WildernessFellow Blog of Barry Hill

About this blog:

This blog documents my trips while I canoe, portage and camp in central and northern Saskatchewan over periods of four to six months in all types of weather conditions, good as well as bad (forest fire, heavy rain or snow).  Illustrated with photographs and video.  Walleye, pike and lake trout are caught at least twice per week to supplement meals.  Wild edibles are harvested to complement meals each day spring and summer.  Portages usually have to be cut or cleared, especially for my preference of non-documented routes.


About me:
Ever since I was a young boy growing up on a farm in Ontario, I have loved to be outdoors.  Whenever possible I would be out for the day hiking the countryside, harvesting edibles and building a lunch fire.  This carried through into adulthood.  My first canoe was purchased in 1974, a 5m (17') Grumman aluminum that I used until buying a better canoe in 2007, a Clipper fiberglass/Kevlar.  My first trips were shorter ones on rivers in Alberta when we lived in Edmonton.  My love of canoeing though came about when we moved to Saskatoon and I discovered the unlimited bodies of water in central and northern Saskatchewan, where it is said if you canoe your entire life you could not cover it all.  Since 2010 I have been canoeing for four to six months each year.  I am fortunate that my wife Jeanette is supportive and acts as my main contact while I am in the bush, including arranging assistance when I call via satellite phone.  Initially I canoed documented routes, but now I look at topographical maps to plot my next trips, preferring to pick my own paths, cutting portages as required.  Even though it may not be true, it is nice to think I am the first to travel a specific route.

Jeanette

My wife Jeanette, who I owe so much for supporting me on and off my ventures.

I know I do not say it often enough, but thank-you for:

• acceptance of my going wandering for extended periods
• helping me obtain my supplies
• supporting me while I am away
• monitoring forest fires and weather
• arranging transportation if required
• sending weekly texts which are much appreciated
• maintaining home base

Jeanette's response to people asking the question if she worries about me when I am away: "Perhaps I did at first but he kept coming back."

Several times, Jeanette has arranged transportation out for me or advised on avoiding forest fire.  As Jeanette says "We pay to fly you out, not in."

• 2010, Jeanette warned me of a too close forest fire which I was able to flee unassisted.  (When I returned the fire had burned everywhere I had been.)

• 2016, float plane when I got sick from bad water (September 9, Camp 36)
• 2017, float plane when forest fire blocked my route (September 12, Camp 44)
• 2018, motorboat when I developed vertigo (September 21, Camp 39)
• 2019, truck transport when I had to return to my start point (September 21, Camp 28)
• 2020, float plane when I ended the trip early due to bears taking grub and to loss of use of canvas Tent and stove (July 24, Camp 16)

• 2021, I was "rescued" by an outfitter who used his motorboat to assist me up a fast current.  Later he moved me, canoe and all my gear to his lodge where he arranged for a float plane to fly me back to my vehicle.  (Not feeling up to completing a steep two km portage, I had decided to ask Jeanette to call for a plane.  I felt unwell because of forest fire smoke inhalation for many weeks of heat waves.  Also I was somewhat malnourished because a bear had stolen all my butter early in the trip with a loss to my daily intake of 500 calories.)

• 2022, after fleeing one forest fire on the Churchill River, Jeanette warned me of another on my return route.  I waited until she gave me the go-ahead to advance through the area that still had smouldering hotspots which then erupted again after I moved through.

Getting Ready for Next Season

From a collection of photographs by CW Mathers taken in northern Canada between 1893 and 1905.  Portaging is never easy, and I imagine these men were tired and contemplating yet another carry.

Pencil sketch by Jeanette, my wife, 1978.

In addition to updating this blog, revising my checklists, mapping a route, organizing transportation and parking, repairing and replacing gear, and purchasing and packing grub for next season, I try to stay in reasonable shape to be ready to canoe, portage and camp.

Above are two pictures hanging on my wall that I focus on while doing exercises.  Before breakfast every other day, I do 1½ hours of calisthenics and weights plus a ¾ walk of three km; on alternate days a 1½ hour walk of six km.  I have performed some such regimen so long that it has become habit.  As time has progressed, on my body's objection, I have switched from running to walking and alternating type of exercise.

After a walk on 10 February 2019, at home near Calgary.  Temperature was -30℃ with windchill of -42℃.  I am wearing several layers of clothing.  Temperature where I canoed this past season was -37℃ with windchill of -47℃.  A few days ago, northern Saskatchewan had a temperature of -45.7℃, not a record low but darn cold.

The same temperatures and windchill with similar frosty coating tends to occur every year about the same time.

Getting Provisions Ready

The most tedious task of getting provisions ready for next canoe season is that of making bannock mix, illustrated below.  Also shown is the packing of the provisions in barrels and pack.  I typically buy most items in January to be packed in February, finalizing most in March.

**********************

Ingredients for making bannock mix.

Required equipment assembled.

Measured dry ingredients for eight portions of bannock mix.

Dry ingredients mixed using a pastry blender.

Adding "Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening".  Starting for the 2023 season I incorporated butter directly in the bannock to replace shortening.

Shortening cut into the dry mix using the pastry blender.

Progressively aliquoting approximately three cups of bannock mix to eight Ziploc® sandwich bags.

Weighing each of the bags of mix, recording the results on paper.  Based on the total weight divided by eight, the weight per bag is calculated; this batch will be 404 grams per bag.

Bannock mix is then divided into eight portions of equal weight and bags are sealed, expressing as much air as possible.

Each sealed bag is placed into a second Ziploc® sandwich bag for additional protection.  An identifying label is placed into each outer bag; this batch is also labelled "Use First" because some of the ingredients are left over from the previous year.

Completed portions are placed into large freezer Ziploc® bags, four each for further protection.

Wash and clean up.

Tidy up.  Kitchen returned to normal.  I do this over a period of a few days, up to three batches mixed at a time.

