Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods [Paperback]

John J. Rowlands (Author), Henry B. Kane (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1998

Winner of the 1999 National Outdoor Book Award: Outdoor Classic Category.

Over half a century ago, John Rowlands set out by canoe into the wilds of Canada to survey land for a timber company. After paddling alone for several days—"it was so quiet I could hear the drops from the paddle hitting the water"—he came upon "the lake of my boyhood dreams." He never left. He named the place Cache Lake because there was stored the best that the north had to offer—timber for a cabin; fish, game, and berries to live on; and the peace and contentment he felt he could not live without.

Cache Lake Country is a vivid and faithful chronicle of life in the great Northern Forest and a storehouse of valuable information on woodcraft and nature. Here is folklore and philosophy, but most of all wisdom about the woods and the inventiveness and self-reliance they demand. The author explains how to make moccasins, barrel stoves, lean-to shelters, outdoor bake ovens, sailing canoes, and hundreds of other ingenious and useful gadgets, all illustrated in the margins with 230 enchanting drawings by Henry B. Kane.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A wealth of woodcraft information . . . a book that can be appreciated by all nature lovers. -- Natural History

Pure woods lore by a woodsman . . . This will be treasured by the true camper. -- Boston Globe

About the Author

John J. Rowlands had a varied career as a gold and silver prospector, miner, lumber scout, and newspaperman. He died in 1976. Verlyn Klinkenborg is the author of Making Hay and The Last Fine Time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press (September 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881504211
• ISBN-13: 978-0881504217
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Natural History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A man I would have loved to know!, April 7, 2004

By 

Lisa Kearns "Mom of Four" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods (Paperback)

I discovered this book when I was 13, and have read it no less than 10 times through the next 30 years. Mr. Rowlands was someone I would have loved to spend time with - he was down to earth, interesting, has a good sense of humor, and he lived the kind of life that everyone would love to try. I had fun trying some of his projects, like the needle on the water compass and the dewdrop magnifying glass. As a kid I would dream of living in a cabin near him, Hank and Chief Tibeash, and of canoeing on the rivers he talks about. Sadly, Mr. Rowlands died in the late 1970s, and I never had a chance to meet him. I did discover he wrote another book called Spindrift, and also that he did a lot of writing for The Atlantic Monthly magazine. He lived in New England in his later years, and had a daughter. For those who loved his book, you should check out the books written by his friend Hank (Henry B. Kane), who wrote in the same style and also illustrated Cache Lake Country. All in all, Cache Lake Country was a book that transported a young girl to a beautiful place, and introduced her to the woodsy "uncle" we all would love to have.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long on Instruction, Short on Yarns, March 10, 2005

By 

Walsh "TW" (Quincy, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods (Paperback)

I thought this was going to be a book about going off into the woods and all the unexpected adventures associated with a relatively modern day Natty Bumpo.

While the author does go off into the woods to live a quiet life, this book doesn't tell enough of his experiences. It has some. It really ends up being a text book for how to live in the wilderness (especially if you have occasional plane visits, a handy abondoned mine nearby for metal scraps, and two neighbors also alone in their cabins but within hearing distance-2 miles)

Yes, I feel guilty about giving it 4 stars when everyone else rates it 5. I did enjoy it. However, I thought it was going to be something quite different than it was.

As I said, there were a few good stories in it, but too much of it was instruction on how to make stuff, like a compass, or an underground fridge.

Good read but just be forwarned. It is not "Grass Beyond the Mountains" or "Shadows on the Koyokuk" or "On the Edge of Nowhere". It's much more like Proenneke's "One Man's Wilderness" without all the angst over hunting and fishing to survive.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Lore of the North, June 20, 2001

By 

Thomas M. Basch, MD (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods (Paperback)

Every true outdoors man and woman needs to read two books. One is Leopold's A Sand County Alamanac, the other is Cache Lake Country. If you've hunted, fished, and trekked the northwoods as much as I have, and love its brooding, dark beauty, this book will capture the sensations of the taiga. It is almost painful to read it if you find yourself trapped in someone else's idea of the good life, when what you really want to do is chuck it all for a cabin in the boreal forest.