Book Description

Ken Conibear, Northern pioneer, Rhodes Scholar and storyteller of life in Canada's far North, writes of his exciting, dangerous, and humourous experiences taking his boat, the Lady Greenbelly, over 1000 miles from Fort Nelson down the majestic and rugged Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean.He took on this adventure for two reasons. First, he intended to carry freight to the Arctic communities with his newly acquired freight scow, the Lady Greenbelly, and then sell her there for a handsome profit. Second, Bill Sweet, an elderly, retired insurance salesman from Seattle who had read Ken's previous books, had convinced Ken to take him and a young friend, Jack Havens, on a side trip-a wilderness filming expedition up the relatively unmapped Rat River.During the course of the trip, everything that could go wrong with the Lady Greenbelly's motor did go wrong, and Bill Sweet himself caused more than a few problems because of his unbounded, but inept, enthusiasm-and excessive politeness. The people met on the trip provide their own stories - the Eskimo whalers who cheerfully gambled away their year's earnings; Mike Krutko, a storekeeper in Fort Providence who always remained cheerful - even as provisions for his store sank with the Lady Greenbelly; the priest at the Catholic mission who recalled last seeing Ken when he was only a small child; and the fir trappers, Jake and Izor, who went Outside to find a wife for Izor and instead adopted a 12-year-old English war orphan-and then headed back north with all the supplies any 12-year-old would need. With an axe, their team of sled dogs and the only butcher's chopping block in the North, they were among many who came to the rescue of the notoriously inept Lady Greenbelly. News travels fast in the North, and the Lady Greenbelly's reputation had spread so that impossible to sell-at any price. Stuck with her, Ken had to return south up the many rapids of the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, facing more adventures and life-threatening situations-always with courage, a lot of luck and never-ending good humour ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Heart on the Yukon River is a a carefree romp
My Heart on the Yukon River is more than a collection of black and white portraits of people who live in remote places: It's the story of a woman who knew what she wanted out of life and had the courage to go after it.... In nearly every photograph, people are leaughing or smiling. No one seems to be taking themselves too seriously. Yet, Dykstra affords each person a sense of dignity. In one photograph of a woman, Suzanne Picot from Whitehorse, she poses in front of her car- painted to look like a car. Picot, who reveals in her interview that she's in love with a man who grew up on a dairy farm, is dressed like a dairy cow. She wears a black and white spotted jump suit, complete with rubber udders, horns and a cowbell necklace. Oddly, she doesn't look ridiculous. She just looks happy. For 2,000 miles, Dykstra remains optimistic and never stoops to exploit poverty, lonliness or human tragedy.... Dykstra's images are visually interesting and her text is a pleaure to read.... My Heart on the Yukon River is a a carefree romp- a lighthearted journal of a road trip Lorrie Blair for Hour Magazine ... Read more

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UNDER POLARIS, AN ARCTIC QUEST. By Tahoe Talbot Washburn. Se
This marvelous book is a blend of adventure story, scientific diary, and ethnographic study. The author, Tahoe Talbot Washburn, accompanied her husband, Lincoln Washburn, to the Canadian Arctic in 1938-1941, helping him do his graduate field work in the glacial geology of the region. The author was a keen observer of native people and their way of life. She recorded what we now see in retrospect as the waning years of a nomadic way of life for the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Prior to World War II, many Inuit roamed freely across the high Arctic, camping in snow houses (igloos) constructed along the trail at the end of the day. The Canadian Arctic Inuit were still essentially nomads; they did not live in or visit permanent settlements, except for a few important events each year. Accordingly, governmental authorities and missionaries had to go on expeditions to meet with the Inuit. Soon after the war, this pattern changed dramatically, and seemingly irrevocably, towards a more settled way of life. This book is made all the more fascinating because it provides many glimpses into a way of life perched on the cusp of radical change. The Washburns were much more than casual visitors to the Canadian Arctic. They lived there for months at a time, including one extended stay from August, 1940 to February, 1941. They spent precious little time indoors, preferring to move about the Arctic islands, hiking, boating, camping, and dog-sledding in winter. The scientific aim of this multi-year project was to determine the extent of regional glaciation in the late Pleistocene, a much-debated topic of that day. By collecting marine fossils and mapping traces of glacial scouring in bedrock, Lincoln Washburn was able to begin the process of reconstructing the extent of ice sheets during the last glaciation. This thesis project marked the beginning of his long and illustrious career in glacial geology. However, geologic research is only incidental to this book. It brought the Washburns to Arctic Canada, but once there, they fell in love with the land and its people. Both Lincoln and Tahoe relished the arduous Arctic lifestyle, where physical endurance and mental acuity often make the difference between survival and death. They marveled at the ingenuity, patience, and sense of humor that seemed to sustain the Inuit through manifold hardships. Tahoe Washburn spent many months emulating the role of Inuit women, including daily food preparation (for both people and sled dogs), sewing of leather garments, and hide preparation (including chewing caribou hides to soften them). Although limited by not understanding the Inuit language, she learned by observation. Her Native companions appreciated her efforts to follow their ways, and took the time to teach her many skills that few outsiders ever learned. The book is richly illustrated, with 107 photos and six maps. Although the material in the book was taken from diaries, it has been well-edited, never becoming dull or repetitive. I heartily recommend this book to readers interested in the natural history and ethnography of the Arctic.

Review published in Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol. 31, No. 4. Copyright: Regents of the University of Colorado ... Read more

Book Description

Having quit engineering, Bucher became involved in exploration of the Northland of Canada, primarily the high-Arctic. The story in hand is about a scientific exploration on the ice-covered offshores in the Queen Elixabeth Islands. It is not a scientific essay or just another adventure book. It is a reconstruction of an Arctic exploration that can never be restored or repeated in the way it was conducted, nor in its significance as a scientific endeavor--it was a first and only. The main theme of the story revolves around the ways this remote and, at that time, mostly unexplored part of the Arctic affected me: the loneliness, the cold, the harsh beauty, the physical and mental stress the author endured, and the addictive effect the Arctic had on him. ... Read more

Book Description

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Terrible Tragedy in the North
This is an incredible tale of a Canadian Mountie patrol that disappeared in the northern wilderness under frightful freezing conditions. No one knew what really happened until the author -- many decades too late -- found the wrong turn the patrol took. You'll gain a new appreciation of the Canadian Mounties and all they stand for in North's The Lost Patrol. ... Read more

Book Description

Two Women in the Klondike created a sensation when it was first published in 1899.The idea that two well-bred socialites could survive the dangers of the north thrilled nineteenth- century readers from San Francisco to New York.

When Mary Hitchcock heard about the discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898, she left herprivileged city life for the wilds of Alaska, planning to stake her own claims. She persuaded her friendEdith Van Buren to accompany her, and the two began preparations for "roughing it." The"necessities" that they brought up the Yukon River to Dawson City, Canada, included a portablebowling alley, an ice cream maker, a Great Dane named Ivan, and a full-size circus tent.

Hitchcock relates the struggles, surprises, and pleasures of traveling in the late nineteenth century inher trademark style. She describes in diary form the people she met and her impressions of ruralAlaska and Dawson City. Invaluable for its detailed descriptions of manners, food, and personalities,Hitchcock¹s account of the Klondike Gold Rush is an outrageous adventure for general readers,armchair travelers, and anyone interested in the lives of American women in the late 1800s.

This new, abridged version includes a map of Hitchcock¹s northern travels and an introduction byTerrence Cole, professor of history at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. ... Read more