Boxes labelled "1", "2", "3" and "4", for aliquots of supplies for a four month (16 week) canoe trip.  Each box contains supplies needed for one month, according to a spreadsheet checklist revised each year as required.  The supplies include food, toiletries, toilet paper, candles, reading and writing material.  The food items are detailed in a menu listing such as the one at: 

http://wildernessfellow.blogspot.com/2020/09/grub-menu-for-2021.html

After all supplies have been assembled, they are packed in three 60 litre barrels.  Because cooking gear and other kitchen gear is stored in the "Kitchen" Barrel it only holds about two weeks worth.  The other two barrels hold about 6 weeks of supplies each.  The remaining two weeks worth is stored in a waterproof bag in a pack to be used in the first month.  Note that the barrels are labelled "K", "2" and "4".  Barrel "3" was taken by a bear in 2020 canoe season so its replacement is barrel "4".  To be added to each barrel yet close to the trip start is Mini Babybel™ cheese.  Butter will be added to two coolers near trip start also.

The Laundry Pail (containing gear) and the two coolers (for butter) are joined by the pack and three barrels in the garage, vacating the family room.  Jeanette accepts temporary storage inside the house, just not for "too" long.

However, now I have placed more gear from the storage room into a spare bedroom to be inspected against the checklist.  Only two packs (with shoulder straps) are carried in the canoe.  The other items are stored in my transport vehicle.

Also in the garage is the remaining gear to be checked against the list.  The smaller duffle bag (under the stove on top) is stored in the vehicle.

Valued Products

3M®:

- Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scour Pad

ACCO Brands:

- Hilroy Blue Exercise Book Interlined, 23.1cm x 18cm, 72 Pages (used as journal books)

AccuTemp®:

- AccuTemp® mechanical timer (available at Canadian Tire Corporation)(was used when baking cinnamon bannock in Dutch oven, no longer done after 2021)

Airdrie Canvas:

- Custom made canvas gun case, sturdy protective material, water-resistant but breathes so no condensation.

- Supplier of Inland Plastics™ tarpaulins (below).

Apex Tool Group:

- Crescent Nicholson® General Purpose Axe File 8"

Aqua-Bound®:

- Edge Paddle (abX carbon/nylon blade, carbon fibre shaft, T-grip, one-piece)

Babybel®:

- Mini Babybel® Original Cheese (stores well if the wax-coated cheese is protected by wrapping in cloth in Ziploc® bag)

Beltek (Huizhou) Foods (imported by Anderson Watts Limited, Canada):

- Mr. Noodles Instant Noodles 85g oriental noodles

Bambaw:

- Stainless Steel Water Bottles with secure screw-on cap, compact, leakproof, lightweight stainless steel.

BIC®:

- BIC® Classic Lighter

- BIC® Ultra Round Stic Grip Ballpoint Pen, Medium 1.2mm, Blue

Blistex®:

- DCT® SPF 20 Lip Balm

Bob's Red Mill®:

- Potato Flakes Instant Mashed Potatoes

Book:

- Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland. Johnson D, Kershaw L, MacKinnon A, Popar J. Lone Pine Publishing, 1995.

Brownline®:

- Weekly Planner

Brunswick®:

- Sardines (I prefer sardines in soy oil (plain label, NOT gold can.) (I use those with the highest level of nutrition based on their content labels: sardines in olive oil, or in lemon sauce, or in soy oil (plain label, NOT gold can), or with hot peppers.)

Buck® Knives:

- Buck® Nobleman™ Stainless Steel Folding Pocket Knife 327SS

Bulk Barn®:

- bulgur, chia seeds, chicken soup base, chickpea flour, cornmeal, ground flax seed, hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts), hulled salted roasted pumpkin seeds, lemon pepper, nutritional yeast, white wheat bran, whole toasted kasha buckwheat, whole wheat couscous.

Calgary Tent & Awning:

- custom-made canvas wall tent, 8'x10'x8'h

Canadian Technical Tape:

- Cantech® Duct Tape Production Grade Poly Coated 48mm x 55m

Canon:

- Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH compact camera

My first camera, purchased in 2007, has served well despite getting dunked at least once when I fell into a lake plus being exposed to my sweat-soaked pocket where I carry it. Still carry as backup starting 2020 and to take video (uses less battery power for video). Replaced by Fujifilm FinePix XP140 compact digital waterproof camera.

Cascade Designs®:

- Platypus® GravityWorks™ 2.0L Water Filter System

- SealLine® Baja™ Dry Bag (5L for Repair Kit; 10L for Fishing Rod, Reel, Lures)

- Therm-a-Rest® Mattress Ultralite 3/4 Length (replaced by other models)

Chiappa® Firearms:

- Chiappa® Firearms Double Badger gun, over/under .22LR rifle/20ga shotgun 

The original Williams peep sight was set too low; had to replace at my expense with a Williams open sight "WDOS, Ruger American 22 magnum, rear firesight, product number 071012. This sight had to have the dovetail base tightened by a gunsmith to stay in place. The real problem is that the front sight is too high and non-adjustable.

Church & Dwight™ Company:

- Arm & Hammer™ Baking Soda 500g

- Arm & Hammer™ Wipes, 53.4x28cm (reusable cloth wipes to wrap meat cans and cheese, and on which to drain fried fish)

Clif® Bar and Company:

- Clif® Builders® protein bars 68g (20g protein) (Crunchy Peanut Butter, Vanilla Almond)

- Clif® Whey Protein Salted Caramel Cashew 56g (14g protein) bar

(difficult to source in large quantities in Canada)(replaced with Daryl's Bars in 2023)

Coleman® (discontinued items):

- 7L Stainless Steel Pot (excellent pot with flat lid; 3L and 1.5L pots nest inside)

- 1.5L Stainless Steel Pot (excellent pot with flat lid; utensils and cup nest inside)

Costco Wholesale® Kirkland Signature™:

- Almonds Dry Roasted Salted 1.13kg

- Bacon Crumbles 567g

- Chia Seeds 1.36kg

- Cinnamon Ground Saigon 303g

- Hemp Hearts 0.907kg

- Basse Pumpkin Seeds Shelled Salted Roasted 1.25kg (Basse through Costco, not Kirkland)

Crocs Inc:

- Crocs™ foam clogs (excellent for bathing in lake or under outdoor shower bag)

Dare Foods:

- Dare RealMint™ scotch mints (no longer used after 2020 due to high sugar content bad for teeth)

Daryl's Bars:

- Cinnamon Honey protein bar 58g (22g protein) (a Canadian product which also ships to the USA)(Unlike many competitor products in the 20g protein range contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and have a healthy low sodium content.)(Started to use in 2023 replacing all other protein bars.)

