illustrated with
paintings of the birds, beginning with the cover. A map of Manitoba
accompanies each species, highlighted to show the bird's range.
The end of the book includes a checklist for 405 species of birds identified in Manitoba, grouped by Genera, plus an index of common names and an index of scientific names.
"Manitoba Birds" is available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on the web and directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.38"
176 pages, 146 maps, 150 + illustrations
ISBN-13: 978-1-55105-255-7
ISBN-10: 1-55105-255-5
Publication Date: 29 September 2000, Printed 2004
Price $17.95 CDN, $17.95 US
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Mushrooms of Western Canada
by Helene M. E. Schalkwijk-Barendsen
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
Helene M. E. Schalkwijk-Barendsen's "Mushrooms of
Western Canada" contains such wonderful color illustrations of wild
mushrooms that I was inspired to create my own line drawings of wild
mushrooms that I have found on numerous wilderness canoeing trips in
places such as the Yukon, Ontario and Manitoba. Sketching and drawing
the convoluted, irregular, myriad shapes of mushrooms is a wonderful
past-time. However, I can only hope to reach the breadth of experience
and skill that Schalkwijk-Barendsen has attained, as illustrated in
this book.
"Mushroom's of Western Canada"
contains multiple paintings of over 550 species of mushrooms that
Schalkwijk-Barendsen has found in Western Canada. Many of these species
occur world-wide, expanding the useable range of this book. The
mushroom paintings make the book an excellent reference for any
library. However it is invaluable as one of at least two references any
mycophaginist should carry with them when hunting mushrooms in the
wilderness.
The book introduces the reader to
mushroom identification methods, how to obtain spore prints and dry
mushrooms, as well as classification. The reader is introduced to how
mushrooms coexist with their environment, as well as taxonomy or
scientific classification and the focus of the book, Subdivisions of
Basidiomycotina and Ascomycotina comprising the fleshy mushrooms we are
most familiar with.
The book introduces each species of
mushroom, grouped by the Subdivision, Order, Class and Family then by
species. Each Family is introduced with notes related to the common
identifying characteristics of that family of fungi. Each species that
is illustrated in the first half of the book is identified by it's
common name and then by it's scientific name (Genera species)
and is accompanied by a short description of the mushroom. The
mushroom's edibility is generally unedible unless noted as being
poisonous, unedible, or edible. Edible and poisonous mushroom
look-a-likes are noted. Each species has a page reference to excellent
detailed Class, Family and species descriptions in the latter half of
the book, which have cross-references back to the illustration pages.
The end of the book includes: an
illustrated glossary of shapes of gilled caps, fruiting bodies,
universal veil and volva, caps, cap edges, stalks, and gill
attachments; a glossary of terms (including Latin names); References;
Index of Common Names; Index of Species and Index of Genera.
"Mushrooms of Western Canada" is
available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on the web and
directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.75"
416 pages, 550 species from Manitoba to the Pacific, north to the Yukon and Pacific, south to California
ISBN: 0-919433-47-2
Publication Date: 1991
Price $26.95 CDN, $26.95 US
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Plants of the Western Boreal Forest
& Aspen Parkland
by Derek Johnson, Linda Kershaw,
Andy MacKinnon, Jim Pojar
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen
Parkland covers Western Ontraio to British Columbia, Yukon, North West
Territories and Alaska. It includes more than 800 excellent colour
photographs and 900 line drawings.
The book is divided into color-keyed
sections: Trees, Shrubs, Wildflowers, Eating For A Living (carnivorous
plants), Aquatics, Graminoids (Sedges, Rushes, Grasses), Ferns and
Allies (Horsetails and Club-mosses), Mosses and Liverworts, and Lichens.
There is an introduction to each section with an appropriate plant key and description of the species identified in the section.
