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Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods

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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.

280 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1948

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Colleen.
758 reviews160 followers
May 28, 2016
Cache Lake Country is the memoir of a man who lives in the Canadian wilderness. First published in 1948, it remains a timeless classic for lovers of the Great Outdoors. You could describe it as a non-fiction Little House in the Big Woods for grownups. It's a way of vicariously answering the call of the wild and the yearning to leave it all behind for simpler way of life.

Although it was written in the 40's, the language and writing have a timeless feel. Sometimes older books will trip you up with outdated language, but Cache Lake Country has a lasting quality.

The layout of the book is very straightforward; each chapter covers one month totaling one year of Rowlands' life in the Canadian North Woods. The chapters mainly describe what happens during that month from the state of nature (what plants are blooming, what animals are in migration, etc) to what needs to be done that month (when to harvest certain things, preparing for winter, etc). Mixed in with these guidelines are personal recollections and thoughts. The personal stories range from funny incidents to sticky situations and offered a wide variety of his personal experiences and knowledge. Regardless of his topic, I always found it interesting. Rowlands had an unassuming way of giving information without being a pushy know-it-all.

One thing that sets Cache Lake Country apart from other living in nature memoirs that followed it is that this is not some clueless yuppie who went to live in the wilderness on a whim with no preparation. Rowlands was a treasure-trove of knowledge and clearly a livelong learner. This was evident not only by his knowledge of his surroundings and his learning from the Native Amerians, but also his broader knowledge of the world. Several times, he compares and contrasts the way people living in other places, such as Alaska, Russia, or Finland, deal with cold weather living. He also showed a firm interest in other cultures in general. For instance, he talks about researching South American tribes and their use of blow guns and how that inspired him to try to make his own. This is even more impress when you think about when this was written and how much harder it was to get information back then.

The whole book inspires a desire for simpler times. Rowlands balanced his love of his way of life with a pragmatic realism. For example, when talking about the logging camps that he worked with, he mentions how he missed the old horse-drawn teams. But he also states that he understood that the machines were more efficient and cost effective. He expresses his gratitude at having been able to experience "the old way" without being overcome by nostalgia and bitterness. He discuses ways of life that were becoming scarce back when he wrote this book which are now almost extinct in the twenty-first century. Regarding being a woodsman, Rowlands said:

A good woodsman has patience. He realizes he can't change nature nor hurry her. He doesn't fret because a river runs the wrong way for his journey, doesn't cuss over being wind-bound for days on an island in a big lake. He knows he can't lower the hills to make a portage easier, and in winter he won't try to fight a blizzard. He learns early that rushing does not often get you where you are going any faster than taking it quietly. Wise in the ways of hte woods, he realizes that often the longest way is the shortest. He never takes any more steps than he needs to, and he knows just where to sink his axe to bring down a tree with the least number of strokes. In far away cities they call that efficiency and teach men to do things with the fewest motions. Up here they have no name for it, but watch a good woodsman pick up a canoe and walk away with it and you will know what I'm driving at.


Another thing that struck me about this book was the creativity that Rowlands and his two friends constantly exhibit. Having to survive on limited resources makes a person much more creative and resourceful. This is one reason I tend to love true survival stories. I find it incredible what ingenuity people can tap into in a dire situation. It is perhaps something we all have the potential for, yet the days of easy access to almost anything - be it product or information - can detract from our ability to figure things out on our own. Why bother making or fixing something when you could have a new one delivered in two days by Amazon Prime? So, yes, I relished seeing people being resourceful and making the most of what they had.

This is not a book for everyone. There isn't a plot. There are few "characters" (a side effect of living in remote woods). And the subject matter meanders around often with no segue in between subjects. If you aren't interested in the Great Outdoors, survival skills, or simpler ways of live that are going extinct, then you would probably be very bored by this book. It is the sort of memoir that is a golden classic for those who love nature and survival, but probably a snooze-fest if none of those things can hold your interest. Personally, I found this to be a wonderful reserve of nature knowledge as well as some beautiful poetic thoughts. So I will wrap this up with another quote:

"I can hardly describe the contentment that comes to me in November. Maybe it is a feeling of security, which is what every one is looking for. The way I look at it, security and happiness are one and the same thing. On a stormy night when the trees thrash in the high winds that claw at the eaves, I sit listening to the murmuring of the fire in the big stove, at peace with myself and the world. Give me food to keep me strong, wood to keep me warm, good friends to talk to me, fine books to read, and I have all I need. I know men who think that's not enough."