Eclectic Products:

- Amazing GOOP® Marine (excellent waterproof patching compound)

Energizer® Holdings:

- Energizer® Ultimate Lithium™ Battery AAA and AA (last much longer than alkaline batteries)

Estwing®:

- Camper's Axe Long Handle (all steel axe)

Eugene Cloutier:

- Laurentian Chief Canada Padded Sole Leather Moccasins

Eureka®:

- TL Kananaskis Outfitter 4XT Tent  (A-frame with two vestibules, excellent rain shedder)

Felco®:

- 13RH Pruning Shear (great for cutting branches, brush and trees up to 2cm in diameter)

Fisher Space Pen®:

- PR4 Ballpoint Refill, Parker Style with Adapter (stopped using in 2024 because of ink flow problems)

Fishing Lures:

- EGB, EGB Canada "blinker" spoon model #213 size #4, 1/2oz

- Thompson-Pallister Bait Company, Len Thompson™ "Original" Red & White spoon and Yellow & Black spoon #2, 28g/1oz

- Rapala® Rippin' Rap® RPR06 Firetiger 6cm/2-1/2" 14g/1/2oz

- Mepps Syclops 2 UV Spoon Firetiger and 10 Surfaces blue/silver spoon 17g/5/8oz

- Cotton Cordell Wally Diver Deep Diver Chartreuse/Red-eye CD6106 lure and Chrome/Black CD604 3-1/8",1/2oz

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation:

- Fujifilm FinePix XP140 compact digital waterproof camera

Garmin®:

- eTrex® 10 GPS

Genji Sports™:

- Self Expanded Outdoor Screen Tent (a godsend as a bug tent)

Gold Bond®:

- Medicated Extra Strength Body Powder (excellent foot and bum powder)

Great-West Metal(out of business):

- Air Tight Heater 18" (wood stove) (Sadly this Canadian company closed in 2024 because of material sourcing problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Grohmann Knives®:

- Hunting knife stainless steel with overlap belt sheath (R1SA1, DHRussell design, Canadian design, Canadian made)

GSI Outdoors®:

- 10" Cast Aluminum Dutch Oven with Lid (unbeatable for frying and baking)

- 296mL Glacier Stainless Steel Double Wall Cup

Harmony® Gear:

- Folding Cane Canoe Chair (used as camp chair)(replaced in 2022 by lighter more compact Helinox Incline Festival Chair)

- Harmony Waterproof Barrel 60L

Helinox:

Helinox Incline Festival Chair

Hereford:

- Hereford Canned Corned Beef (no longer used after 2019, switched to just sardines, more nutritious)

The Hershey Company:

- SKOR Toffee Bar (no longer used after 2018 due to chocolate intolerance)

Himalayan (out of business):

- Aqua Pak (excellent canoe pack for food in MEC® Brooks 55L Dry Bag)

Home Hardware:

- Benchmark 24" Bow Saw (all metal)(replaced in 2022 by Silky Big Boy 2000 Professional saw, lighter, more compact, sharper)

Hooligan Gear (out of business):

- Deluxe 110L Canoe Pack (lots of room for clothes and sleep gear) (replaced with waterproof large Bill's Bag)

Idahoan® Foods:

- Idahoan® Original Mashed Potatoes flakes (hard to source 2024, replaced with Bob's Red Mill® potato flakes)

Igloo® coolers:

- Little Playmate® 6qt (discontinued but best style)(or Playmate® Pal 7qt new style) (both with locking handles)

Ikea®:

- JUBLA Stearin Candle 22 mm x 19 cm (to provide lighting in canvas tent; CAREFULLY due to fire hazard in nylon tent)

Inland Plastics™:

- reinforced heavy duty polyethylene tarpaulins (6'x8' for emergency use backpacking, 8'x10' for gear cover and level tent bed, 10'x14' for Tarp shelter and canoe cover)

- lightweight polyethylene clear tarpaulin (for canvas Tent roof cover)

Iridium® (used with Canadian provider Roadpost):

- 9555 Satellite Phone (with headset and spare battery)

JM Smucker:

- Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening

- Purity® Cornmeal (difficult to source 2023, replaced with finer grind Bulk Barn product which I now prefer)

Johnson & Johnson:

- BAND-AID® Brand SKIN-FLEX™ Finger Adhesive Bandages (great for fingertip skin breaks)

- Polysporin® Triple Ointment antibiotic

Julbo®:

- Sherpa Sunglasses with Leather Side-Shields

Klondike Sterling Glove:

- Men's Unlined Pullover Leather Mitt "Klondike, CA 05444, RN 125609" (discontinued?)

Kontoor™ Brands Inc:

- Wrangler® Rustler® jeans 100% cotton

Kraft Heinz:

- Kraft Deluxe Original Cheddar Pasta & Sauce 400g

- Kraft StoveTop Stuffing Mix Turkey 120g

- Magic Baking Powder 500g

- Kraft Parmesan Grated Cheese 680g

Lakefish Net & Twine:

- Blue Multi-Braided Polypropylene Sideline Twine 3.1mm

Lansky Sharpeners:

- Lansky Tactical Blademedic® Sharpener (excellent sharpener, especially for filleting knives)

Leatherman®:

- Super Tool® 300 (multitool including pliers, knife, sawblade)

Level Six:

-Helium Canoe Yoke Pad

LifeStraw®:

- LifeStraw® Original (water filtration) (Use 600mL Rubbermaid plastic bottle 7F74 to drink from and to store LifeStraw®.)

Lush:

- Shampoo Bar (used for all-over-body soap)(Use "Honey" bar which has minimal scent and no chunky ingredients.)

