foreword by Colton Witte
Hennepin County Library paperback 208 pages
genre: Non-fiction memoir
I have known Sean for a few years; I taught at a different school in district 112 and had met him at some meetings. I didn't connect the teacher to the teenager I had read about in the Star Tribune years earlier! Having read Sevareid's Canoeing with the Cree, I appreciated these young men being inspired by it and following through on their idea to recreate a canoe trip from the Twin Cities to the Hudson Bay.
The writing was engaging and I loved having the photos in the back to look at periodically, to see their chronicle of the trip. I wish the book had included clearer maps, though.
Page 19 - Colton's humor comes through early and often. ". . . we turned the corner and they were out of sight. Suddenly, all was silent. We were alone. 'And here is where we hid our trolling motor,' Colton joked." I don't know Colton Witte, but he seems to have an amazing personality!
Page 33 - "There was no real reason for checking our location, other than to interrupt the monotony and to emotionally confirm progress. If we knew where we were, then we could calculate how fast we were traveling, and more importantly, how far we would get in that day. Apparently, boredom makes arithmetic fun for even the most mediocre of math students. We used enough algebraic equations that it seemed only fair we should have received some type of grade bump on our high school transcripts."That could be a bumper sticker: "Apparently, boredom makes arithmetic fun." Or maybe not.
Page 49 - "While environmental advocacy would have surely benefited our finances, it added a complex element to a trip whose crux was something simple: a boyhood dream." I love this! Recognizing that the purpose was to fulfill a dream - in today's world, I think that simple focus is lovely.
Page 61 - "Many strangers went out of their way to lend a helping hand. I became certain that there was not a better way to learn about small-town America than a canoe journey through its core." This is also quite lovely - seeing the positives in people and in life instead of just the ugly side of things.
Page 98 - When their parents connect with them near Winnipeg and they got into the vehicle, Colton's mom exclaimed, "Whew! Let's get you two into a shower!" Again, Colton's sense of humor shone through when he said, "Gladly. Sean stinks!" Of course, they were both pungent with all the exertion and no shower in almost a week. I can only imagine what they smelled like by the time they got to Hudson Bay!
Page 172 - When Sean talks about Minnesotans and being passive-aggressive, it makes me think of a new T-shirt design I saw recently from Tom Foolery. I don't really think much about this phenomenon, having lived here all my life. When he describes how the stress started affecting him and his friend, I had to think about how most people would handle it. How would I handle it? I didn't realize / remember that Sevareid and Port had fought at this point in their trip. (Perhaps I need to re-read Canoeing with the Cree!) This would be a wonderful discussion book - planning, persistence, learning by experience, . . .I'm glad this made it on to our summer reading list! I may reflect on it during our BWCA trip next month.
No comments:
Post a Comment