Each plant is identified by its most prevalent common name, followed by the scientific species name (Genera species)
and then by alternate common names (if Clear species descriptions help
identify plants. When appropriate, there are intriguing notes about
edible plants, native uses of plants and origins of plant names
provided with each plant description. Photos and line drawings depict
overall plant appearance, as well as close-ups of flower heads or seed
pods.
For most readers, the quickest way to
identify an unfamiliar plant is to browse through the illustrations to
find species the plant most closely resembles. The largest section of
the book is the Wildflower section and it provides a very useful color
photo key.
The book often describes differences
in the plant through different regions, ages of the plant, time of
year, weather soil types, disturbances and other factors such as local
variant differences.
I have used this book extensively over
the last 13 years on wilderness canoeing and backpacking trips in the
Canadian Rockies, the Yukon, Manitoba, and Ontario. This reference
book's knowledge-to-weight ratio is very high (it is well worth
carrying).
"Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen
Parkland" is available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on
the web and directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.7"
392 pages, 800 colour photographs, 900 line drawings
ISBN-10: 1-55105-058-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-55105-058-4
Publication Date: 1995
Price $23.95 US, $29.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Reptiles and Amphibians of Canada
by Chris Fisher, Amanda Joynt,
& Dr. Ronald J. Brooks
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
The threatening ground view stare of a Prairie
Rattlesnake coiled to strike draws one's eye to the book and one's hand
to pick it up and explore it's contents. This book provides information
on 84 species of reptiles and amphibians found in Canada today plus
another 9 species that are either introduced, migratory or can no
longer live in Canada. This book is meant to be comprehensive and is
educational for those who are novice and experienced with respect to
reptiles and amphibians.
The Introduction's "It Ain't Easy Being Green"
section provides excellent information regarding the endangered status
of one third of the species in the book, including two thirds of
Canada's reptiles. You will also find excellent guidance and
information for handling, interacting, and respecting the wildness of
these delicate creatures. The introduction also addresses issues such
as global, social-economic, psychological relationships that we have
with our green friends.
The illustrations are informative and attractive, including hand drawn images and photographs.
The book is laid out so that each species
description has sections to address identification, overall length,
distribution, selected sites, preferred habitat, activity patterns,
reproduction, food, call, similar species and the french name. As with
other field guides published by Lone Pine, each species also features
"Did You Know" trivia to test your eco-partners with.
The book is color keyed for turtles, lizards,
snakes, other reptiles, salamanders, and frogs & toads with a key
at the front of the book.
"The Reptiles and Amphibians of Canada" is
available from many sources, at numerous bookstores, on the web and
directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.5"
208 pages, 93 species of reptiles and amphibians
ISBN-10: 1-55105-279-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-551-5-279-3
Publication Date: 15 May 2007
Price $18.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Plants of Alberta
by France Royer & Richard Dickinson
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
The Western Wood Lily flower blooming
on the book's cover invites the passerby to open the book to examine
it's other enticing images. This book is comprehensive as it provides
information on over 1000 species of plants native to Alberta including
trees, shrubs and vines, wildflowers, ferns, aquatic plants and
grasses. If one book is to be carried as a plant reference in Alberta
without overloading the pack, this is it. Many of the species
identified in the book are also common in neighbouring provinces.
There are over 700 primary species of plants
identified in the book; each species has a very good colour photo,
range map, alternate names, habitat, identification, leaves, fower
clusters, flowers, fruit and at least one interesting note about the
plant or family, such as whether the plant is edible or poisonous or if
there are aboriginal or common uses for the plant. Each plant family is
introduced relative to worldwide information, member types, typical
identification and differentiation, and a "QuickId" description.
Each section starts with a pictorial thumbprint
key relating each species' scientific name to the page number the
description is provided on, along with colour keys related to colours
of the flowers, shapes of the leaves, stems or spores.
Glossary, references and index are provided at
the back of the book. The authors, France Royer and Richard Dickinson,
have been working together operating a botanical and photographic
service company and have authored previous publications about
wildflowers and weeds.