Luxspire:

- Luxspire Bike Casual Crossbody Messenger Bag (used as a writing bag to hold journal, calendar and associated gear)

Maple Leaf®:

- Holiday® Luncheon Canned Meat, 340g (no longer used after 2019, switched to just sardines, more nutritious)

Mark's:

- Denver Hayes shirt, long-sleeved, button-up, point collar, light cotton/polyester, size XL

- WindRiver T-Max® HEAT™ Socks

- WindRiver shirt, long-sleeved, button-up, point collar, heavy cotton, size XL

- WindRiver fleece black mitt with Thinsulate™ insulation

Mars Wrigley:

- Excel® (Eclipse® in USA) sugar-free gum Spearmint flavour

MAYZERO™:

- MAYZERO™ Water Shoes Fluorescent Green (I use as wading shoes. Soles and insoles have drainage holes that hasten drying. Wear neoprene socks inside shoe to help protect feet and insulate against cold.) (The shoes are low top but would prefer high top to help protect ankles and to help keep them more secure on my foot; so far I have not found good high top wading shoes.)

McCormick Canada, Club House®:

- Club House® La Grille® Montreal Steak™ Spice (used to season fish fillets and meat)

- Club House® Lemon & Pepper Seasoning (used to season sauteed fried fish and pine mushrooms)

MEC®:

- Brooks Dry Bag, 55L

- Pack Rat Mesh Stuff Sacks 15L and 25L

- 100L Odyssey Duffle Bag with Pack Straps (discontinued)(excellent pack for gear such as Canvas Tent, nylon tent, tools, fishing gear, etc)

- clothing: nylon anorak windbreaker, light polyester balaclava, heavy polyester balaclava,  neoprene face mask/nose cover, polyester neck gaiter, polyester fleece gloves,  heavy polyester fleece pants, wool scarf, heavy polyester fleece sweater, two acrylic toques (one for sleepwear), light weight polyester long underwear top and bottoms, heavy weight polyester fleece long underwear top and bottoms, neoprene socks (for wading).

- 40L Day Pack

- Aquanator XL rain jacket

- Marmot Men's PreCip Eco Full Zip Pants XL

- Trail HT Waist Pack

- MEC Deluxe Pillow 5046-842 (inflatable to any degree preferred, Large 300x485x120mm 168g, compresses to 7”x4” diameter).

Mondelez® International:

- Cadbury® Dairy Milk™ Chocolate Bar (no longer used after 2018 due to chocolate intolerance)

Natural Resources Canada:

- National Topographic System Maps 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 (free online)(See my "Some Favourite Websites" for instructions on accessing the Natural Resources Canada website.)

North Water:

- North Water Quick Haul Harness (to pack barrels)

Novaflex® Group, Z-Flex® Venting Systems:

Z-Vent Special Gas Vent Single Wall 3" stainless pipe (for stove, 19" cut to 17" to fit 3 pipes inside stove)

NRS:

- NRS 65L Bills Bag Dry Bag Blue (used as Personal Gear pack)

- NRS 110L Heavy-Duty Bills Bag Red (used as Clothes Gear pack)

O'Keeffe's®:

- Working Hands Hand Cream (light daily application around fingernails to help prevent split skin)

The Old Boathouse YYC (canoe and kayak repair and restoration):

(Jeff McDougall does excellent work, repairing my canoe purchased new in 2007.)

Onsight Equipment™:

- Onsight™ Bug Headnet (worn over top of wide brim Tilley hat; indispensable; I carry three to have backup.)

Outbound (out of business):

- 90L Dry Bag (excellent for clothes and sleep gear storage inside large canoe pack)

Pedifix® Medical Footcare:

- Pedifix® Visco-GEL® Toe Spacers

Petzl®:

- Headlamp (I carry two to have backup.)

Pilot Corporation:

- Pilot Mechanical Pencil

Pflueger:

- Pflueger President Spinning Reel PRESSP35X

PlumbShop®:

- PS6161 Toilet Plunger (plastic, removable handle)(used as clothes wash plunger)

Premium Nutrition®:

- Premium Protein Bar Variety Pack (72g, 30g protein) (no longer available in Canada, not recommended - not tasty)

Primus®:

- Primus® 3L Campfire Pot Stainless Steel

Proctor & Gamble™:

- Tide® Powder Laundry Detergent for Coldwater (used for laundry and dishes)

Pure Protein®:

- Pure Protein® Protein Bars (50g, 20g protein) (difficult to source in quantity for the flavours wanted, replaced with Daryl's Bars in 2023)

Raber Glove:

- Men's Unlined Pullover Chopper Mitt Genuine Cowhide 342 (excellent for hand protection for rough use and hot ware)

Rapala VMC Corporation®:

- Rapala® Fish Pro Fillet Knife

- Rapala® Magnum Spinning Rod 4 piece 7' MG20SP70M4 (The top section of rod broke in the first year 2020 and the warranty-replaced section broke on the first fish in 2021. No longer use or recommend this rod. Use Shakespeare® Ugly Stik® GX2™ Pack Rod.)

Reader's Digest:

- Reader's Digest Magazine

Recreational Barrel Works:

- 60 L Recreational Barrel Works Barrel

Savage® Arms:

- Savage over/under .22LR rifle/20ga shotgun (Purchased used in 1973 and in-use until 2019, damaged iron sights from too many rough portages. Replaced with a Chiappa gun.)

SC Johnson:

- Pledge® MultiSurface Every Day Cleaner Wipes (for glasses, camera, binoculars)

- Ziploc® bags (sandwich, medium freezer, large freezer)

Sabre® Frontiersman:

- Bear spray canister 225g (If no retainer for the trigger guard loosely tie to the handle with a piece of Kevlar® cord or fine wire so it will not be lost when unclipped. I would only press the trigger in bursts rather than release the entire contents at once so as to have some backup.)

- Sabre® Frontiersman bear spray holster has no retaining flap so is not safe to use. (Use the Seattle Sports holster instead which has flap and is of superior heavier material.)

