True North: Exploring the great Canadian wilderness by bush plane

by George Erickson

In this beautifully written and keenly observed travel narrative, bush pilot/environmentalist George Erickson takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through some of the remotest and sparsely populated landscapes on the planet. Flying solo in his Piper Cub seaplane across the vast northern wilderness of Canada and the United States, the author travels to Hudson Bay, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska, to the Yukon, the Arctic Sea and back south across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to his home in northern Minnesota. Eschewing the comforts of civilized life and armed with only a few bare essentials, Erickson captures the exhilarating thrill of roughing it through adverse weather conditions (he almost loses his life twice), as well as evoking the sheer romance of adventuring in the high north. As he says, "And though solo travel has its hazards, what good are dreams if we lack the courage to follow?" While the author variously sets down on unexplored lakes, lights campfires, and makes fishing lures to catch his suppers, he shares with us a considerable knowledge of science, history and literature that enrich this exquisite travelogue. Replete with scientific observation, entertaining anecdotes, and uncanny insights, Erickson's unique journey will appeal to both armchair travelers and flying enthusiasts alike. Indeed, many of the places visited are so distant that very few Canadians will ever experience them first-hand. This is travel writing at its very best.

Genres: Aviation, Canada, Nonfiction

306 pages, Hardcover

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.