On May 4, 1919, Charlie Cook set off for a year of adventure in the
Minnesota-Ontario Boundary Waters. Soon abandoned by his comfort-loving
companion, the restless World War I veteran spent an enlightening year
learning--often the hard way--how to paddle and sail on windy lakes,
hunt and fish for food, bake "rough delicacies" in a reflector oven, and
build winter-proof shelters. His how-to descriptions of trapping beaver,
mink, and other game are unsurpassed in their detail.
Cook also found his way into the border community of Ojibwe and
mixed-blood families and a motley assortment of mysterious travelers,
game wardens, and loners, including trapper Bill Berglund (who "adopted"
Cook until the tenderfoot's eagerness to harvest pelts came between
them).
Cook's adventure climaxed in a 700-mile expedition by dogsled north into
Canada, where he reached the limits of his endurance--and just barely
lived to tell the tale.
For anyone who loves the Boundary Waters or wonders what this rugged
region was like not so long ago, Cook's story reveals a world still
ruled by nature but on the brink of change.