"Plants of Alberta" is available from many
sources, at numerous bookstores and on the web and directly from Lone
Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 1"
528 pages, over 1000 species of plants
ISBN-10: 1-55105-283-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-55105-283-0
Publication Date: 02 April 2007
Price $29.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Manitoba, Naturally
Scenic Secrets of Manitoba
by Bill Stillwell
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
This is a nice reference book,
published in 2006, for birders and nature lovers of all species because
it is compact, inexpensive ($14.99 cdn) and provides information on 60
less commonly publicized sites to view nature and wildlife in Manitoba.
The book is not comprehensive in all such sites as it does not address
sites more commonly promoted in Manitoba public relations documents.
The various photos by numerous photographers
often provide the common name of the species in the photo is shown.
Each site description provides a short list of species the author noted
during his visit(s) there. The driving directions and illustrations
provide general directions to the locations and sometimes the reader is
advised to check with locals as to the more accurate location of the
destination. Each location includes a small graphical key indicating
the best time to visit the site.
There are a couple locations for which the
directions provided in the written description do not match the
information in the map or for which the directions are unclear. With
today's general availability of inexpensive and more simple-to-use
Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation systems, the site location
information would have done well to include each site's latitude and
longitude. Also, although rivers, lakes and streams are mentioned,
there is little advice on how to access them, or if there are any
limitations or safety aspects with respect to different modes of travel
in the area, whether it is paddling, skiing, or biking; the book
appears to be oriented to the drive/walk/hike naturalist in this
regard, although those determined enough usually find their will to
push their way through a bog to find a rare glimpse of Manitoba's
scenic nature.
The descriptive information is general in nature
and some history and protected status classification of the area is
provided along with some personal anecdotes, such as the author's
involvement in helping to protect an ecologically important area. The
text and writing is upbeat and encourages the reader to explore some of
the sites identified in the book.
If you are looking for new areas to explore in Manitoba, this is a useful reference to add to your library.
"Manitoba, Naturally" is available from numerous bookstores.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 5.5" x 8.5" x 0.25"
96 pages
ISBN 0-9781001-0-7 (softcover)
Price $14.99 CDN
Publisher: William Street Publishing
P.O. Box 1427, Neepawa, MB, R0J 1H0
204.476.5210
TOP OF PAGE
Compact Guide to
Saskatchewan and Manitoba Birds
by Alan Smith, Ken De Smet,
Krista Kagume & Carmen Adams
Book Review
This is a good introductory birding
book for novice birders because it is compact and inexpensive ($12.95
cdn) and provides information on 80 common bird species a person would
find on short outings in urban and rural Manitoba and Saskatchewan. By
no means is it meant to be, nor is it, comprehensive.
The bird illustrations are informative and
attractive whereas the eggs shown are actual photos. Some readers may
find the illustrations of similar birds helpful.
The descriptive information is of a general
nature, pertaining to area of distribution, breeding, calls, habitat,
etc. Each species has short notes providing "Did You Know" and "Look
For" bird trivia which may be of interest to experienced as well as new
birders.
A general key is provided at the back of the book
and the various species are grouped with an array of color codes to
facilitate finding the species in the book.
"The Compact Guide to Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Birds" is available from many sources, at numerous bookstores and on
the web and directly from Lone Pine Publishing at www.lonepinepublishing.com/ordering.
For more information, go to Lone Pine Publishing web page about this book.
Laminated softcover, glossy, 4.25" x 7.5" x 0.5"
192 pages, 83 species of birds
ISBN 1-55105-503-1
Price $12.95 CDN
Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing
TOP OF PAGE
Classic Solo Canoeing
by Becky Mason
Video Review
by Donna R Kurt
Classic Solo Canoeing is not
just another shoreline how-to-canoe production; Becky's talent shows
through in the filmmaking, artistic and paddling skills she learned
from her father in the production of his award winning canoeing films Path of the Paddle, Song of the Paddle, her father's autobiographical film Waterwalker and his many other films.
