Eric Sevareid (1912–1992)

Arnold, who became known during his journalism career as Eric, Sevareid was stirred to adventure during a high school reading of Rudyard Kipling's poem The Feet of the Young Men. His best friend, Walter Porter, also longed to see the world. Together they decided that as soon as high school ended and they graduated they would buy a canoe and paddle from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay.

It didn't bother them that they didn't have a canoe or experience, or that this particular trip had never been done before.

As the forward says:
"Without benefit of motor or radio, and indeed with little in the way of good maps or background information, the young men launched an eighteen-foot canvas canoe at Fort Snelling. .... 2250 miles, sixty portage and fourteen weeks ... Delayed by accidents and weather, they raced against time. ....(as they must arrive) before fall freeze up” (Slightly edited to avoid spoilers)

Woot – if you enjoy stories of wilderness and youthful derring-do adventures, this is a great read. I enjoyed the descriptions of the First Nations and the Metis, although the casual prejudices of the time do show. The book carried me onward to the end. A short book, a quick read and highly recommended.… (lisätietoja)

Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid

My February Non-Fiction Challenge book. This is the story of two boys, Eric Sevareid and Walter Port, aged 17 and 19, who decide that it would be a fun adventure to canoe from Minneapolis, Minnesota to York Factory on Hudson Bay. The book is relatively short and I found it to be gripping as I read it in a single sitting.

I have spent a decent amount of time canoeing and consider myself fairly good at it. So with that foundation, what these kids did was insane and borderline suicidal in my opinion and I am in awe of their endurance. I also have serious questions about where these kids parents were because I would lock my child up before they tried something like this.

Fortified with $50 from a Minneapolis paper, they conceive of this idea of starting from Minneapolis, proceeding southwest to the Minnesota river, canoeing northwest until they get to the Red River and then following that river all the way to Winnipeg. From there they crossed Lake Winnipeg (a huge body of water) and then following a series of smaller rivers and lakes back northeast to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Basically, this sort of journey is akin to what the original Voyageurs were doing when they were collecting beaver pelts for Europe (think The Revenant but a little further north and east. To do it, they paddle from eight to ten hours straight every day and when they aren't paddling they are portaging their canoe and supplies over some very rough terrain.

They do the whole trip in an d18 foot canoe. The boys do stop for provisions along the way and manage to get some necessary help like when one has infection and is treated by a kindly doctor. They also do "cheat" on Lake Winnipeg, when after encountering a constant, contrary wind they book a short passage on a lake steamer to complete their trip across Lake Winnipeg. Keep in mind that "Lake" Winnipeg is the size of some small seas being the 11th largest lake on the planet and extending 258 miles north to south. Having paddled on a few larger lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area I can say that the idea that you would even think of venturing on to a lake of that size in an 18 foot canoe is crazy. Did I mention that by the time the boys made it this far north they were in a race against time as everyone they met told them that the waterways were going to freeze over before they made it to Hudson Bay?

By the time the boys depart Lake Winnipeg they are moving into largely uninhabited territory. They encounter a few Cree and the occasional Mountie but mostly they are alone. They are trying to navigate simply by compass and maps (I have done this too and it is really hard). Basically, when they leave the last community for the trip to the Bay they are vanishing into the wilderness with winter starting at any time. A different version of this story would have been that the boys disappear down the river to never be seen again. Certainly no search party would have found them. Shockingly, the boys make it to Hudson Bay alive and in one piece. It is an amazing accomplishment.

There are some portions of the book that sound off to modern ears. The depictions of the Cree are clearly tinged by ideas of the "noble savage" and there are frequent references to "half-breeds." However, there is little racial animus expressed. Mostly there is admiration for the people living in such a harsh and isolated area.

Canoeing with the Cree was a fun read and an engaging adventure.… (lisätietoja)