True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane

by George Erickson

"Erickson, a rugged individualist if ever there was one, knows his stuff. Erickson misses little, describing the natural wonders of the region, the people who dwell at the remote outposts where gasoline costs nearly as much as good cognac, and the adventures of the first explorers to the great White North, including trappers, Jesuits and prospectors for gold."
--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"A blend of stunning landscapes, wildlife, myths, and experience, True North reveals Erickson's love of nature and his passion for truth."
-- The Humanist

Leaving behind the comforts of civilized life and armed with only a few essentials, dentist-turned-bush pilot GEORGE ERICKSON captures the exhilarating thrill of roughing it in the wild, flying his Piper Cub Special seaplane into the far reaches of the north. Nearly losing his life--twice--Erickson sets up camp on unexplored lakes and rivers, fishes for trout, struggles with bad weather, dodges forest fires, and and mingles with polar bears, killer whales, musk oxen, and caribou.

In the spirit of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Charles Lindbergh, and other great aviators, he is an engaging traveling companion. This is much more than a travelogue, however, as Canada's Reader's Showcase aptly "Erickson applies a rare love to the rough, dangerous, and frankly, really, really far-flung lands of the Canadian sub-Arctic. He proves himself to be an expert and avid pilot, storyteller, philosopher, environmentalist, dreamer, and perhaps most impressively, fashioner of some really cool fishing lures."

Replete with personal detail, scientific observation, and historical facts--the most chilling being the story of a group of explorers who starved to death in the very cabin he is visiting--TRUE NORTH is an extraordinary travel narrative that will appeal to flying enthusiasts and armchair travelers alike.

Genres: Aviation, Canada, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

George Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota.

He is a former president of the Minnesota Humanists, a past director of the American Humanist Association, a recent Vice-President of the Minnesota Seaplane Pilots' Assoc. and a former chairman of the Worthington, MN Airport Commission and the Nobles County, MN Art Center. He has served on the New Brighton, MN Environmental Quality Commission. Since 1967 he has made 38 flights through Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Quebec and Australia.

From the author’s website.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I've always wanted to fly, especially the awesome float plane! Growing up in Minnesota, I had an instant connection with the author as he traveled throughout the North Country in present time and throughout history. What a great book! It was so hard to put down.

[Lisa Kearns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I love reading about Alaska and the far north. The premise of this book is that Erickson, a retired dentist, travels around Northern Canada and Alaska in his plane and tells the stories of the places he's visited.

He does a nice job of describing the plane, the experience of flying, the many little lakes and towns he visits, the weather, and the wildlife he sees. I really enjoyed this part of his book. I also liked the crisp color photos he included in the center of the book. I even enjoyed the totally unrelated stories of history, other adventurers, early scientists, and his explanation of how the compass works and how the longitude and latitude lines on a map are measurements of time.

What I didn't enjoy was his constant harping against organized religion and the evils of mankind. If he doesn't believe in God, that's fine for him, but he insults some portion of his readers with his arrogance and disrespect on the subject. What does that have to do with bush planes and wilderness?

I also didn't enjoy his lectures about how we need to stop populating the earth and stop using natural resources. He somehow missed the irony of his consumption of oil and gasoline, not to mention the noxious emissions from his plane's exhaust, while flying around on a totally optional trip. He burns wood for his campfires, too. He mentions having kids and grandkids, so he's evidently added to our population problem.

Overall this was an interesting book and I'm glad I read it. But it won't be one of my "keepers" mainly because he reminds me of the blowhard at the office party who wants to impress everyone with his superior intellect and lifestyle.

[Cape Maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was good and tied together other stories to kind of get a feel for what the pilot is thinking about and makes you more connected as a reader.