This video is an essential sequel to the Path and
Song videos in the refinement of solo canoeing, which Mason is so
eloquent at teaching. The video introduces solo canoeing strokes so
paddlers can feel comfortable with "jumping" into a canoe for a
leisurely paddle.
The focus is solo canoeing, but most of the
paddling strokes are also pertinent to tandem canoeing with the sage
advice that there are many ways to learn to paddle. Mason also gives
advice on other aspects of canoeing such as lifting a canoe, portaging,
care of equipment and safety. Between paddling lessons she also shares
her views and concerns, learned from her parents, for the environment
and nature.
Classic Solo Canoeing includes some
beautiful scenery, shot in the Gatineau Hills area north of Ottawa in
Quebec, with perspectives from the canoe, from the water and from
elevated or secluded locations. Ian Tamblyn's music anoints the video
beautifully as scenes are transitioned through various shimmering
elements of our natural world.
Mason's finesse with the paddle, which I remember
from several courses I took from her a decade ago, inspired my desire
to improve my paddling skills. She teaches in a down-to-earth manner
that does not intimidate the novice. She shows that it is the pleasure of paddling
that really counts. The finesse comes from attempting to do this
pleasurable activity with less effort and more grace each time you go
for a paddle.
In closing, Mason says, in a wistful tone reminiscent of her father in Waterwalker,
"... and take your time learning ... because I think adding to your
paddling knowledge never ends ..." while she spins eloquent pirouettes
in the mist of Tamblyn's meditative strumming.
It was mesmerizing, like I was out on the water
spinning my own little red cedar canvas canoe, letting the day's stress
float away ... even though it's minus 30 something and the water is
hard like steel! Perhaps I don't have to travel south this winter to
destress myself paddling on "soft" water ... I'll just put on Becky
Mason's new canoeing video ... again and again!
VHS NTSC Format
38:48 minutes
ISBN 0-9688146-0-3
Price $39.95 CDN, $29.95 US plus applicable taxes, shipping and handling
Distributor:kineticvideo.com
511 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1Y4
redcanoe@istar.ca email Becky Mason
TOP OF PAGE
Tillenius
by Clarence Tillenius
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
The autobiographical work Tillenius
by famous wildlife and nature artist Clarence Tillenius gives an
intimate view of the octogenarian and his amazing accomplishments
ranging from the huge dioramas in museums across Canada to his thousands of sketches and paintings covering the 85 years of his career.
Tillenius' exciting stories of his wilderness
exploits give insight to the origins of his paintings and expose his
sincere love and concern for the Canadian wilderness. He has many times
put his life at risk so he could obtain visions of wilderness scenes
and wildlife. He vividly remembers these experiences and continues to
bring them to life in his paintings. His fine skills brings the viewer
quickly to the point of action in his sketches and paintings.
Tillenius' other books include Days of the Buffalo (1998) and Sketch Pad Out-of-Doors (1656, reprinted 1962 and 1986) and he has contributed award winning artwork to the book Buffalo (1992).
Tillenius was produced to celebrate the
opening of the Clarence Tillenius Gallery on the second floor of The
Pavilion in Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1998. Profits from
this book go to support The Pavilion Gallery.
Softcover, glossy, 8.5" x 11"
84 pages, over 300 photos and paintings
ISBN 1-55056-618-0
Price $25.00 CDN incl. taxes, shipping, handling
Publisher: Trails of the Interlake Studio
ctillenius@home.com email
www.wilds.mb.ca/tillenius web
TOP OF PAGE
R.M. Patterson
A Life of Great Adventure
by David Finch
Book Review
by Donna R Kurt
The brilliant colours on the cover of R.M. Patterson, A Life of Great Adventure
wake you up to the potential of this new biographical book about the
famous author by David Finch, cross-country skier, canoeist, canoe
restorer, hiker, historian, father, husband and author of a number of
books about Canada's geology and history.
