The canoeing heritage of two great barrenlands rivers is best recounted in the words of the many paddlers who paused, on the banks of the river, to write a few lines recording their trip and their thoughts. This book offers history and emotion; here is the feeling of the barrenlands canoeing experience. It will also serve as a useful reference for anyone planning, or dreaming of, their own northern trip.

What do Sarah, Duchess of York, former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, canoeing pioneer Eric Morse, the legendary John Hornby, veteran barrenlands travellers George Luste and Alex Hall, CTV newsman Craig Oliver, singer Gordon Lightfoot, writer David Pelly and Japanese solo-tripper Akitoshi Nishimura all have in common? They are all in this book, because they all left notes in a cairn beside one of these Arctic rivers, the Kazan or the Hanbury-Thelon.

David F. Pelly is a seasoned Arctic writer, a modern—day explorer of the North's cultural and historical landscape. He has been travelling, living and writing in the Arctic for more than 40 years. David led his first Arctic expedition in 1977, beginning a northern career spanning the decades since. In addition to his writing, he has worked with biologists and archaeologists in the field, developed and written documentary films, served as co—curator of Inuit art exhibitions, and assisted with numerous community—based cultural projects across Nunavut.

David F. Pelly's profile page