CLIVE CUSSLER says about Back to the Barrens: …a wonderful book – a remarkable and adventurous flight.
“Back to the Barrens” is the sequel to George Erickson’s best seller, “True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane,” which was widely praised.
A review of “True North” by Bob Merrick of Canadian Flight follows:
Want to learn about Canada?
Let this wise American tell you.
York Factory. Baker Lake. Chantrey Inlet. Reliance. Fort Simpson. Norman Wells. Coppermine. These and many more, are remote Canadian locales visited by George Erickson, a retired American dentist, pilot, history buff and resourceful outdoorsman. How did he get there? In his 90 horsepower Piper PA-11, the transition model between the J-3 Cub and the Super Cub. His is equipped with long-range fuel tanks, but is otherwise a stock Cub; one he calls the Tundra Cub.Who went with him? Well, no one.
Starting from Ely, Minnesota, where he finished about three weeks later, he relates the journey in a fascinating book called True North. And what a book it is. Is it a mere travelogue? Lord, no. It's an entertaining romp through the north, through history, through science, through astronomy, through exploration, through many interests and activities; a romp with something for everyone.
Erickson's interests are broad, and this was not his first trip to Canada's north. Thus he tells stories not only from this voyage, but from earlier trips as well. And he does it with skill, style and panache. Flashbacks are nicely handled and the reader is never in any doubt about whether he or she is reading about events of this trip; one of Erickson's own earlier voyages of discovery; or of something such as the ill-fated Franklin expedition. Erickson's knowledge of early Canadian exploration is deep, and he shares it generously and well.
Erickson's philosophy is best summed up by poet Robert Bums, who wrote, - If there be life after death, he lies in bliss; If not, he made the most of this.
True North is the story of a man and an airplane who combined to make the most of this. It is a joyous voyage of discovery through time and space, providing fascinating glimpses of Canada, aeronautics, exploration and history all wrapped up in one entertaining, readable book written with humility and humor by a pilot with the capacity to dream, and the ability to make the dream come true. This one should be in every pilot's library and in every school library as well.
True North was published by Thomas Allen Publishers, Toronto, Ont. Tel.: 416-361-0233
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Further “True North” Reviews:
Chicago Tribune - Erickson is the spiritual descendant of the great explorers he writes about. A brave adventurer in his own right… he can also weave a good story.
Minneapolis Star Tribune - “An incredible summer of adventure.”
Toronto Globe and Mail - “There are moments in True North when one suspects that Erickson made his wish [for omniscience] and it was granted.”
Canadian Flight - “…an entertaining romp through the north, astronomy and exploration... an entertaining, readable book written with humility and humor by a pilot with the capacity to dream, and the ability to make the dream come true.”
Outdoor Canada - “One of the top ten outdoor books of the year.”
The Humanist - Darwin, Diamonds, Death and Deceit – True North has them all!
The Oregonian - “True North brims with revelation, humor and downright fun reading… with lessons in astronomy, physics, geology, history, religion, biology and survival.”
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EAA Sport Pilot Magazine
18pp • APRIL 2008
Flight in the Far North
In Back to the Barrens George Erickson, author of True
North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane, returns
to the far north in search of new sights and stories
to tell. Back to the Barrens provides a tour of the north,
of aeronautics, science, mythology, and history in a book
written with humor. Camp with the author on a fogbound
Hudson Bay island, stroll through caribou herds,
and visit the Arctic Circle. The 328-page book includes
a 24-page color photo section and route maps. Order at
800-938-1114 or visit www.HancockHouse.com.
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Seaplane Pilots Association’s Water Flying magazine
May/June 2008 issue, pg 8
Review by Mark Twombly
Retired dentist and adventurer pilot George Erickson has followed up his first wilderness flying book, True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane, with a new non-fiction work titled Back to the Barrens.
The new book traces a journey from Erickson’s home in northern Minnesota to the Arctic Circle. According to publisher Hancock House, the author “flies his readers into the far north on a magic carpet called the Tundra Cub II. On this journey through a remote region of North America, Erickson introduces readers to an area that is home to unique wildlife, great history, and hardy people.”
The book is 328 pages, has a 24-page color photo section, a bibliography and has maps throughout that illustrate the route taken. It sells for $18.00 including postage, and Erickson donates all of his profits to educational charities including the Young Eagles. To order, visit the publisher’s web site at www.hancockhouse.com.