Seattle Sports:

- Solar Camp Shower 2.5 gal (works best to add heated water)

- Outfitter Class Pack Sink (foldable square plastic basin)

- Bear spray holster for 225g canister Velcro strap closure

Shakespeare®:

- Ugly Stik® GX2™ Pack Rod (very sturdy, almost unbreakable tip)

Silky:

Silky Big Boy 2000 Professional saw

SmartforLife®:

- SmartforLife® Low Sugar Protein Bars (50g, 20g protein) (difficult to source in quantity in Canada)(replaced with superior Daryl's Bars in 2023)

SPOT™:

- SPOT™ Personal Tracker/Satellite GPS Messenger (I still use the first generation device; there are also second, third and fourth generation devices.)

Stanfield's®:

- Cotton Long Underwear, Top and Bottom (for sleep wear) (replaced with MEC® polyester/polypropylene long underwear which do not retain moisture)

Starfrit:

- Lock & Lock Classic Containers (waterproof for electronic equipment storage)

Stewart Manufacturing:

- The Speedy Stitcher® Sewing Awl (indispensable for repairing heavy material)

Studio Ray, Gerry brand (out of business):

- Gerry Down Sleeping Bag (Mine was purchased in 1970 and although patched still very functional.)

- Gerry Down Jacket (stuffed into a flannel pillowcase as camp pillow)

Suunto®:

- MC-2/G/6400 Compass

Swix:

- Swix Snow Thermometer -30C to +50C

Tilley® Endurables:

- T4 Cotton Duck Hat (discontinued)

- TO54 Organic Cotton/Hemp Hat) (similar to above but discontinued)

- T4MO-1 Hiker's Hat (similar to above) (I carry two Tilley® hats to have backup.)

- TW2 Wool Winter Hat (discontinued; new similar TWF1 Montana Fedora)

Timex:

- Ironman Essential watch (one in Writing Bag, one in Utility Belt Bag)

Vaseline®:

- Petroleum Jelly 50g Tube (for lips at night, zippers)

- Petroleum Jelly 375g Tub (for fire starter cotton balls)

Vasque® (2025, now owned by Red Wing Shoe® Company):

- St Elias Full-Grain Leather Gore-Tex Hiking Boot with Velcro sole (Possibly the best boots I have ever used, not too heavy yet sturdy. Thank goodness Vasque® has survived under Red Wing Shoe® Company!)

The Vitec Group Plc:

- Lowepro® Tahoe CS20 camera case (perfect size for digital compact cameras)

Western Canoeing Manufacturing, Clipper Canoes:

- Clipper Prospector 17' Kevlar®/Duraflex® Canoe (with built-in contoured yoke)(The two longer thwarts became unriveted and had to be fastened with stainless steel bolts/locking nuts. The rear aluminum thwart bent so much from simply leaning against it to solo paddle that it has been replaced with an ash thwart.)

World Kitchen:

- Snapware® Containers (waterproof for electronic equipment storage)

Things learned …

Patience.
If stormbound, wait it out.

Stamina.
Whether canoeing, hiking or portaging, one paddle stroke or one step at a time gets the job done.  Stick with it.

Caution.
When canoeing rapids, scout them first.  Walk down the length of the rapids if necessary.  Portage, wade or line if not sure.

Gratitude.
Be thankful for what you have, where you are, how you got there, why you are there, who has helped prepare for the journey.

Boldness.
Take a chance.  The route may get you where you want to go.

Learning never ends.
I am always thinking of better ways to do things, seeing new things or seeing things in a new light.

Exploring and discovery.
Enjoy it.  What is around the next bend or over the next hill?

Make mistakes
… but learn from them.

Things not to do … ever.  (See separate list.)

Use the correct tools.
The best tools have multiple uses.

Cleanliness.
Just because I am in the bush does not mean I can be a slob.

Maintenance.
Maintained gear works better and lasts longer.

Appreciation
… of the important things – family and friends, good water and food, clean dry clothes and bedding, shelter (from bugs, sun, rain, snow, wind, cold, heat), useful tools, health, beautiful natural surroundings.

Neatness and organization.
Everything in its place, every time.  (There is no store around the corner.)

Innovation.
Figure out a way to fix something or to do something.

Persistence.
Do not give up.  Keep looking for that portage or the best spot to create a new trail.

Tolerance
for … bugs, getting wet, dirty and cold, portages, missing a meal, frustration, scratches, bumps, bruises and other owies.  Suck it up.  C’est la vie.

Problem solving.
There is always a way to solve a problem, but make sure there really is a problem.  Remember that solving a problem may create another.

Finish important chores.
Make sure important chores get done before bedtime. (By tomorrow rain can make it more difficult or unpleasant to find dry tinder and kindling or to erect tarp shelter).

Prioritization.
Figure out priorities before starting tasks.  Be willing to change priorities if required.  (Do important items first even if the most difficult.)

Preparedness.
Above all, be prepared – planning, updated checklists and menus, adequate gear, researched knowledge, notifying contacts.  Think about what ifs so you are ready if they occur – getting lost, losing gear, tipping canoe, bear or moose encounter.
“Pay attention to where you are.  Take care of yourself.  Slow.  Down.”
From Meredith Vuchnich, torontolife.com, September 23, 2015

But ... do not overplan.
"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes conditions perfect."
From Alan Cohen (1950 - )

Don’t ever, ever, EVER do this ...

Place hands or feet where you cannot see.

Step "on" something you can step over.

Step "over" something you can step around.

Eject a failed gun cartridge (a "hang fire") before 60 seconds.  (Make sure to continue to point firearm in a safe direction.)

Attempt a rapid without scouting.

Approach a bear, wolf or cougar kill without scouting first.

Continue walking with an uncomfortable foot that might indicate a blister forming.  (Remove boot and sock to check.)

Jump from rock to rock when crossing or lining a waterway.  (Wade, establishing a firm footing.)

Continue working or hiking if over-tired.  (That is when accidents happen.)

Get over-dehydrated.

Swear "bad" words.  (I use "Aie", or "Aie, aie, aie" if a really bad situation.)

Underestimate the strength of the current above a rapids.  (Better to wade and line the canoe farther to be certain.)

Limb a tree with the axe on the near side of your foot.

