Eric Sevareid: Canoeing with the Cree (Minneapolis: Borealis Books, first edition, 1969, Borealis edition, 2004)

I suppose that the adventure of a lifetime can come at any age, but for Eric Sevareid, the trip was in his late teenage years when with quite a bit more energy and audacity than many his age, Eric and a friend took a 2,250 mile canoe trip from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. They headed upstream until they got to the Red River of the North and from there made their way to Lake Winnipeg, across the lake and down the river to Hudson Bay. It was a remarkable trip for a single summer - considered by many to be impossible, but with more than a small amount of luck the two were successful.

There were risks that could have led to disaster, with huge waves and significant problems, but somehow they accomplished the nearly impossible and rendered it not impossible. Eric Sevareid showed the signs of the newsman that he was to become with accurate, cogent and engaging writing.

The book is a quick read, but great fun and another one of those “must read” books for those interested in northern canoe adventures.