This Water Goes North

by Dennis Weidemann

From the tranquil farmland waters of Minnesota to the treacherous wilderness rapids of Manitoba, four young men in two old canoes experience an adventure that every kid talks about, but few take. With leaky tents, little experience, and no TV cameras or big-time sponsors, the lads set out in 1979 to paddle 1,400 miles north to Hudson Bay. Why? Why not! Driven by a youthful sense of adventure, they took the chance of a lifetime just to see what lay around the next turn. Sit in their canoe as they glide through smooth waters and survive rushing rivers. Experience with them the desolation of true wilderness and go on humorous escapades with local characters. With graceful storytelling, Dennis Weidemann weaves this richly diverse tale of near disasters, splendid sunsets, bootleggers, Mounties, polar bears, and the indomitable spirit of youth. Share the dream that still lives, and that will surely inspire others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jarod Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Water Goes North is about four friends who find themselves wanting to travel the rivers and lakes from Minnesota to Hudson Bay. The men are just out of high school within the last year or two when they agree to go on a journey with their buddies before it's too late and they are involved in life's story line. Each day through the journey they stop at different settlements along the river and get brought in like family to many willing families. Each night through the rivers brings something new to learn and something new to get around. The men found amusement and hardships, but they capture a life goal each will never forget. They set out with only so much money and by the end they had spent their final dollars. But luck is on their side, just like throughout the story. I would give this book 5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and it kept me reading. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for an adventure book or someone who likes the outdoors and a detailed story. It is a relatively easy read and goes very quick but it's worth it 100%.

[Kendra Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly funny. More so because I know the adventurers themselves, one of them is my father.
Anyone who enjoys going on an adventure for the sake of just going would love this book. A true real-life story that captures the reader in its tale.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1979 four Iowa boys head out on a canoe trip from
Minnesota to Hudson Bay in Canada taking two months plus.
I cannot figure out why this book was in the Y oung Adult section.

[Sean Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "This Water Goes North" almost immediately after returning from a similar trip (from Minneapolis suburbs to Hudson Bay) back in 2008. Dennis has a knack for describing typical hardships that come with wilderness adventure in a humorous enough fashion that makes one overlook the misery. Despite the fact that this trip began in a different location and included three other paddlers, while mine was with one other, the similarities between our experience was fascinating.

In the last year I have written and released a book which chronicles my own journey, and Dennis's gravitating writing style no doubt had an impact in my book's development. This book, and humbly mine :), are required reading for those who have read Eric Sevareid's "Canoeing with the Cree," or any self-proclaimed outdoors enthusiast!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story of 4 college friends who decide to canoe the Red River from Minnesota, which flows north to the Hudson Bay in Manitoba in 1979. The twist is that these young men have no sponsors, no support crew, but two old canoes and old camping equipment. Nothing fancy or high tech at all. Their adventures include the usual camping & canoeing challenges of weather, food, exhaustion and the beauty of the wilderness, along with the camaraderie of the people they meet along the way.

Fun read!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about these four guys from Iowa (I grew up in Iowa) and their adventures. So many trips today are aided by top of the line equipment and GPS, which makes what these guys accomplish,!quite a feat!
Dennis recalls the physical, mental challenges as well as describing the landscape perfectly!!

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features four young men who set out to canoe from Minnesota to Canada’s Hudson Bay. I was pleasantly surprised to find connections to many places familiar to me—Otter Tail Lake, MN; Fargo, ND; Sioux City, IA; and Remsen, IA are all mentioned in this book. I enjoyed the adventurous spirit that is present on every page.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of 4 young men from Ohio who can to York Factory

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story of 4 young men canoeing from Iowa to the Hudson Bay a distance of 1400 miles in just under 3 months.

[Deb]

Love the Iowa connection!!

[Kaylee Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! I found myself finishing it in one sitting. It’s informative but humorous and endearing. I’d say it reads like fiction. The description of the geography is terrific.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book I finished a few days before leaving island. Loved it, but wasn’t as exciting of an adventure as I had expected it to be. Very quick read

[Rich Eggleston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yellowstone National Park is an awesome place, and Rocky Barker's "Scorched Earth: How the Fires of Yellowstone Changed America" is an awesome book. I discovered it through Facebook, where I renewed an acquaintance with Barker that dates back to the days when he was editor of the Rhinelander Daily News.

Rocky is now an environmental writer for the Idaho Statesman, and he had a first-row seat for the forest fires that burned more than a million acres in Yellowstone and environs in 1988.

But his story starts long before that, and tells the story of Yellowstone, the world's first national park, and efforts to exploit it and preserve it. Not surprisingly, The Great Northern Railroad wanted to exploit Yellowstone and make it a Disneyland type theme park.

But more surprisingly, Civil War general Philip Sheridan, the Indian fighter, wanted to preserve it. Sheridan was joined by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Gifford Pinchot and many others who weren't always tugging together but helped create Yellowstone and the other national parks we have today.

The book did more than explain forest fires and how they fit into the ecosystem. For me, it put the history of the conservation movement into perspective for me. I promptly ordered a copy for friends who are visiting Yellowstone. The book made me want to go out West again.

[Barner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiedemannm, the author of this memoir/travelogue, spoke at the libray in Perham. I did not hear him, but an enthusiastic friend gave me his copy of the book to read. Writing of a canoe trip he and three friends took 30 years ago, the author weaves a wonderful tale of courage, humor, heorism, and basic adventure recounting the travels of the group of four as they put in their canoes near Fergus Falls, MN and travel for two months, 11 days to the Hudson Bay!!!! Hank told me I would be impressed with the writing and I am. It is full of humor and wonderful fresh figures of speech and a candid, innocent approach to the world. This is a great book for an adventurer of any type, for any lover of the outdoors, for anyone who just enjoys people and their exploits.