Leave a campfire burning in winter time.  (It may burn into humus and create a bog fire or a forest fire in spring.)

Assume a camp or stove fire is going well.  (Do not leave until fire is well established.)

Let a camp or stove fire die too low before adding wood.  (The best time to add wood is when the fire is going well.)

Run from a bear, cougar, wolf or dog.  (This prompts chase.)  Stand tall, arms outstretched, stick or axe in hand if available.  Yell for the animal to stop, then talk gently and back slowly away if possible.  In the case of a moose, it may be okay to run if there is a safe place to shelter.

Assume an animal is dead.

Blow up an air mattress while chewing gum.

Say no to rain.  (Rain is always better than forest fire.)

Rely on an object outside the canoe to hang on to when entering or leaving canoe.  (Instead, grab the painter rope that is firmly tethered to a tree or rock.)

Fell an overhanging tree after tent is erected.  (Check before putting up tent. Move tent if already up.)

Pour used shortening directly on flames. (Instead pour to the side and then rake some embers into it.)

Continually check the time of day.  (This is a city trait.  There is no value in checking the time while working, travelling or doing chores ... when there is still a job to finish.  If it means a late meal or a late camp, so be it.)

Step in or out of canoe while carrying anything.  (The canoe may shift and cause you to trip and fall!  Hence my severed shoulder tendon in 2022.)  (Place gear in or out of canoe before stepping over gunwale.)

Leave packs and bags open, even a little bit.  (Ants, mice, spiders or snakes may enter to seek shelter.  I have had hundreds of ants enter packs stored on the ground moving innumerable numbers of pupae and larvae.  A mother mouse once moved her family into a pack, or they were born there.  Mosquitoes will hide in a pack that is carried into then opened in a tent.)

Give up … ever.

Some Favourite Quotes

"[I'm so hungry I] could eat a jackass stuffed with fireworks."

anonymous (1854), Hunt's Yachting Magazine, 1854

"Everyone is an explorer.  How could you possibly live your life looking at a door and not open it?"

Ballard, Robert D (1942 - )

"There are only three bad spots on a portage ... the beginning, the middle and the end."

Beymer, Robert (1949 - )

"And remember ... wherever you go ... there you are."

Buddha, Confucius … and Buckaroo Banzai

"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.  Beginning makes conditions perfect."
Cohen, Alan (1950 - )

"Ah, but I was so much older then

I’m younger than that now"

Dylan, Bob (From: My Back Pages, 1964)

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference."

Frost, Robert (From: The Road Not Taken, 1916)

"... whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy ... and when you've done it there's always something else to do."

"... there are a hundred things one has to know.  ... signs, and sayings ... and dodges and tricks you practise, all simple enough when you know them, but they've got to be known ... or you'll find yourself in trouble."
Grahame, Kenneth (From: The Wind In The Willows, 1908)


"And the black flies, the little black flies
Always the black fly, no matter where you go
I'll die with the black fly a-picking my bones"
Hemsworth, Wade (From: The Blackfly Song, 1949)


"Memories hold me till I go canoeing again ... the glowing embers of an early morning fire, the smell of autumn leaves, the wolf that stared at me while I stared back, the large bear that peered at me in my tent from the doorway, the rain that soaked me through on a long hike from camp."
Hill, Barry (From: Journal, May 2014)


"Exploring remote areas is nourishment for body and soul."

"I find it impossible to look at a map of remote areas and not dream."
Hill, Barry (From: Journal, August 2009)


"Wilderness ... sound without noise."
Hill, Barry (From: Journal, September 2009)


"I cannot help but feel I am walking with ghosts of past time adventurers. [at an old cabin site]"
Hill, Barry (From: Journal, July 2018)


"You just have to make the best of it."
Hill, Patricia (1920 - 2011), (my mother)


"Ride a wild horse
 against the sky
 hold tight to his wings
before you die
 whatever else you leave undone —
once ride a wild horse
 into the sun."
Kahn, Hannah (1911 - 1988) (From: Ride a Wild Horse)


"I gotta go somewhere
 I gotta go
 Wastin' time standin' here
 I gotta go"
Keen, Robert Earl (From: I Gotta Go, 2011)


"Only by stopping long enough to observe our surroundings can we bring shape and meaning to our lives.  This is peace.  I love this peace."
Kenison, Katrina (1958 - ) (From: Make Room for Peace)


"Something hidden. Go and find it.
Go and look behind the Ranges --
Something lost behind the Ranges.
Lost and waiting for you. Go!"
Kipling, Rudyard (1865 - 1936) (From: The Explorer)


"[After a wilderness trip ...]
You're relieved, calmed, satisfied.  You wonder where, if anywhere, this may lead.  But feelings tend to be unresolved.  You undertook the journey because the idea occurred to you, but you aren't sure why you had the idea in the first place.  Afterwards, you get the idea to do another trip.  That doesn't resolve anything either.  But it feels like you're going in the right direction."
Kobaleko, Jerry (From: Explore Magazine, winter 2012)


"Solitude is aloneness you choose and embrace.  …great things can come out of solitude, out of going to a place where all is quiet except the beating of your heart."
Laskas, Jeanne Marie (From: The Washington Post Magazine, 1998)


"Anyone who says they like portaging is either a liar or crazy, or both."

"… portaging is like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer: it feels so good when you stop."
Mason, Bill (1929 - 1988)


"... when ... Manitou, finished laying down this river, perfect in all details, He added the mosquito to remind man that no paradise comes free ..."