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Review by Bob Merrick - Retired air force fighter-navigator
Canadian Aircraft Owners and Pilots magazine
2008
Want to know about Canada’s North, read this American’s book(s)
Some of you have already read George Erickson, the philosopher, author, retired dentist and pilot, who wrote True North, which described his solo odyssey through Canada’s north in his Tundra Cub. The voyage took him to places that most Canadians have never heard of, much less seen. True North was a gripping account of that journey.
Since then, he has completed several more odysseys that serve as the foundation for the sequel, Back to the Barrens: On the Wing with da Vinci and friends. Is it more “same old, same old?” No, it is not. For one thing, the route through Canada is different, bringing new experiences and new memories for inclusion in this book. Even the aircraft is different.
“Aha,” you’re thinking, “Old George has finally gone modern, using the latest advances in technology to help him navigate his way through terrain that is barely removed from being ‘unexplored’.” Well, George has done no such a thing.
In his words, “The Tundra Cub II is a primitive but very reliable airplane. It has no starter, generator or battery, which adds to my useful load. Its Spartan panel bears a lonely quintet of instruments: an airspeed indicator, a tachometer and an altimeter – three instruments that experienced non-instrument pilots largely ignore because their eyes and ears supply approximations of the data those three provide.
“Add to these an oil pressure and temperature gauge that wise pilots monitor because the earliest signs of engine trouble are often revealed in lower than normal oil pressure and/or higher than normal engine temperatures.
“The Cub also sports a venturi-powered gyro horizon. Were it up to me, I wouldn’t have one, but it came with the plane, so there it stays, ready to help me get safely down through an overcast if I ever become so foolish as to fly ‘on top’ without abundant breaks in the clouds.”
This, then, was the aircraft that was to take him from his home in Minnesota through many of the “quelques arpents de neige” that Canada was reputed to be when early explorers first started looking for the shortest route to the Orient, and many would say that it hasn’t changed very much in the intervening centuries.
Did this faze Erickson? Not really. He had a route mapped out, but none of it was particularly time-critical. Thus, he was free to go where the spirit – and his plans - moved him, stop to ponder elements of wildlife that he spotted en route, pursue archeological treasures, take pictures, and generally amass adventures worth putting into a book.
And what a book it is. Erickson is a skilled, self-reliant pilot, adept at overcoming difficulties. He is also a skilled observer, quick to see things, quick to describe things, and a great photographer who enriches his books with fifty artistic pictures that bring remote areas of Canada to your very doorstep.
Is the book all aviation? Not by a long shot. Erickson includes a generous dollop of aviation lore that takes the reader back to an earlier era of simpler aircraft, primitive navigation and air traffic systems, and the old way of doing things, which will dazzle younger readers who perhaps never heard of such shenanigans.
Erickson is a man of many interests, many of which are so lucidly explained that the reader comes away with a better understanding of agriculture, diamond mining, animal husbandry and other issues that are important in the North – and his 40 summers of visiting Canada’s North qualify him to mentor most Canadians.
Back to the Barrens is a fascinating mélange of mining lore, contemporary and long-ago customs of other civilizations, and ours as well; religions, and not just the big R religions that claim that they alone have all of the answers. These topics and others are treated with great respect, and the reader comes away with a renewed appreciation for the beliefs of other cultures, and perhaps some doubt regarding the certianty of the “mainstream” religions.
Where did he go on this excursion through Canada? Starting in Minnesota, he flew to Gillam and Churchill, MB, thence to Marble Island, Baker Lake, and Q Lake, all in Nunavut.
People ask, “Why is it called Q Lake?” The answer lies in one of Erickson’s photos that shows an almost perfectly round lake with a stream running from it that looks a lot like this Q, only more colorful.
From Q Lake, he explored Warden’s Grove on the Thelon River, Fort Enterprise, Yellowknife and Fort McMurray, a routing that gave him the opportunity to describe the open-pit tar sands project without pontificating on the morality of such a thing. “Some would call it a moonscape,” says Erickson, “but it’s no different from any other open pit operation – you remove what’s in the way to get at what you need.” He then provides a terse-but-informative description of how oil is extracted from sand, which ends with a warning that the supply is finite, and that we should be doing more about alternative fuels.