I actually had tears in my eyes as they reached the end of their journey. Such nice young men, so foolhardy and so good! They survive all kinds of hardships and the reader learns and survives also.

The color photographs are fun. And the fact that after 30 years, he puts together this story by recalling memories and reading his old journal and the journals of his friends is remarkable.

Going on a canoe trip? Read this book!!!

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This water goes north is a non-fiction account of the author, Dennis Weidemann, and three friends all fresh out of high school, and their journey from their homes in Minnesota to Hudson's Bay via canoe. Written years later, the Weidemann and friends, all in their late teens when story takes place in the late 1970s are looking for an adventure before adulthood prevents it.
I really enjoyed this book. It moves quickly and despite being easy to read, Weidemann doesn't fear of waxing poetic on the beauty of nature or the human condition. Although hours spend paddling in a canoe seems like mundane fair, Weidemann's account of their adversity and the untamed beauty of the Canadian wild north, make his a captivating read. He even includes a section of period snapshots for the reader to enjoy.
There was little I didn't enjoy about this book. The final pages are dedicated to letters from those the group encountered on their journey, which is far less interesting than their six-week voyage itself. Overall, I'd give this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes canoeing, adventure or just being outside in nature.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not great literature but I totally enjoyed the story of four college aged Iowans canoeing from Minnesota to Hudson Bay back in 1979.
I ended up tracking the trip using an Atlas (I can't believe they did not include maps of the trip in the book). Probably self published and a bit on the gee whiz side of style, but authentic and fun. I had read the story of a similar trip by Eric Sevaraid in the 1930s so comparing the two was interesting. Nice pictures.

I was an avid canoeist in my youth and spend a number of summers on canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota so their adventures evoked many memories.

[Mary Fahnlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This group of four 20-somethings paddled from west central Minnesota to Hudson Bay during the summer of 1979 with whatever gear they could pull together and a very strong spirit of adventure. Dennis decides to tell their story all these years later which allowed him the time to reflect and appreciate their accomplishment that much more. Very fun read for people who live along the route these guys traveled but also for anyone who might actually want to do something similar. Reads like an adventure novel.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Reading about the adventures they had. The cold and wet and long hours of rowing their canoes. Not knowing what to expect ahead in the water or on land. All the interesting people they met along the way was fascinating.

This book was June's book club selection. Since this book wasn't available through the library in audio format I read it. With trips to the lake and ball games I made time to read. I usually have too many other projects or chores to work on to sit and read.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the 30's two high school boys paddled from the Twin Cities to Hudson Bay and memorialized the trip in Canoeing With the Cree, the book by which I measure other canoeing adventure books. This one compares quite favorably. In 1979 four Iowa young men conducted a similar trip. The story starts in Ames IA, a town with which I am very familiar, adding to my connection. Weidemann has an effective voice, striking the balance between humor and descriptive detail.

[Ben Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read about 4 college kids from the 70's who take a similar route as in Canoeing with the Cree. A fun book with interesting characters and stories. Unfortunately the author seems to be the least interesting of the four... Writing is not great either, but point of book is to tell a fun adventure and it does that.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only crazy college kids feeling immortal could pull this adventure off. I only wish my friends and I had thought of it. Beginning in western Minnesota they canoed as far toward Hudson Bay as possible, conquering every water condition imaginable, cheering dragonflies who crunched giant mosquitoes, and making lifelong friends along the way.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of young men from near where I live did this trip last year. I had no idea about Dennis' story, but ran into him in a "booth" at a small-town art fair in Northern Minnesota. Really glad that I did as the book was quite well written and conveyed an interesting story. Well done. I am glad I stopped by.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about 4 young men who embark on a canoe trip up the Red River to Hudson Bay. Dennis Weidemann has a way with words and does such a wonderful job of describing people and places. It is an easy, fun, and informative read. It was extra interesting for me because I went to college with one of the 4, but it would've been a good book even if I hadn't.

[Florence Primrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1979 four college boys decided to canoe from Minnesota, north on the Red River, through Lake Winnipeg to Hudson Bay. Without much preparation they braved the wilderness and had wonderful experiences with people they met along the way. This was a once in a lifetime trip--one people would say "I would have liked to do that!"

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an Iowan, I recognize the type of young men in this book, they remind me of my son and the adventures he had. The book is funny, interesting,and very real. I am glad it had a happy ending. It so easily could have been a tragedy. But life cannot be totally safe and still be lived,.

[Lisa]

I enjoyed reading this book as a way to live vicariously through other's adventures. It reminded me of all the things I wanted to do once and made me start to wonder if I might still attempt some of them.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story of four Iowa boys in the seventies taking a canoe trip from Minnesota to Hudson Bay. It certainly is an adventure which this Mid-west kid can relate to. It's well-written, educational, and very entertaining. A+

[Todd Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars because I love canoeing and I am from Iowa just like this group of four guys who paddled the Red River to Hudson Day. Makes me regret not doing more non-traditional things during my college years.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd like this book when it was chosen by book club but I LOVED it! Totally unprepared but helped by many kind folks along the way, these guys were so lucky they made it. Reminder of how we are all so lucky to make it into adulthood.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read for any canoe enthusiast.