I have read a number of Raymond Murray Patterson's books, beginning with Dangerous River,
a factual book published in 1954 about his travels on the Nahanni
River/NWT. I was skeptical about the value of a book on Patterson
because I had learned so much about him in his analysis and approach to
the wilderness from his personal stories which form the basis of his
books; I felt I had known Patterson even though I had never met him.
However, Finch has researched Patterson to the T from his birth in
England in 1898 to his demise in British Columbia in 1984 and rendered
him suitably with the eloquent style and manner found in Patterson's
books; Finch shows us a lot more about the makings of this wilderness
and ranch man.
In addition to the best selling Dangerous River Patterson had published The Buffalo Head in 1961, Far Pasters in 1963, Trail to the Interior in 1966 and Finlay's River in 1968 about the Rocky Mountains and Peace River Country of Northern Alberta.
Finch has divulged aspects of Patterson's life
that provide greater insight into the man's desire to experience
Canada's wilderness and ranch/farm life with a zest greater than most
Canadians have. Patterson's daughter helped Finch to write the book and
Patterson's neighbour, friend and publisher, Gray Campbell, provided
additional insight into the wilderness adventurer.
I found the book to be inundated with information about the Nahanni and parts of Alberta and British Columbia (I want to visit).
On March 1, 2000 the Alberta Government has
recognized Patterson's stature by commemorating a mountain in the
Higwood Range "Patterson's Peak."
In the Foreword, Gray Campbell aptly quotes Bruce
Hutchison's description of Patterson as "a mixture of Thoreau and Jack
London."
Hardcover, 6.5" x 9.5"
304 pages, photos and maps
ISBN 0-921102-75-5
Price $34.95 Canadian
Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books
(403) 249-9490 phone
(403) 249-2968 fax
sales@rmbooks.com email
www.rmbooks.com web
TOP OF PAGE
Companies and Products ENDORSED
by Donna R Kurt
Mountain Equipment Coop
always provides excellent support and pricing and the staff are always friendly and helpful.
Their Rock Solid Guaranty cannot be beat.
The We-No-Nah Prospector
was introduced in 2003. I bought two of these from Wave Track in 2004,
one being an ultralight kevlar 40 lb 16 foot version, for lake and
"easy" movingwater trips, and a second one being a 65 lb Royalex 16
foot version for whitewater trips. At 40 lbs, the ultralight is a
delight to carry, you begin to wonder what you can add to it to make up
for the loss of weight compared to the older 58 lb kevlar canoe, but I
am working hard on keeping from adding too much, other than kneeling
pads (made from yellow evazote foam sleeping pads which is not slippery
when wet and is uv and tear resistant, I've use it in my other canoes),
a deep dish yoke, and a kneeling thwart (for solo paddling and as a
third seat). Both versions handle beautifully, with lots of rocker and
excellent tumblehome, you can heel the gunwales down to the water very
nicely and the boat spins with wild abandon. I was going to get wood
gunwales on the ultralight, but kept to the low weight initiative and
went with the standard anodized aluminum gunwales, and kept the color
simple, basic gold kevlar because tinting adds weight (to make up for
the UV protection, I treated the boats inside and out with 303
protectant). The reason I am changing from my Bluewater 16' 56lb Kevlar
Prospector to this canoe is because it has more rocker and is lighter.
The Bluewater Prospector has been a very nice, durable canoe, and is
excellent for someone who wants a canoe that tracks easily, because it
has no rocker and its shape has been modified, so it steers easier than
most other prospector canoes, but I want a canoe that challenges my
steering, and don't mind doing more correction strokes. I am a larger,
heavier paddler, so when I sit midships in the Bluewater Prospector to
do solo canoeing, the stern drags in the water because of the lack of
rocker, even when the canoe is heeled over, and the bow is out of the
water, so this makes the canoe not handle symmetrically so that spins
are more difficult to do as nicely as I can do in a canoe that has more
rocker. The Bluewater is still a beautifully crafted boat, with no
waves in the layup and a very nice shape, it is perfect for someone who
does not want to waste any energy steering, and its weight is still
quite reasonable. I also have a Trailhead 17' Royalex Expedition
Prospector, made by Mad River Canoes that is very nice for whitewater
canoe tripping. An indestructible boat, its only drawback is that is
weighs in at 85 lbs without the extras (like kneeling thwart, knee
pads, thigh straps, tie downs, spray deck, etc.).
