Description

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Sometimes funny, sometimes gut-wrenching, Whyte's candid journal is a colourful, blow-by-blow account of a rigorous 1,400 kilometre transit of sub-arctic Canada from Yellowknife to the Arctic Ocean by paddle and portage. His writing vividly portrays the highs and lows of extended wilderness travel, including gruelling portages, broken canoes, and unintentional ice-water swims, softened by camaraderie, amazing scenery and the unexpected generosity of people encountered along the way. Packed with historical background, logistical details, and personal reflections on life in the wilderness, Whyte's entertaining tale is an excellent companion for day dreamers and trip planners alike. Starting in the boreal forest and crossing both the tree line and the arctic circle, the author and three companions took an inside passage from Great Slave Lake to Arctic Sound via Pike's Portage, Artillery Lake, Aylmer Lake, Contwoyto Lake and the rocky, deranged drainage of the tundra, culminating in a high-speed, source to sea run of the Hood river to the Arctic Ocean. An avid reader of exploration history, Whyte's narrative is interwoven with the journals of the likes of Mackenzie, Hearn, Franklin and Hornby as the author and his companions crossed the trails these adventurers forged through the vast regions north of the 60th parallel. The reverberations from this journey continued long after its completion and ultimately caused the author to reconsider his life's direction. An unforgettable account of a memorable journey though Canada's barren lands, told with a well-balanced combination of humour and humility. Well illustrated with 23 maps and 36 photographs.