Down the Wild River North

by Constance Helmericks

First Bergamot Books Edition. This edition is condensed from the original edition published by Little, Brown & Company in 1968. 291 pgs.

Genres: Travel, Adventure, Nonfiction, History, Memoir

300 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 1989

Reviews

[Merri Melde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most amazing trip few of us would ever dare - a mother and 2 teenage daughters traveling by canoe down rivers in the Northwest Territories over two summers. It's a beautifully written narrative about a place few of us will ever have a chance to see, a gift of living in nature, self sufficiency, risk, and achievement from a mother to her daughters.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a fantastic gem. I never would have picked it up, but it was a book club pick for a Wilderness theme. Lots of layers about life, mothers and risks. It would make a great discussion for a book club, and someone really should make it into a movie!

[KathyJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that this book was written in the 1960's, but even for that period, the dialogue between mother and daughters often striked me as stilted and unnatural. That said, however, I found the descriptions of the rugged Canadian wilderness and the diverse individuals encountered along the way, as well as the detailed account of this bold,incredible and challenging undertaking by a woman and her two teenage daughters riveting and inspiring.

[Renee S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am I the only one who felt the mother was incredibly selfish for endangering all of their lives at every turn? I know they all survived and it likely turned out to be incredibly memorable, but there were so many close calls, and if it weren't for their unbelievable luck in coming across people at just the right time, this could have had a very sad ending.

So much credit goes to the MANY people who helped them in dozens of ways, from providing fuel for their boat motor to people they just met providing care for one of the daughters for a prolonged period. (Really???)

At one point, after the younger daughter has had an emergency appendectomy, mom seems more concerned about how and whether her trip will continue than the health and welfare of her daughter.

The writing is descriptive, sometimes beautiful and often very detailed (sometimes to the point of boredom for me) Mom and the girls had guts and in spite of the hardships, the teens didn't seem to have many complaints. The kids learned a lot and I love women being independent, strong, self-reliant and capable. I just cringed so many times at situations they found themselves in and couldn't imagine taking so many huge risks that put all 3 lives in grave danger every single day they were out on the rivers.

One thing I did find interesting was the concern of the author about the environment. I guess some things don't change.

I may read the daughter's book to see her take on the trip.

[Sarah Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderfully descriptive of both the crew, their desires and struggles, and wonderful descriptions of the many camps along the trip.

The Mackenzie river seemed a bit shortened, and the writing style unfortunately followed "and then this happened, and then this happened" rather than focusing on some of the more dramatic things that happened along the trip, that they author only alluded to.

Also, dear reader, you're reminded that this was written in the mid-60s and a lot of the language surrounding First Nations did not age well.

Enjoyable read, but even as someone who lives and works in Yukon & NWT, it wasn't earth shattering.

[Billy Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Connie and her two daughters embark upon a canoe trip over hundreds of miles in the Canadian wilderness. Is this something I would do? NOPE, but I sure enjoyed reading about their brave journey. The wild river, rapids, weather, characters, and each other was dealt with in such vivid description you would cringe at times during this voyage.

Knowing many young people, you at first wonder how two teenage girls would adapt to such an experience away from their pop culture. However, the opposite transpired! They sought to paddle further, stay longer, and immerse themselves in the wondrous outdoors. Grab a mug, kick back and enjoy their challenges in the comfort of an easy chair.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this old book for Bookclub. I was surprised at how much I liked it. The author takes her 2 young daughters into the Northern wilderness and rides the rivers. I think she was really crazy to do it. I am surprised that they all didn’t die! They are quite the adventurers.

[Aingeal Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This memoir captured my attention. An American woman and her two young teen daughters canoed from British Columbia along the Peace River all the way to Inuvik in the early 60s. I live in Yellowknife, yet haven't explored the Northwest Territories like these women have. Amazing!

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful and fast read as well as a great companion book to Arctic daughter by Jean Aspen. It left me in tears at the end.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read this book for literally decades, since the author was a friend of my Aunt Dorothy’s, and my aunt’s personally inscribed book has been on my bookshelf since my aunt died in 1992. So now that my three daughters are raised, I finally had time to read it.
Talk about mother-daughter bonding! I should have made my kids read it when they were teens, so they wouldn’t complain about my insisting on a half-day hike.
From a writing-style perspective, I find it choppy and hard to follow sometimes. But still nothing can replace the first hand account of their journey literally into the wilderness and, except for the motor on the canoe and all the canned food, roughing it like they would have done in the 1800’s. Some very 1960’s era moments were hard to envision- bringing curlers on such a trip? I was born probably 8 years after these daughters but I never used pink curlers.

It s also the era when being an “outdoorsman” meant hunting and fishing and in their case, trapping. My vegetarian tendencies was not into reading about this, but lucky for me they didn’t do it much, or at least write about it much, although the author was clearly adept at it. I was pleased when the author opted not to shoot a lynx because she realized there was no point by any measure whatsover other than gratuitous killing.
Obviously the author does not want to talk about her ex-husband much, he is mentioned a couple of times, but since he is the father of these girls, I was expecting at least one reference to his being at least interested if not concerned about this expedition (along with the author’s mother and boyfriend). That is really picky I know, but I guess it is just the parent in me. And seeing how the desire of the daughters to visit the father in Alaska is a major theme of the last few chapters, it makes you wonder just what contact they had had with him in the previous ten years. It remains unexplored, pardon the pun.

[Joellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did I live in Alaska in another life? I've read all Connie Helmerick's books, including one by her daughter, "Artic Daughter- A Wilderness Journey". For some reason, I'm drawn to books about people who leave civilization, and build a home and a life from scratch. It's the secret hermit in me.

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing true story about a mother and her 2 teenage daughters who make a trip over 2 consecutive summers to boat all the way from canada through the northwest territories and then to alaska....not something we all are fortunate enough to be able to do..

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constance Helmericks also wrote We Live in Alaska which was published in Boy's Life Magazine 1949. The book forever made an impact on my father's life, prompting him to move our family to Alaska in the 1969. Alaska~what a place!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and it would come back to me periodically. Awesome challenge, obviously experienced and knowledgeable wilderness skills - but wow, to do that with your daughters, and to live through it all...I continue to be in awe.

[Marge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old book that I originally read decades ago. I was pleased to see it's still in print. At the original reading I was blown away by what these women did. It's still pretty amazing.

[Karen Bussey]

I loved this and am trying to find a copy to buy.