"... Manitou gave this river everything, ... when that was done He said 'Now I will keep man from becoming arrogant', ... and He threw in the mosquito."
Michener, James A (From: Chesapeake, 1978)


"Where am I going? I don't quite know.
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.
Where am I going? I don't quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know."
Milne AA (From: Spring Morning, 1924)


"I love to go a-wandering
My knapsack on my back
... may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die."
Moller, Friedrich-Wilhelm (From: The Happy Wanderer, 1946)


"The sun shines not on us but in us.  The rivers flow not past, but through us.  Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.  The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song ... in the heart of ... [wilderness] ... is our song, our very own, and sings our love."
Muir, John (1838 – 1914)


"May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft ...
... until we meet again."
old Irish (Celtic, Gaelic) blessing (From: May The Road Rise Up)


"The freshness, the freedom, the farness--
O God! how I’m stuck on it all.
There's a land--oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back--and I will.
It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace."
Service, Robert (From: The Spell of the Yukon, 1907)


"Oh, it was wild and weird and wan, and ever in camp o' nights
We would watch and watch the silver dance of the mystic Northern Lights.
And soft they danced from the Polar sky and swept in primrose haze;
And swift they pranced with their silver feet, and pierced with a blinding blaze.
They danced a cotillion in the sky; they were rose and silver shod;
It was not good for the eyes of man--'twas a sight for the eyes of God."
Service, Robert (From: The Ballad Of The Northern Lights, 1909)


"Light up your pipe again, old chum, and sit awhile with me;
I've got to watch the bannock bake -- how restful is the air!
(That bannock's raising nicely, pal; just jab it with your knife.)
Fine specimens of manhood they would reckon us out there.
It's the tracking and the packing and the poling in the sun;
It's the sleeping in the open, it's the rugged, unfaked food;
It's the snow-shoe and the paddle, and the campfire and the gun,
And when I think of what I was, I know that it is good.
Ah, yes, it's good! I'll bet that there's no doctor like the Wild:
(Just turn that bannock over there; it's getting nicely brown.)
(Just turn that bannock over there, that's propped against the log.)
Heigh ho! I'm tired; the bannock's cooked; it's time we both turned in.
The morning mist is coral-kissed, the morning sky is gold.
The camp-fire's a confessional -- what funny yarns we spin!"
Service, Robert (From: While The Bannock Bakes, 1912)


"All that glitters is not gold.  All who wander are not lost."
Tolkien, JRR (From: The Lord of the Rings, 1954)


"Pay attention to where you are. Take care of yourself. Slow. Down."
Vuchnich, Meredith (2015)

More Favourite Quotes

"If you think one small thing can't make a difference, you've never spent a night with a mosquito."

anonymous, African proverb

"Good judgment comes from experience, and experience – well, that comes from poor judgment."

attributed to many writers

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."

"Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical."

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

"You can observe a lot by watching."

"It gets late early out there."

"It's pretty far, but it doesn't seem like it."

"You give 100% in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough in the second half you give what's left."

"Yeah, but we're making great time!"  (In reply to "I think we're lost.")

"What time is it? You mean now?"

"We made too many wrong mistakes."

"The future ain't what it used to be."

"If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be."

Berra, Yogi (1925 - 2015)

"I can't say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days."

Boone, Daniel (1734 - 1820)

"A superior [outdoorsman] uses his superior judgement to avoid situations that require the use of his superior skill."

Borman, Frank (From: Flying Lessons, Federal Aviation Administration, 8 January 2008)

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

Buber, Martin (From: The Legend of the Baal-Shem, 1905)

"What keeps you safe: Experience, preparation, equipment and luck"

Callahan, Steven (From: Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, 1986)

"He who suffers remembers."

Cicero, Marcus Tullius, attributed to (106 BC – 43 BC)

"No matter what happens to me in my life, I've always got the bush and that's like having a friend you can rely on forever."

Courtenay, Bryce (From: Four Fires, 2001)

"I was just thinking how proud I am of this river."

"... loons called from so far away ... their voices floated along like they were right next to the canoe, echoing one way, then back ... a call so sad it would fly through the air straight to your heart."

"There [are] seasons in your life when things [happen], and they never [happen] quite that way again.  There [is] no way you [can] ever bring them back ... [You] write things down or [keep found items]. ... [You] save things in your heart, even if they [cannot] be written. ... the hand that held the pencil [grows] old and stiff, but you [always have] what you [can] keep in your heart."

"Fine evening.  Fine river.  Fine world.  Life worth living."

"On a wet day build a big fire."

Davidson, James W and Rugge, John (From: Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure, 1988)

"I lay for a long time listening to the small noises of the night and in the drowsy exhaustion of a hard day's work allowed the happiness of a silent and forgotten land to come over me."
Downes, PG (From: Sleeping Island, 1943)

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other."

Elliot, Walter (1842 - 1928)

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

Frost, Robert (1874 - 1963)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 

But I have promises to keep, 

And miles to go before I sleep."

Frost, Robert (From: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, 1922)

"And ... remember ... the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK."

"How can I tell why I'm going?  I could never tell you why. ... what the Eskimos call a 'journey in pursuit of itself'."

"Always stay and eat while you are traveling ... A man may face anything on a full stomach.  He's perhaps the toughest animal on earth."

"It is comforting to know that some very old and very simple ways of getting from one place to another still work."

Fulghum, Robert (From: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, 1986)

"If you break your neck ... then you got a problem.  Everything else is inconvenience.  Life is inconvenient.  Life IS lumpy.  Learn to separate the inconveniences from the real problems."

[Learn] "... about the power of keeping your mouth shut and your eyes open."

"Uh-oh is ... a philosophy.  It says to expect the unexpected, and also expect to be able to deal with it as it happens ..."

"The way OUT is IN."  "Every exit is an entrance."

"What is the minimum daily adult requirement?" "... care must be taken in choosing what is essential and what is not.  The packing ... becomes focused on economy, efficiency, and well-being.  I think in elevated terms.  Water.  Fire.  Shelter.  Food.  Protection from wind, rain, heat, cold.  First aid.  Knife.  And tools to find  my way - compass and map.  The quality of the trip depends a great deal upon what I can live without."

"The Hudson's Bay Start"  "(Camp the first night close to the starting point.  This allows gear and supplies to be sorted so that if anything is forgotten it is easy to return to fetch it.)"

Fulghum, Robert (From: Uh-Oh, 1991)

"... find a way, or make one."

Hannibal, attributed to (247 BC – 183 or 181 BC)

"Paring down to the essentials brings home what really matters."

