Distant Fires: Duluth to Hudson Bay [Paperback]

Scott Anderson (Author), Les C. Kouba (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2008

"The waves on Lake Superior nearly splattered them all over the cliffs, and mosquitoes almost ate them alive in the Boundary Waters. Halfway through the three-month trip, they buried their underwear. But who needs underwear when you’re 22 years old and living out the adventure of a boyhood dream?" —St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Distant Fires, a true-life adventure, describes a 1,700-mile canoe trip from Duluth to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Anderson and a companion retraced the paddles taken by Eric Sevareid and a companion almost sixty years earlier. Their trials and tribulations, plus Anderson’s sense of humor, make the trip fun in book form. Pen-and-ink illustrations are by noted Minnesota wildlife artist Les Kouba." —Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Distant Fires is a voyage of discovery. Scott Anderson is an inquisitive traveler, and when he sees something that piques his interest, he stops for a chat. He also has a marvelous eye for the natural world that surrounds him in his summerlong journey. He is a natural-born writer." —Duluth News Tribune

"Some of [Anderson’s] phrasing is very happy indeed: ‘the resting place of the rivers.’ I wish I had written that." —Eric Sevareid

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- Take two college men, lots of food, sleeping bags and fishing poles, throw it all into one canoe, and the result is the makings of true adventure. Anderson and a friend set out from Duluth, Minnesota on a 1700-mile trip that ended on the shores of Hudson Bay. Written informally, and with many glimpses of the travails of camping and canoeing, the author provides humorous episodes involving furious losing battles with mosquitoes, a recalcitrant tent that doesn't stay up in the wind, and cooking innumerable pots of macaroni and cheese for breakfast. Readers will also experience the serenity of the northwoods, the satisfaction of canoeing 50 miles a day, sunrises and sunsets over the water, and the kindness of strangers met along the way. For outdoor adventurers, or those who wish to travel vicariously, this is the book.
- Pam Spencer, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Following much the same route taken by Eric Severeid and Walter Port in 1930 ( Canoeing with the Cree ), Anderson and his college friend set out to canoe up lakes Superior and Winnepeg and down the Gods River to York Factory on Hudson's Bay. The three-month, 1700-mile trip was full of wind, rain, and discomfort, but Anderson's account is also filled with humor, a youthful zest for life, and a mature sense of the history and culture through which they passed. "Life is pursuit, not the capture," he believes, and the "distant fires" of the North remain a goal even as this particular journey is ended. Neither a how-to nor a step-by-step description, this is an enthusiastic tale of following a dream. Recommended especially for public libraries and YA collections.
- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib. , Carbondale
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; Reprint edition (September 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816655030
• ISBN-13: 978-0816655038
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two young men who tackle the elements by canoe- and win., April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Distant Fires (Turtleback)

This is an astonishing book about two young men who want so much to have a great adventure experience before they get too old and can't go. So, they set out in their canoe to recreate an adventure 50 years ago, by Eric Sevareid, to canoe 2000 miles, from Duluth, Minn. to the Hudson's Bay. Every step along the way they encounter adversity, bugs, hardship, danger- yet they press on with a determination and will to complete this task, and win. They do so with much humor and dry wit. I found myself laughing out loud in many places. Where else can you read about two young men moving at the speed of a canoe paddle, going upstream, battling headwinds, eight foot waves that could easily swamp their canoe, rapids, portages through dense growth, beaver dams, and of course, mosquitos, mosquitos and more....?

It seems that they must have never been dry or warm over this journey that took them over three months to complete. But they never lost their sense of humor and never gave up, even though the odds were immense.

I greatly reccommend this book. It reads easily, and will be an excellent choice for young as well as older readers who enjoy a good travel adventure. It is a wonderful inspiration to all who read the book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for anyone who loves the North Country, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Distant Fires (Paperback)

This is the book I read when I feel "displaced" from wherever the Air Force has me at the present time. If you are familiar with the outdoors lifestyle of northern Minnesota, this book will refresh any memories you have of trips up "The Shore" (north shore of Lake Superior) or the Boundary Waters. The author is a Duluth, MN native who tells his story of an extended canoe trip that started at his home and ended in Hudson Bay. The reading is light, and is enhanced with a lot of local color humor.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True account of an uncommon adventure, February 19, 2002

By 

Chris Magney - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distant Fires (Paperback)

"Distant Fires" was published in 1990 and is the true account of a summer canoe trip from Duluth Minnesota to Hudson Bay Canada by two men in their early 20's. More than anything else, this book speaks to the modern charisma and abilities of the author, who planned and accomplished the journey, then, wrote such a wonderful and humorous account of it. Chapter by chapter, the reader is taken to the water, along the route, and into the perspective of the adventure. This book is testomony to what's in the future and beyond the horizon. It cannot be over-recommended for young and old. Thank you Scott Anderson for sharing your uncommon knowledge and insight of "Distant Fires" on earth and in our lives.