This book contains the story of an 870-mile canoe trip through the Canadian Barren Lands west of Hudson Bay that two friends and I completed in the summer of 1988. The trip took 55 days. We started on Wollaston Lake, in northwest Saskatchewan and ended at Baker Lake in the Northwest Territories (now Nunavut). The journey took us through remote areas of the boreal forest country to the Arctic divide and into the vast Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories. The area we traveled through has become part of Nunavut as the result of the Nunavut Land Claims settlement. We faced many difficult portages, swarms of blackflies, dangerous whitewater, strong winds, and expansive ice-cold lakes. We retraced significant portions of J.B Tyrrell's 1893 and 1894 geological expeditions in the Barrens and explored Farley Mowat's The Deer's Way, described in his book People of the Deer, that separates the waters of the Dubawnt and Kazan Rivers. We traveled part of the route used by the tragic Arthur Moffat expedition in 1955. We saw effects of past continental glaciation, herds of caribou and muskoxen, white wolves, abundant bird life and much evidence of past cultures that had once occupied the land.
Renowned adventurer Frank Wolf annually embarks on a series of long-distance wilderness journeys. A little while back, he attempted a 280 km ski journey across Baffin Island, a 1750 km canoe trip through the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and a 550 km ski retracing of the 1854 expedition of legendary explorer John Rae, all in less than a year.
Moving through rugged landscapes, across 6000-foot-high glaciers, and down wild tundra rivers, each of these epic excursions took place with different teams of people brought together to complete challenging missions in some of the most unforgiving environments on the planet.
Beyond the sordid tales of adventure, we're also given a window into the displaced time between Wolf's primordial wanderings, revealing that his remote explorations, though arduous and uncomfortable, are easier for the wanderer than the fallow times. The inner adventure bouncing around in Wolf's head during these periods is often wilder than the obstacles he faces in the hinterlands of Canada as he copes with being a misfit in the modern world.
This is a work based on true facts, extracted from my diary, which was meant to record my feelings at the time and not the emotions of a dream, or an adventure, it was recorded without pretense of great achievements or the future. It was my attempt without any pretension other than to be able to remember the wonderful moments that I experienced.
Today I would not undertake such an adventure. And I would not recommend it to people, in general. To venture in this way, it is necessary to; develop your knowledge and techniques of hunting; to study about bears; to have the ability to instinctively handle a rifle as if it were the extension of your hand, your arm. After constant practice it becomes instinctive and automatic. I do not need to think, I do not need to look to lock or unlock or to load and eject a round from my Weatherby 30-06 Vanguard rifle.
It is especially necessary to study and know about bear habits and habitats. You will never know exactly what is going on in the bears' head and what will be their reactions. In fact, it is of no use other than to have a general understanding of their instincts and actions. There is nothing mathematical or linear about the actions of the Ursus Horribilis, the bear. It is a beast for which we do not have a scientific book that gives us full knowledge of its habits.
I studied a lot before making the decision to make this trip. I went when I was single. I would not have gone if I had been married. I would not have gone for the love I have for my wife Ana Rita, and my children Helga and Flávio.
Today I know that I could leave a widow and orphans, because you will see in the telling of the story that the danger was incessant, and that luck was my companion.
For reasons of rights, I have excluded the original names of people who were part of this adventure, except for my dear brother Conrado, a gift that God placed beside me in preparation for this journey. This brother who did not participate in this adventure with his presence but was constantly present in my thoughts and situations of this adventure.
My friend and fanatic, hallucinating, inveterate hunter Lairton also was not part of this adventure. He was a born hunter, who would fit into any age of history on this planet, where the horse was still the best way to get around. He himself says that these jockey clubs that are under the hoods of this modern world no longer match and do not make the grade.
To all those who became an integral part of this adventure, my tender thanks, and an eternal remembrance of each one of you!
Encourage those who fit wisely and knowingly into any type of adventure.
Do, because if no one else ventures, the electrifying passages and life experiences will end. It would be a sad end to miss the real adventures and live only in the virtual and the unreal ones.
Manfredo Zepf
George Fischer's immense talent for capturing the spirit of a place through images has never been more pronounced than in this book showcasing a tiny territory that packs a big punch. With a population of only 40,000 souls spread over 482,443 square kilometres, the Yukon is home to Canada's tallest mountain, the world's largest weathervane and the Earth's toughest dogsled race. It also boasts the planet's smallest sand desert and most extensive collection of international signposts.
In an epic journey into this faraway land, George presents a bonanza of breathtaking images. He takes you up into the rugged mountains and down into the frosty fjords. In between, you'll stand in the footsteps of gold rush hopefuls. Cross rivers and plains where unusual wildlife roams. Stroll the streets of Wild West sagas. Immerse yourself in ancient cultures and modern music. And sip Yukon Jack in Dawson City or Whitehorse as you rock with the tempo and tones of the classic cancan.
Dog Team to Dawson is a nostalgic collection of true Yukon stories written by bestselling author Bruce Batchelor. A Quest for the Cosmic Bannock is the account of two young people travelling by dog team, tackling a long-abandoned Gold Rush era route while wrestling with thoughts about their own destinies. Cost-Plus illustrates how greed and modern equipment cannot trump Nature - unless one is very lucky. In Trapping the Mad Trapper, Batchelor mines a 1932 account by Old Crow nurse Helen Thornthwaite to reveal how Yukoners played the major roles in stopping Albert Johnson's escape attempt. Love Story for Lucy is a tender tribute to the bond between man and dog.
Dog Team to Dawson is the prequel to Bruce Batchelor's Nine Dog Winter, providing readers of that classic account with earlier adventures into the heart and soul of the Yukon Territory.
Bruce Batchelor lived in Canada's Yukon during the 1970s and early 1980s, travelling extensively throughout the territory, fascinated by the wilderness and the people who chose to live in the bush. His Northern stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers, and in the books Yukon Channel Charts, The Lost Whole Moose Catalogue and Nine Dog Winter. He is also author of Book Marketing DeMystified.
Bruce Batchelor is an editor and publisher, living in Victoria, BC, with his wife Marsha, their son Dan and a gentle black dog named Browser.
Reviewer comments on Bruce Batchelor's books
A real page turner and delightful read. An instant classic about Canada's North.
I LOVED reading it. Bruce has a rare gift among writers: he writes like he speaks. His 'voice' comes through as if you are sharing a hot cocoa by the fireside.
The book is bursting with love. People with each other. People with dogs. Dogs with people. Everybody with the outdoors.
A fascinating story and a great read. We recommend it highly.