Hill, Barry (From: journal, August 2008)

"As the sun moves, so do I ..." [to keep in the shade on a hot day in camp]

Hill, Barry (From: journal, August 2018)

"Take care of little things and you'll do the big things right."

Hill, Barry (From: journal, July 2010)

"Men ... overestimate the life of clothing ... underestimate the cost."

Hill, Barry (From: journal, June 2012)

"Wisdom and caution increase with age.  So does the need to do so."

Hill, Barry (From: journal, May 2012)

"Don't be discouraged, ... It gets much worse."  [talking about lining the canoe and portaging] 

Horwood, Harold (From: White Eskimo, 1972)

"Do not take life too seriously.  You will never get out of it alive."

Hubbard, Elbert (1856 - 1915)

"The water lapped slowly against the bank, like a slow and lazy pulsebeat.  A dozing lake.  Not much different from an old man sleeping in sunshine.  Just enough breathing to keep alive.  A good place.  A good place."

"... he leaned forward and lightly touched the palm of his hand on the surface of the water.  Tell me, he said silently, said inside his mind."  "... a good place.  He pushed his fingers into the water and wiggled them, paused, let his eyes scan the lake.  Forty feet away ... the water roiled, quivered like a muscle."  "A very good place."

"I forgot what day it was ..."  "You walk far enough, you walk out of where one day ends and another one takes up ..."

Kay, Terry (From: The Valley of Light, 2001)

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it."

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small.  A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

Lao Tzu (601 BC - ?)

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

"I've always believed that the canoe is so important that there would be no Canadian history [without it] - no canoe, no Canada."

MacGregor, Roy (1948 - )

"... look ahead no more than four or five steps.  It helps in long distance; breaking it into small, doable pieces ... you can handle."  "... focus on what's in front ..."  "the finish line will come ..."

Martin, Charles (From: The Mountain Between Us, 2010)

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

"I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost."

"Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem."

"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen."

"Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits ..."

"And by and by [he] came to the end of things, and he was silent, and he sat there, looking out over the world, just wishing it wouldn't stop."

"'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'  ‘Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought."

"'What day is it?' ... 'It's today' ... 'My favorite day' ..."

"They're funny things, Accidents.  You never have them till you're having them."

Milne, AA (From: Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926)

"Going to the woods is going home."

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."

"As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing ... and get as near the heart of the world as I can".

"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks."

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."

"Wander a whole summer if you can ... time will not be taken from the sum of your life.  Instead of shortening, it will definitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.”

"Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you."

Muir, John (1838 – 1914)

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

Paige, Leroy Robert "Satchel" (1906 – 1982)

"... I was whistling and singing as I proceeded northward into a stiff headwind.  Paradoxically perhaps, I find that being alone in the wilderness calms the soul and excites the senses."

"I am always surprised at how unreliable or selective memory is.  There always seems to be a general tendency to remember events in a more positive light."

Pohl, Herb (From: The Lure of Faraway Places: Reflections on Wilderness and Solitude, 2007)

"I used to think that going light and roughing it was the thing to do.  ... but I find that the good woodsman ... takes what he needs to live comfortably, making use of what comes to hand wherever he is.  No need to be uncomfortable just because you are camping."

"To be sure we have seen a lot of the north country, but if we lived a hundred years longer we would not have time to visit the thousands of lakes, big and little.  So when we travel we are adventurers exploring new territory, never being sure what we will find."

"I ... learned from ... experience that a long portage is often the safest and shortest way home."

"... listening to the 'voices of the rapids'.  In the everchanging sounds of falling water you can hear ... the pealing of church bells and deep-throated organ music, the songs of the north country, the voices of men and the laughter of children.  You can hear the roar of the north winds and the whisper of a summer night breeze in the pine tops.  Sometimes when the wind changes the sound fades and the music of fiddles will come clear and sweet.  And I have heard the wild booming of Indian drums echoing in the hills."

"... security and happiness are one and the same thing.  On a stormy night when the trees thrash in the high winds that claw at the eaves, I sit listening to the murmuring of the fire in the ... stove, at peace with myself and the world.  Give me food to keep me strong, wood to keep me warm, good friends to talk to me, fine books to read, and I have all I need."

Rowlands, John J (From: Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods, 1947)

"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can.  And just when you think it can't get any better, it can."

Sparks, Nicholas (From: At First Sight, 2005)

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path ... ."

Strode, Muriel (1875–1964)

"... you can't always get what you want ... but ... sometimes you ... get what you need."

The Rolling Stones (From: You Can't Always Get What You Want, 1969)

"There is nothing like looking [for better shelter], if you want to find something ....  You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after."

"All was well, until one day they met a thunderstorm - more than a thunderstorm, a thunder-battle.  You know how terrific a really big thunderstorm can be down in the land and in a river-valley; especially at times when two great thunderstorms meet and clash.  More terrible still are thunder and lightning ... at night, when storms come up from East and West and make war.  The lightning splinters on the peaks, and rocks shiver, and great crashes split the air and go rolling and tumbling into every ... hollow; and the darkness is filled with overwhelming noise and sudden light."  "Then came a wind and a rain, and the wind whipped the rain and the hail about in every direction, so that an overhanging rock was no protection at all."

"Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway."

Tolkien, JRR (From: The Hobbit, 1937)

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Tom Hanks (in: A League of Their Own, 1992) (screenplay by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, story by Kim Wilson & Kelly Candaele)

"Well, come on, we're burnin' daylight."

Wayne, John and others (From: The Cowboys, 1972)

"... there was something else here that was not anywhere else.  It was an enormous stillness that made you feel still.  And when you were still, you could feel great stillness coming closer.  All the little sounds ... [of nature] could not touch the enormous silence of this [wilderness]."

Wilder, Laura Ingalls (From: By the Shores of Silver Lake, 1939)

"Mosquitoes remind us that we are not as high up in the food chain as we think."

Wilson, Thomas Francis (1959 - )

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."

"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."

"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot."

Wright, Steven Alexander (1955 - )

"... we need to move beyond our comfort zones, whatever they might be.  When we are surrounded by safety and the known, it's just natural for us to be not our largest selves."

York, Alissa (1970 - )