This review fulfills the "Book You Own But Have Never Read" category of the Popsugar reading challenge. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-...
Profile Image for John Stevens.
53 reviews8 followers
February 18, 2020
My dad, Hank Stevens, loved this book. As long as I can remember he always had it on his night stand. If he couldn’t sleep, or just needed to relax from his state Trooper life he would open a chapter, 12 chapters for each month of a year, and read it through. It was his special place.
Dad had picked up my 1960’s-1970’s Mother Earth News magazines and loved them, too. Knowing my appreciation for adventure, natural organic living, farming and living off the land he handed me a copy of Cache Lake Country. I’m pretty sure I read it straight through. However I did it, I was glued to it. And still am.
There’s a copy 6 ft. From me as I write.
Oh, so what’s it about?
This fellow who worked for a logging company searches deep into the Canadian Wilderness to locate trees to harvest. Completely on his own.
One day he paddles on to Cache Lake and unexpectedly realizes he has found his home.
He made arrangements with his employer to move out there permanently and work from there.
He builds a cabin. Makes friends with “Hank” and an old Indian Chief and lives the journey I’ve admired all my life.
As mentioned earlier, he writes it as a journal, month by month. Hank provided sketches on some pages illustrating how to make snow shoes, a year round refrigerator in the ground, and many other essentials for true homesteaders.
If I have one regret in life it is that I did not follow this passion. I have always and still do watch every show or documentary on such things and people.
My life has had many ups and downs. I’ve seen amazing things, good and bad.
I’d trade it all to live at Cache Lake.
Profile Image for Doug Stone.
134 reviews2 followers
March 21, 2008
Timeless classic written with great sensitivity. Belongs up there with Sand County Almanac for outdoor reading pleasure.
Profile Image for Vicky Sp.
1,806 reviews130 followers
March 12, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐, 5
Un viaggio nella natura che l’autore compie alla fine degli anni Quaranta a bordo di una canoa diretto nell’Ontario.

Con spirito avventuroso in questo libro racconta la sua esperienza di vita, un intero anno lontano dalla civiltà nelle foreste del Grande Nord.

Leggendolo vien voglia di incamminarsi nei boschi, assaporare l’aria, gli odori pungenti della terra e quelli delicati della rugiada, ascoltare i suoni melodiosi dei suoi abitanti e bivaccare sulle rive del lago nascosto.

“Trovare il posto dove hai sempre voluto essere”, ecco il segreto di questo libro. L’autore racconta di come abbia trovato per caso il lago Cache ma non rivela, saggiamente, quando e come se ne sia andato.

Bellissimi i disegni all’interno del libro, le mappe e le descrizioni illustrate.
1 review
January 21, 2008
Cache Lake Country transports me to a place which restores me and allows me to find myself. I've read it several times since the 1980's. This plain and beautiful recreation of
nature, animals and plants,and a handful of isolated friends in other cabins on other lakes is a reliable way to profoundly reconnect with myself. The illustrations of both the place, the author and his friends, and the things they make delight me: descriptions of a two wall woodstove heated winter tent, a forest fire and what the animals and the author do, and description of the chains of woodlakes, for instance. What quiet clear joy.
6 reviews
September 7, 2022
Read this while hunkering down with Covid, and it provided a soothing escape to the wilderness of Ontario (it was just as easy for me to picture myself the north woods of Wisconsin or Minnesota as I read) with a narrator that quickly became like a friend. The drawings that appear on almost every page are both informative and a little bit whimsical, and the same could be said of the prose. To know what I mean, you'll just have to read the book. If you are fascinated by the wilderness, self-sufficiency, the building of all manner of tools or amusing devices, etc, then you will enjoy the read.
Profile Image for Amy Carlson.
281 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2021
Definitely a niche book, but I loved it. If you’ve ever wanted to live in a cabin off the grid in the north woods, you’d like it-otherwise, probably not your thing. Written as a month by month account of living in the wilderness and accompanied by detailed sketches of many of his projects and the wilderness around him. Dated (ie not many people chopping pine boughs for bedding anymore), but part of the fun of this book is seeing how things were done close to 100 years ago.
Profile Image for Tim Genry.
126 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2022
For anyone who wants to learn survival skills in the wilderness, I’d rate this book as a five star classic. It is definitely a niche book but if you’re into wilderness survival I can’t imagine another so full of story and technique.
7 reviews
November 3, 2024
I picked up this book chuckling at the quote on the cover, "the best book ever written," but was immediately excited about the beautiful and insightful illustrations in the margins of every page. I figured it would be perfect reading for a week in a Northwoods cabin - something light I could pick up and put down in between watching wildlife on the lake. It is perfect for just such a time!

