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One hundred years ago, a young doctor from Cleveland by the name of Robert Newcomb, travelled north to a place called Temagami. It was as far north as one could travel by any modern means. Beautiful beyond any simple expletive, the Temagami wilderness was a land rich in timber, clear-water lakes, fast flowing rivers, mystery and adventure. Newcomb befriended the local Aboriginals -- the Deep Water People -- and quickly discovered the best way to explore was by canoe. Bewitched by the spirit of an interior river named after the elusive brook trout, Majamagosibi, Newcomb had a remote cabin built overlooking one of her precipitous cataracts. The cabin remained unused for decades, save for a few passing canoeists; it changed ownership twice and slowly began to show its age. The author discovered the cabin while on a canoe trip in 1970. Like Newcomb, Hap Wilson was lured to Temagami in pursuit of adventure and personal sanctuary. That search for sanctuary took the author incredible distances by canoe and snowshoe, through near death experiences and Herculean challenges. Secretly building cabins, homesteading and working as a park ranger, Wilson finally became owner of The Cabin in 2000. Artist, author and adventurer, Hap Wilson is perhaps best known for his ecotourism/travel guidebooks. He has led over 300 wilderness expeditions in Canada, and served as actor Pierce Brosnan's personal outdoor trainer for the feature film Grey Owl. "This is a complex and fascinating story, beautifully told. At first, it draws us in because the author appears to be living the life we all dream of-a simpler life, close to nature, free from the stress and strain of our consumer culture. But the reality, with its myriad challenges, is what holds our attention and gives the book its substance." -- Judith Ruan, Muskoka Magazine… (más)
I’ve entrusted my life to Hap Wilson in the past: I’ve followed his maps through the backcountry of Temagami, and down the Missinaibi River. I have learned to respect his accurate map making and rapid-sketching skills. When I heard that he had written a memoir of the Temagami wilderness, I thought it would be well worth reading.
I have mixed feelings about the book. In the first place, Wilson is an excellent writer with a better-than-average vocabulary. He knows just how to hook you at the beginning of the chapter and to keep you enthralled to the end. I read this rather short book one chapter at a time to savour his craft. I also loved how his descriptive skills put me right back into the park where I have paddled in the past.
That said, it was frustrating to endure his attitude at times. The hyperbole in describing how difficult the country is was overwhelming. I’ve paddled much of the park, and have found it difficult but not unendurable. Aside from that, the most frustrating thing was Hap’s sense of entitlement. In one chapter, he describes his anger at the government who burned down his illegally constructed cabin—while he, as a park ranger, burns down the structures of other squatters.
This issue came to a point for me when I read his comments on organized religion:
"I had lost faith in organized religion because of the hypocrisy of its flock and the audacity of its tenets in the face of Nature."
One could lose faith in the environmental movement for the same reason. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
To the Lathrops—Dick, Dan & Jim—whose altruistic and gracious brotherhood allowed me to find my own freedom.
Primeras palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Nenebuc, the trickster, had his bow and arrow with him, and as he went along he saw a great snake.
Citas
Últimas palabras
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
My children taught me a new sense of liberalism of heart; my wife, very frustratingly, taught me to accept human love as a condition of acceptance—that nothing, not even the simple and unrestrained life on the wilderness trail can supplant the power of human emotion.
One hundred years ago, a young doctor from Cleveland by the name of Robert Newcomb, travelled north to a place called Temagami. It was as far north as one could travel by any modern means. Beautiful beyond any simple expletive, the Temagami wilderness was a land rich in timber, clear-water lakes, fast flowing rivers, mystery and adventure. Newcomb befriended the local Aboriginals -- the Deep Water People -- and quickly discovered the best way to explore was by canoe. Bewitched by the spirit of an interior river named after the elusive brook trout, Majamagosibi, Newcomb had a remote cabin built overlooking one of her precipitous cataracts. The cabin remained unused for decades, save for a few passing canoeists; it changed ownership twice and slowly began to show its age. The author discovered the cabin while on a canoe trip in 1970. Like Newcomb, Hap Wilson was lured to Temagami in pursuit of adventure and personal sanctuary. That search for sanctuary took the author incredible distances by canoe and snowshoe, through near death experiences and Herculean challenges. Secretly building cabins, homesteading and working as a park ranger, Wilson finally became owner of The Cabin in 2000. Artist, author and adventurer, Hap Wilson is perhaps best known for his ecotourism/travel guidebooks. He has led over 300 wilderness expeditions in Canada, and served as actor Pierce Brosnan's personal outdoor trainer for the feature film Grey Owl. "This is a complex and fascinating story, beautifully told. At first, it draws us in because the author appears to be living the life we all dream of-a simpler life, close to nature, free from the stress and strain of our consumer culture. But the reality, with its myriad challenges, is what holds our attention and gives the book its substance." -- Judith Ruan, Muskoka Magazine
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(4.5)
1
I have mixed feelings about the book. In the first place, Wilson is an excellent writer with a better-than-average vocabulary. He knows just how to hook you at the beginning of the chapter and to keep you enthralled to the end. I read this rather short book one chapter at a time to savour his craft. I also loved how his descriptive skills put me right back into the park where I have paddled in the past.
That said, it was frustrating to endure his attitude at times. The hyperbole in describing how difficult the country is was overwhelming. I’ve paddled much of the park, and have found it difficult but not unendurable. Aside from that, the most frustrating thing was Hap’s sense of entitlement. In one chapter, he describes his anger at the government who burned down his illegally constructed cabin—while he, as a park ranger, burns down the structures of other squatters.
This issue came to a point for me when I read his comments on organized religion:
"I had lost faith in organized religion because of the hypocrisy of its flock and the audacity of its tenets in the face of Nature."
One could lose faith in the environmental movement for the same reason. (