Deep Woods, Wild Waters: A Memoir

by Douglas Wood

Wait , young Douglas’s grandfather says as the bobber twitches on the surface of Little Lake. Be patient . And so begins an encounter with the promise and wonder of nature that will last a lifetime. Deep Woods, Wild Waters traces the winding path that carried Douglas Wood from one wonder to the next, through a landscape of rocks, woods, and waters, with stops along the way for questions and reflections that link human nature to the larger mysteries of the natural world. Like life itself, the author’s way is not linear. One landmark leads back to a favorite campsite, another prompts him to consider the “gospel of rocks,” another launches him into the wilderness beyond the stars—a contemplation of time and space and humanity’s place in all of it. The creator of thirty-four books, including the classic Old Turtle , and an expert woodsman and wilderness canoe guide, Wood brings all his storytelling and bushwhacking skills to bear as he takes us hurtling down wild rapids, crossing stormy lakes, or simply navigating the treacherous currents and twisty trails of everyday life.  A warm, generous, and knowing guide, Wood maps a journey that, as he says, “anyone can take, through a landscape anyone can know.” Turning the pages, hiking the portages, running the rapids, or scanning the wild country from high promontory, he invites us to say, in a soul-satisfying moment of recognition, “I know that place.” 

Genres: Nature, Memoir, Nonfiction

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 1997

About the author

Composer, recording artist, wilderness guide, and self-taught naturalist-Douglas Wood is perhaps most widely known as the highly acclaimed author of OLD TURTLE, a 1993 ABBY Award winner and an International Reading Association Book of the Year. Author of several books for readers of all ages, Douglas says he is always seeking themes that are universally significant to both children and adults. His first book for Candlewick Press, GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH-winner of the Christopher Medal for "affirming the highest value of the human spirit"-quietly explores the theme of grief and healing while celebrating a human connection to the natural world and the enduring spirit of love. Douglas Wood kept in mind someone very special to his own life when writing GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH. "I feel I've been getting ready to write this book all my life, for it is about my wise and gentle hero, my Grandad. It's a prayer and a thank you, a walk in the woods, and a remembering smile; and it is for anyone who has ever had a woods to walk, a prayer to whisper, a hero to love."


Douglas Wood lives with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Lynda Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not just a memoir, it’s a love letter to nature. Following the author on his journeys through life and his canoe expeditions on the lakes and rivers of the Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and parts of Canada was a joy. I first found Douglas Wood on Facebook and enjoyed his writing so much there that I decided to buy this book. I’m so glad I did and eagerly await his next one.

[Nancy Backas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thoughtful, thoroughly spiritual meditation on spending time in the wilderness, on family relationships, on memories of childhood and voyaging in the north country so completely touched my heart that I couldn't read it fast. It took me 6 months to finish, only because I wanted to savor every chapter, many of which I read twice. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

[Anne Nerison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wood has written an absolutely lovely collection of essays about the outdoors. His voice comes across so clear and consistent, and the love, respect, and admiration he has for the wilderness is so apparent. So, too, does he show his love for family, mentors, and friends. The essays are at once philosophical and wholly down to earth, a fine line that Wood balances well. He evokes the wilderness marvelously, making me want to gather a group of friends, track down a few canoes, and hit the water.

The essays seem to be in a rough chronological order, and we start with his granddad teaching him to fish on a small pond and the oh-so-exciting trips up north as a boy. Then we move on to his realization that he needed to spend time in the wilderness to really be happy, and after finding success with Old Turtle, being able to buy their cabin on the Mississippi. We hear of more paddle trips and more adventures; learn about his connection with Sigurd Olson, the legendary Minnesotan conservationist; get heart-warming tales of teaching his own sons to fish; and learn how he was able to get their own cabin on Rainy Lake.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the humor that infuses many essays. While the subject matter can be serious at times, Wood always finds a bright side, and sometimes cracks a joke about it. Other times, it's just his regular dry humor and dad jokes that lightens every essay.

Regardless of why you read nature writing, anyone who loves Minnesota's wild places will find something to enjoy here.

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Loved it! Beautiful essays on the personal love of nature built and lived through experiences small and large. Especially appreciated the personal relationships that grounded the naturalist longings. I would call it a humanist natural view of life. Am planning to give this book to numerous loved ones. The essays are short and each one gives a lot to ponder. Told in such a way that one can relate his own personal experiences to the stories and vignettes related. My first exposure to the author. I plan to look for other of his books. Recommend highly.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. His descriptions are so dead-on to my own experiences in the wilderness and some of his deep thoughts and questions had my up late thinking them over. This book is one of my new favorites and I can't wait to read it again more slowly a second time and really take time to consider some of the passages.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read portions of this fine essay collection around a campfire in the BWCA and at night in my tent. Well done. A longer review is up at www.cloquetriverpress.com.
Peace.
Mark

[Dioscita · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is typically the kind of book that gets me going and makes me happiest: memoirs by outdoorsy people are literally my most favorite books to read. So I tried really, really hard to like this one. Which I was SURE I'd love because I even know and have been to so many of the places Wood writes about. Still, I found myself skimming, then skipping, then just putting the thing down. Zzzzz. Alas. I gave it all the chances I could.

[Luke Koran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The North Country is a siren. Who can resist her song?

"As I sat in that lovely spot and observed the [red squirrel] above me I thought, 'Someday, I want to live where you live.'"

"Life has a different flavor here. It is reduced to simpler terms."

"[I have] a feeling of finally being near the path I was supposed to walk, the place I was supposed to be."

"I somehow felt a part of it all, felt as if I had traveled a very long way to arrive at someplace that felt like... home."

[Kira Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. The author does an amazing job of letting you feel nature through the words on the pages. He provides wisdom through his experiences, and they HIT. It gave me a new perspective on life and the way I live it. Highly recommend, especially if you have a love for the outdoors and have any whitewater experience.

[Bernadette Puleo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read that speaks to my heart and spirit. If you love nature and ponder the nature of our humanity and our place on this earth and the universe, this is the book for you. I need to read this book again and again.

[JoyGenea Schumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy the outdoors and the adventures that come with hanging out with Mother Nature. This book reminds me of those adventures and to go out and create more. Douglas Wood tells such a good story, I can’t help but to loose track of time, just for a little while.

[Keith Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any nature lover needs to read this book. Author shows the importance of all trees, rocks, flowers, etc. in the woods. He tells the importance and needs for everyone to take time with nature and breath in all the beauty.

[Henry Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review of the author's like as connected to the Boundary Waters.

[Patty Stephens]

Perfect essays that give everyone an insightful look at Northern life and its stark beauty and truths!

[Paula Hencke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the journey through this book. I love nature, and the way Woods tells a story, takes you there.

[Steve Voiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new canoe travel book full of tales and memories, ruminations and philosophizing. Doug Wood has writing mostly for children (see the classic Old Turtle, and more), but this work for adults shares with us the adventures he has encountered and a canoe guide, a fisherman, and wilderness adventurer and a family man.

You may have read similar books, but his one is sure to please. Read it and be glad you did.

Doug is a children's author, and song writer and troubadour, a canoe guide and the president of Listening Point Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy of Sigurd Olson, famed nature writer and conservationist and past president of the National Park Association, The Wilderness Society.

Watch for a more thorough review in the 2017 fall newsletter from Listening Point Foundation. (http://listeningpointfoundation.org/)