Not so much a story as it is a collection of anecdotes and instructions for living in a picturesque and wild remote place. Told from the perspective of a former Northwoods logger who struck out on his own, and with the help of a local Indian Chief, built a cabin and made his way living off the land. The Chief's teachings enabled his survival, though the stories are not of desperation and lean-ness. They are about living well with respect for the land and all that dwell there, infused with aspects of humor and deep comfort. Another neighbor, Hank, is an artist, and the three men all contribute unique perspectives to this beautifully crafted volume.

Told through the seasons (each chapter's content describes the activities and the environment of that month), I enjoyed passing a year with the storyteller. I can see myself picking this up whenever the weather changes and using it to pluck ideas, stimulate my own reflections on the passing time, and just relax.

I don't know if I agree with the cover quote, but it was one of the most pleasant books I've ever picked up and recommend it to any crafty outdoors type.
115 reviews
November 19, 2024
3.5 stars. This is a woodsman’s how to guide for living in a cabin on a lake in Northern Quebec in the 1940’s. Rowland is great at noticing the small things that go with life in the north woods. The book dives pretty deeply into how Rowland created the things that he used - at times more of an instruction manual on everything from tying fish lures to recipes to how to make a radio. He was supported by a logging company, so a plane would bring him regular supplies. Not sure I would reread this, so it’s not quite 4 stars in my opinion, but I did enjoy this “bushcraft how to manual”. Funny enough, rubbing bacon grease on something was mentioned quite a few times.

From the AI:

“Cache Lake Country” offers a peaceful and nostalgic glimpse into life in the North Woods. Rowlands’ reflections on nature, self-reliance, and the rhythms of the wilderness are written with an easy charm, accompanied by beautiful illustrations that enhance the experience. The book’s month-by-month structure provides a comforting sense of timelessness as it explores the joys of living simply and close to nature.

While the book is filled with practical tips and interesting anecdotes, it sometimes leans more toward a romanticized ideal of wilderness life, which made it feel a bit repetitive in parts. That said, it’s a wonderful read for anyone seeking a calming escape into the beauty of the natural world. It’s not a book I’ll rush to reread, but I appreciated its gentle wisdom and love for the outdoors.
114 reviews
February 24, 2025
I’m at about a defcon 2 for moving to the Canadian wilderness after reading this. I reckon I’d perish pretty near instantly, but I’d sure have fun doing so.
208 reviews
December 30, 2019
Finishing this book was a satisfying way to round out my year in books. This is a true gem, worthy of a place on any wilderness shelf. The book chronicles a typical year of life in the woods in remote northern Ontario in the early-mid 1900s (the book was first published in 1947). The author resides in a cabin on “Cache Lake”, his nearest neighbors are friends and comrades, Henry Kane (also, the illustrator of the book) and Chief Tibeash (an elderly and supremely competent Cree Indian). The book contains a treasure trove of interesting back woods how-to’s such as how to pull a load via the head, how to assemble a supremely warm rabbit skin blanket, how to use your canoe as an emergency shelter, building a lean-to out of a birch sapling, etc. Chief Tibeash, the elder of the bunch is the real deal; he has the astute hearing of a deer, the patience of a sage and the ingenuity of a native of the land. It seems that Chief Tibeash can fashion just about anything out of birch and/or birch bark. This is a book that is worth picking up and perusing from time to time, or better yet, rereading. and it really was such a wonderful read in December, on the cusp of a new year; Rowlands’ narrative manual serves as an inspiration to refocus and get back to basics.
Profile Image for Michael Powers.
Author 2 books8 followers
April 18, 2022
One of the best outdoor books ever written. It is one of the few books that I try to re-read every couple of years. Cache Lake Country is fantastic for many reasons. It is a down-to-earth narrative that anyone can appreciate, not just those who love the outdoors. It is pure woods lore by someone who lived it out. Since I know I will never have the chance to do what John Rowlands did: spend over a year living in a cabin in the Canadian wilderness, I will just have to live that out through his words!

