Up North

by Sam Cook

Up North is a certain way the wind feels on your face and the way an old wool shirt feels on your back. It's the peace that comes over you when you sit down to read one of your old trip journals, or the anticipation that bubbles inside when you start sorting through your tackle box early in the spring. In this unforgettable collection of essays, Sam Cook portrays the enchanting North Country as a state of mind as much as a geographical area. Up North captures the mystic moods, seasonal subtleties, and colorful characters that fill the region from the Minnesota canoe country to the vast expanse of the Northwest Territories. Organized by time of year, Up North describes every season's pleasures--sled dog racing in winter, hooking a northern pike on the first spring fishing trip, building a summer campfire, watching the aurora borealis in fall. Up North is an invitation to explore canoe country through Sam Cook's eyes and your own. "My favorite book for thedreamers or for any outdoor person who enjoys a good story... Sam Cook is a master at weaving a tale."

Genres: Outdoors, Nature, Travel, Nonfiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatest book about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I ran into Sam Cook on the trail once, and he and found every member of our trail crew and thanked them personally (they had no idea who he was) and told a great story about seeing a timber wolf on the next lake over. Legend.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The starting journey of Sam Cook's interesting life.

山姆·库克大叔有趣人生的起点
缘起
接触Sam Cook的书，起源于一个非常偶然的巧合。
首先是几年内同学群里转发的一张图：我想找原版来读，稍微做了一点功课，才发现译者在书名上玩了些花招。不过最终还是从当时还没撤出国内的中亚买到了《Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups》这个原版系列中的几本。但我在搜索的过程中无意看到了这本书：
If This Is Mid-Life, Where's the Crisis?
读下来竟然感觉不错，很有共鸣。 这本书其实是这位专栏作者几年间的专栏散文的合集，不乏睿智的生活感悟和一点幽默。
接下来，自然是探索这位作者的其他著作——
Sam Cook其人
山姆·库克本在堪萨斯州的一个大学里教授英语文学。某个暑假，他得到一个公费项目，去加拿大参与为期一个月的探险，条件是为其写一个专栏游记系列。
游记专栏写得很成功——成功地让山姆意识到，他内心里真正喜欢的不是教书，而是户外。于是，他义无反顾地辞去公职，举家搬迁到美国北部的明尼苏达州，一边参与户外用品的经营、一边为当地报纸写专栏文章——当然，最主要的还是从事他一见钟情的各种户外活动（钓鱼、狩猎、远足野营、划独木舟、狗拉雪橇等）。
他的妻子Phyllis也是户外运动爱好者，早期常跟他一起出行；后来他们有了两个孩子，Phyllis就很少出行了。（本段根据山姆各个时期的散文中提及的细节总结。）
山姆的专栏文章很受当地读者欢迎，明尼苏达大学出版社鼓励他把专栏文章精选结集出版。他一共出了六本散文集（五本关于户外、一本是上面提到的mid-life）
“北上”是一种心境

North Country is a state of mind as much as a geographical area.

Each of us has an Up North... We have been Up North. And part of us always will be....

《Up North》是山姆最早的一本书。结合书名，我本期待从中了解到他举家北上的前因后果、心路旅程乃至过程八卦。然而，就象山姆清楚地意识到户外而非教书是他的强项，他也明白散文而非游记是他的强项。前一章的作者信息主要来自《Moving Waters》中的序言，而非本书。
翻开书本，一小段心情随笔（如上引用）之后，一篇接一篇全都是他的招牌式散文，随心而动，灵逸洒脱。山姆的散文重视细节但绝不拘泥于细节：他不会给你讲某个户外运动的过程步骤或者列举注意事项（但他偶尔会单拿其中一条来展开做做随性的文章），而是抓住一个有趣的角度展开，让完全不了解户外运动的读者也能身临其境地享受其中的乐趣。
要开渔了，他会给你细细描述鱼虫店中的各式鱼虫，从新人、老手与鱼虫店主的随意交谈中，开渔的期盼跃然纸上。
划独木舟远行的旅程中，他单挑出选择扎营地时的纠结、portage（难以通过的水段，上岸扛船走过去）的艰辛。
猎鹿季节，他会专门写一篇如何早起出门吻别爱妻，后面又有一篇归家心情。
准备参加狗拉雪橇越野比赛，他还没开赛就已经失败了，但这并不影响他写出一篇优美的散文，让读者随着他经历跌宕起伏……
我为什么喜欢库克大叔的散文
其实，我并不是运动或者户外爱好者，既不去健身房也不跑马。而且我也不怎么阅读散文。为什么单单会喜欢上山姆的书呢？
直到我发现《Moving Waters》简介里的最后一句话，才让我恍然大悟——连这个，山姆大叔也帮我总结好了：

…… is a great read for [...] and the armchair traveler.

原来，我就是个Armchair Traveler啊！

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been moping about the lack of fall in Cameroon and saw this book on my shelf, although I'm not sure if choosing it actually helped the matter. (It was satisfying while I was in the act of reading, but as soon as I put it down, I was all the more aware of the absence of cool air and changing leaves.) That being said, it is a wonderful collection of essays. Jodie first inspired me to read this when she framed an excerpt from it as a wedding gift; I loved the cadence of that brief passage, and that admiration has held for the rest of the pieces, too. The book is sectioned into seasons, and through his simple reflections, Cook is able to capture the best elements of each time of the year. In addition to the beautiful writing, he just makes everything he does--fly fishing, cross-country skiing, napping in the woods, camping in canoe country--sound so appealing. Even the chapters on hunting, of which I've never been an avid participant, were engaging, and I could honestly see what draws people to it. My only complaint is that his occasional habit of talking about himself in third person felt gimmicky, but the subject matter helped carry these pieces anyway. As much as we're enjoying Africa, this book made me want to pack up and settle in a cabin on Minnesota's north shore. Maybe some day...

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up North is a collection of short articles and essays about life outdoors in the northland (radiating out from Duluth, MN). My connections to the area make me more favorable toward these articles, which only sometimes capture the joy and beauty of that outdoor life. The shorter articles tend to be wistful/anticipatory and not so great, when he discourses a little longer on working with sled dogs, hunting, cross country skiing, canoeing and fishing, as well as the characters he meets doing these things, I am more appreciative.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fairly interesting read. I liked the ones I related to (i.e. I cross-country ski but don't fish or ride dog sleds, so I didn't fully understand the essays that discussed the latter). Having been born in a town on the North Shore, I definitely relate to "Up North" being more than just a location. But since I mostly grew up elsewhere, I don't share the same degree of kinship as the author. I'd recommend to outdoor enthusiasts, especially who share an appreciation for that Greatest Lake.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely reflections on Cook's experiences in BWCA and Quetico. He is a newspaper writer and writes with a direct and clear appreciation for this beautiful country.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like nature, paddling, skiing, fishing, etc. this book is for you

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved.

[Bob Idstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I have read stories from to my kids too many times to count, but their request. Excellent book!

[FW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical and quietly uplifting. One of my favorite authors.

[Tony Dincau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Sam for bringing the northland to life. I really enjoyed the seasonal sections and the many descriptive phrases that sent a breath of fresh pine air right through me.