303 Protectant is an excellent UV
protectant! I put a coating on all my canoes helps to protect them from
UV and to restore weathered and worn gelcoat and Royalex. A coat on the
inside helps protect the "other side" of the boat, which is normally
facing up to the sun while you are paddling, although you might find it
a bit slippery for the first few times out, it is not noticeable later.
I give my canoes a coating of 303 protectant when new and every couple
years and I also put 303 Protectant on my PFDs, tents, tarps, ropes,
drysuit rubber, car tires, car dash board, paddling jackets,
eyeglasses, Thule racks. It has restored rotomolded plastic caneo hulls
too. It works a lot better than Armorall, which goes grey over time. A
little bit of this stuff goes a long way! Use a small sponge and apply
it over the item you are protecting in a very thin layer. It is
enviromentally safe and is not toxic.
La-Z-Boy Furniture, in Winnipeg,
has provided excellent support to me on a recent purchase. I highly
recommend them for accommodating me with very good pricing and product
support and a wonderful set of furniture for my front room!
Costco has
provided excellent support over the past few years. Their product
return policy is excellent and they have provided very good products,
from clothing to furniture to produce and other foods. I have bought
many articles, brought them home to try them or see how they fit in and
have taken them back with no problems! They have excellent pricing on
their photo finishing and dry mounting for posters and pictures. Their
eyecare centres have provided me very good support, providing ongoing
repair and adjustments for eyeglasses.
SuperStore
has very good pricing and an excellent variety/selection of products to
choose from, I have shopped there for many years and will continue to
do so. Photo finishing is pretty good, too.
FutureShop
on Leila, in Winnipeg, has offered very good pricing on a number of
electronics and appliances purchased the past few years.
The Pentax
Optio 43WR, was a wonderful, rugged, compact water resistant digital
camera. I have used it extensively the past 4 months and have found it
to be very versatile and rugged, too. The only things I would like to
see improved on this camera would be the addition of a remote control,
as is available on the Pentax Zoom 90WR 35mm water resistant film
camera, a microphone which does not pick up the phonic noises from the
camera body (even rain drops hitting the camera case or my fingers
operating the camera make a noise), a larger LCD display on the back of
the camera with better contrast for use in daylight, a jack to connect
an external microphone, and a second lanyard attachment point on the
other side of the camera, so it can be hung horizontally by the cord
(there is only one lanyard attachment point on the upper left corner of
the camera body, so it hangs diagonally). But there is nothing else as
rugged or as versatile and as small or light, so this is the compact
digital camera for me. I have used this camera while standing and
steering at the back of a dragon boat, making a movie clip of the 20
paddlers and drummer paddling in practices and races while in rain and
cold conditions, and there is almost always water being splashed up at
the camera. This little camera takes excellent close up photos and is
easy to use, even if it is a bit pricey. This camera finally packed it
in with a smash to the LCD display so I upgraded to a SONY DSC-TX10
which is a great waterproof camera, although it's plastic housing is
a little fragile, requiring repairs twice, but I would buy another one
and treat it more gently. Sony has provided excellent repair service.
I love my Apple
G4 Digital Audio desktop computer, and my other Apple computers, like
the PowerMac 7100, they do things my PCs with faster processors can't
do. Mac OS 10.3.8 Panther is great! For the past 4 years the MacBook Pro
has been one of the most useful computers I have ever used. Over the
years I have upgraded from iPod bricks to the iPhone 5 and 93 year old
Mom is doing Facetime, Skype, music, photos, email on her iPad Air and iPhone 4s.
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