From Fort McMurray, Erickson flew to Ennaidi Lake, to Chipewyan Lake, to Lake Winnipeg, then turned for home to cap off a magnificent voyage.
Back to the Barrens should be read from start to finish, but if you prefer to read books in no particular order, this one will suit you, too. In each section, there are little snippets within the voyage that are worth pondering.
Erickson, an author with a broad range of interests, has mastered the art of stitching them together to create an engrossing narrative that carries readers through Canada, including its history, geography and many other disciplines.
Non-aviators often ask pilots, especially amateur aviators, “Why do you fly?” Back to the Barrens provides a thousand and one good reasons for “slipping the surly bonds of Earth.” In a sense, Erickson is at one with Columbus, Magellan and others who expanded our knowledge of the world and mused on what it means.
Fortunately, Back to the Barrens is not an expensive “coffee-table” book, being available in stores for only $17.95. If you can’t find it in a nearby emporium, check the publisher’s website at: www.hancockhouse.com, or email at: sales@hancockhouse.com. ISBN: 978-0-88839-642-6. The author’s website is http://www.voyageurcountry.com/htmls/areawriters/GeorgeE.html
Bob Merrick is a retired air force fighter-navigator with a lifelong interest in aviation safety.
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Review by Dennis Griebenow
The Humanist Magazine
July/August 2008, 44, 45 pp
Those who have read George Erickson’s bestseller -True North: Exploring the Great Wilderness by Bush Plane- will know what to expect from his sequel – another exciting adventure in the far north from an experienced bush pilot with an inquiring, freethinking mind.
Like True North, Erickson’s latest is much more than a travel book. It’s an adventure and wildlife-filled tale that extends from Minnesota to the Arctic Circle via the author’s plane, the Tundra Cub.
Written in response to pleas for a sequel, Back to the Barrens offers a tour of both the outer terrain and of the author’s inquiries and thought processes. The plight of the polar bears and the shrinking ice pack bring concerns of global warming to mind. While walking through caribou herds, Erickson describes the beliefs of the Inuit and Chipewyan natives whose lives depended on la foule (the throng). When he visits an Inuit cultural center, he reflects respectfully on their religion and customs. The author takes pains to include a website and toll-free phone number he finds posted all across Canada for the use of those who were abused in church-run schools (abuses so disturbing that eight natives committed suicide rather than accept a subpoena that would require them to detail the abuses). Always on the side of the natives, Erickson describes entire communities that were forced to relocate when the rising waters above newly built hydroelectric dams eroded the shorelines and washed a flood of mercury into their lakes, making fish inedible.
Erickson is a master of digression. His campfire prompts a tale about the discovery of phosphorus, the element that ‘enlivens’ the tips of our matches. The night sky evokes myths from around the world about the Milky Way. Calculating distance leads to thoughts on the history of numbers. He knows about whales – from half-ton belugas to the big, blue giants with hearts as big as a Volkswagen Beetle and who we are pushing toward extinction. Black flies bring memories of Ernest Thompson Seton, the arctic explorer who pronounced his hatred for all flies, had no use for personal gods, and founded the precursor of the Boy Scouts, later ‘stolen’ from him by Baden Powell.
Wondering what he’d do with a big pile of wishes, Erickson resurrects Leonardo da Vinci (who predicted that humans would fly) and takes him flying, then launches Newton on an ‘equal and opposite’ ride on a space shuttle.
Back to the Barrens is infused with the author’s personality and values, which are deeply humanistic. His appreciation of natural wonders, his passion for science and learning, and his disgust with stupidity and cruelty all come through in this superbly written book. Also included is a section containing some fifty full-color photographs, one of which Erickson describes capturing:
-Where the stream nears the lake, it tumbles down a four-foot cascade, spreading quivering bubbles across a yard-wide pool, coalescing into larger, multi-lobed spheres until they burst or are carried away to the lake. Standing spread-legged over the rafted bubbles like s small Colossus of Rhodes, I bend low for a closer look at the quivering, lens-like orbs, each one reflecting my image back to me-
George Erickson is also the author of -Time Traveling with Science and the Saints, a summary of nineteen centuries of Christian hostility to science,- and is a former board member of the American Humanist Association. |