A true account filled with woods lore, common sense, humor and the friendships that only outdoorsmen and women can appreciate. I loved the incredible descriptions that are given as you slowly go through each of the 12 months of a north woods years. But I also loved the detailed descriptions and illustrations for making outdoor shelters and ovens, moccasins, stoves, canoes, and hundreds of other useful and ingenious tips for living outdoors!
Profile Image for Benedict.
479 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2025
John J. Rowlands spent roughly 5 years, from 1911 to 1916, periodically living in the wilderness of the North Ontario woodlands. He learned bushcraft from Cree Chief Tibeash, who taught him the Cree way of life and became his firm friend. Rowlands wrote about this time of his life in published letters, which he later collated into this book.

The book takes the format of fictional year in the life, month-by-month, of his time in the wilderness. For all we know the specific events could be made up, but it's clear he knows his stuff about bushcraft. He gives tutorials throughout, from making snow-goggles to building canoes, and he gives plenty of credit and praise to Chief Tibeash who taught him most of what he knows.

The audiobook narration was good, like your old uncle telling you his stories. It's a charming account, and it was interesting to me that this account from a pre-technology era prides itself on self-sufficience in a way that I think we've lost in modern times.
Profile Image for Christian.
143 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2024
Really enjoyable read… I may just go and fluff my asbestos blanket, douse my cigarette and read it again! They really need to make some small revisions to this and remove the downright health hazardous advice in here. Nonetheless, I felt like I was back in my upper Midwest/north forest land of boyhood. These works always stir my soul.
Profile Image for Alex C.
10 reviews
June 11, 2024
Absolutely fantastic book with beautiful vivid descriptions of Canadas wilderness. I loved how it took you through each season living in the wilderness and all that nature would offer. I can image the area from watching Xander Budnick and friends on YouTube as they canoeing through areas sounding so similar. Finished listening to it and immediately started again, as well as buying a paper copy.

One day I'd love to go explore these areas. Maybe in a 1000 years. 😄
Profile Image for James.
174 reviews
June 30, 2017
The book was pretty good and had a lot of helpful information in it. They also included drawings to help the reader understand what the author was talking about and how to make some of the life hacks that he had found he needed or wanted living alone in the woods.
Profile Image for Ted Ryan.
329 reviews17 followers
May 2, 2022
This book was great. Half memoir and half how-to. There were a number of neat, living off the land how-to's that even 80+ years later will be fun to try. I think I'll be revisiting this book again. I love author's with such a love of what they are writing about it is palpable.
1 review
August 29, 2023
I've always struggled with reading a book from front to back without getting a little bored part way through. This is the first book I've ever managed to read where I felt I just couldn't put it down. The best book I have ever read. A great read throughout.
Profile Image for Lisa Tangen.
559 reviews7 followers
July 22, 2024
Interesting read. Some grammatical construction made reading a little tough, but the concepts were well explained and illustrations were wonderful. I'd have to spend time cataloging my favorite wilderness survival tips.
30 reviews
January 8, 2025
I extremely interesting at first, but the very detailed descriptions of techniques and materials and processes of living in the woods got monotonous. If you’re looking for a manual, this is helpful.
Profile Image for Margaret.
486 reviews
January 23, 2019
A beautiful book with lots of descriptions of how to make your own devices with mostly easily found materials. The radio was a bit more elaborate than summer of the other projects. Rowlands describes how to do many things in the woods, the beauty of the north woods and he conveys awe and respect for the life there. The month by month format means it will be easy to go back and look at one section for seasonal activities.
172 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2019
I stumbled across this book somewhat randomly, it is a wonderful insight into daily life in that time. I loved the sections on how to build and cook.
Profile Image for Connie Kronlokken.
Author 10 books9 followers
Read
September 5, 2022
Fiction, based on the writer’s history, but it is always good to read about the north woods.
Profile Image for Tim.
117 reviews
September 2, 2023
I found out this book was fictional after starting it, and then half of it was about how to build obscure woodsman items. 0 stars.
Profile Image for Robert Cox.
467 reviews33 followers
February 3, 2024
Enjoyable romp through the north country in a vaguely Swiss Family Robinson meets a dated survival manual sort of way.
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