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Northern Wilderness: Bushcraft of the Far North

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Northern Wilderness is a stunning celebration of one of earth's great wildernesses. Ray Mears journeys on foot, by canoe and by snowshoe through mountains, forests, tundra and ice in a land where roads are still scarce.
He explores the vast Boreal Forest and its rich animal life, and travels across the Hudson Bay by canoe, telling the story of the fur trappers who traded with the hat manufacturers of England. Ray follows the paths of the great early northern explorers, Samuel Hearne and David Thompson, who survived through their knowledge of what we now call bushcraft, as they trekked across the tundra and the Rocky Mountains. He explores the frozen north and learns the ways of the Inuit, who teach him how to combat snow blindness and build shelter.
This book is rich in bushcraft, as Ray explains the unique survival techniques of the Native Canadians and the Inuit, as well as how the prospectors in the gold rush used bushcraft skills to survive in this inhospitable but awesome landscape.

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

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Ray Mears

42 books58 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Clinton.
52 reviews
December 5, 2017
Really enjoyed this book, maybe because we just finished a cross-Canada tour and this helped fill in so many of the great pieces of history. I really enjoy how Ray Mears states his favourite explorers etc.. but then goes into just enough detail to share WHY.. their history.. their accomplishments and their challenges. It was like ongoing cole notes on great Canadian history, bushcraft, and exploring...
Profile Image for goodreads.
37 reviews
October 21, 2013
Yup. Ray is as Ray does. Survival stories of the men who shaped Canada with survival tips thrown in and lots of talk of beaver! Could do with a bit more Ray though, at times it seems to run out of steam when listing names and dates. Worth a read though, big print, could be done in an hour or so.

Quality toilet reading right here!
Profile Image for V+V MERCURII.
40 reviews6 followers
August 31, 2018
Ray Mears telling true adventure stories about people surviving the Canadian northern wilderness. Some remarkable people have lived there.

Many of the histories are very interesting, and if you've enjoyed other books by Ray, like I have, then you're going to like this one too.

Still, sometimes it sounds like a by-product of a tv series rather than a real book.
Profile Image for Bart Verdeyen (cafeaulivre on Youtube).
111 reviews77 followers
January 8, 2014
An inspirational quest for the madmen and heroes who sought and fought the wilderness and thencold. It reads like an afventure novel, more than a historical book and I felt like a seven-year boy again, following in their footsteps.
Profile Image for Lorraine.
146 reviews2 followers
July 27, 2012
this was a well written fascinating book that I read in a day.."unputdownable"
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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