Distant Fires: Duluth to Hudson Bay

by Scott D. Anderson, Les C. Kouba (Illustrations)

"The waves on Lake Superior nearly splattered them all over the cliffs, and mosquitoes almost ate them alive in the Boundary Waters. Halfway through the three-month trip, they buried their underwear. But who needs underwear when you’re 22 years old and living out the adventure of a boyhood dream?" — St. Paul Pioneer Press

" Distant Fires , a true-life adventure, describes a 1,700-mile canoe trip from Duluth to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Anderson and a companion retraced the paddles taken by Eric Sevareid and a companion almost sixty years earlier. Their trials and tribulations, plus Anderson’s sense of humor, make the trip fun in book form. Pen-and-ink illustrations are by noted Minnesota wildlife artist Les Kouba." — Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Distant Fires is a voyage of discovery. Scott Anderson is an inquisitive traveler, and when he sees something that piques his interest, he stops for a chat. He also has a marvelous eye for the natural world that surrounds him in his summerlong journey. He is a natural-born writer." — Duluth News Tribune

"Some of [Anderson’s] phrasing is very happy ‘the resting place of the rivers.’ I wish I had written that." —Eric Sevareid

Genres: Travel, Adventure, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Scott Anderson is an F-16 Air Defense Pilot with the Minnesota Air National Guard. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and History from Standford University.

Reviews

[Lisa Kearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Distant Fires is a fast read, but an enjoyable one. Scott Anderson and his friend Steve Baker spend several months during the summer of 1987 in a canoe, following the path of two of their explorer heroes - Walter Port and Eric Sevareid, who wrote Canoeing with the Cree. The latter two men made a voyage from Lake Superior up through Canada to Hudson bay in 1930 (I'm reading that book now and am really enjoying it!). Anderson and his friend did their best to exactly duplicate this trip, down to details like carrying their canoe from their front door in Duluth Minnesota to the lake several miles away.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the upbeat writing style. Even recounting miserable nights spent in sleeping bags in frigid rain, Anderson adds a little humor and understatement to the story. A similar book I read recently got bogged down in the difficult parts, which changed the whole mood of the book. I liked that they were broke college kids and didn't have the best and latest in wilderness gear or food. I enjoyed the way they interacted with American, Canadian and Native locals along the way. I wish I'd had adventures like theirs when I was a carefree 20 year old!

The book is full of the things you'd expect of a river adventure in Canada - mosquitoes and blackflies, portaging through swamps and around rapids, getting lost on the wrong branches of rivers, and sightings of moose, caribou and large fish. But Anderson adds a magical touch to his story when he tells of nights that they saw the Aurora Borealis, and about the spray from the falls and the mass hatching of Mayflies/Fishflies they paddled through.

This is a really great book that I'm sure any outdoorsy person will enjoy.

[Katherine Nistler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got done being a staff member for the annual Scott Anderson Leadership Forum (SALF) held in Duluth every summer. It was an amazing experience for students to come and be leaders and adventurers just like Scott Anderson. This book was funny, insightful, full of fun facts, and also bittersweet knowing he had passed at such a young age. When I read parts like “... I think someday I’ll come back here” it pulled at my heart strings a little. I live in Duluth, love to canoe and have lived in MN all my life so maybe I am a bit biased, but I thought this book was really great and an easy read!

[Tim Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book in the early 90's. Inspired by the adventurousness of the young author and his canoeing partner, I thoroughly loved it. Re-reading twenty some years later tempered that enthusiasm a bit, though I still found it interesting and an enjoyable read. Recommended for boundary waters and North Shore enthusiasts. A side note: the author was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1999.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy adventure, and the outdoors, and have a sense of humor, you will love this book. The way Scott tells a story will make you want to read and reread. I like to take a copy of the book on my trips to the BWCA. Around the fire, pages are shared and wonderful conversation quickly follows. The message at the end is universal. I love this book!

[Tom Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Anderson writes with humor and is self-effacing with the hardships that he and Steve went through to accomplish this trip. I have read many accounts of canoeing adventures including the Sevareid account and this ranks up there.

[Tyler Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, alright. Kind of slow at times.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story kept me glued the entire time

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! A recreation of the Canoeing with the Cree route.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had forgotten that I'd read this book. I was in eighth grade. I used to keep a book journal. Here is what I, as a thirteen-year-old, wrote about reading this book:

"My father bought Distant Fires for me but read it first. He liked it because 1.) It was about canoeing and 2.) It was witty. Scott Anderson and "Steve" were on a really long canoe trip from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean. It was funny! All the tribulations in this trip were retold in a humorous way. Scott Anderson put things so eloquently. Hudson's Bay was "the resting place of the rivers". Oh, and I thought this was original at the time: Life is the pursuit, not the capture."

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book by the author but none the less it is a very entertaining read. What is lacking in experience, Scott Anderson more then makes up for with his first hand knowledge of this adventure. My family has been going to the North Shore of Lake Superior since I was young and there is something magical and spiritual about the great lakes and forests in the north country. Scott Anderson, with his simple, straightforward text, brings me there. I enjoyed it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, hilarious account of a canoe trip from Duluth MN to York Factory, Canada by two friends in the mid-eighties. As the cover succinctly explains: "1 canoe, 2 guys, 3 months, 45 lbs. of macaroni and cheese." Somehow, amidst the wit and craziness of their adventures, he manages to convey a deep love of the north woods and the water plus the joy he & his friend felt at completing this long-planned adventure.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a likeable travel/journey story about two friends that decide to canoe from Duluth to Hudson Bay. Anderson tells an often hilarious story about their trip and the mishaps that come with any adventure like this. Despite the humour, he never loses sight of his obvious passion for the north country and the pleasure of canoeing through it. Bill Bryson should take note.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book and enjoyed it. Anderson has included quips that those with canoeing or camping experience will particularly enjoy, however this book is for anyone with an interest in the area. This is a good companion to the book Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid.

[Dovofthegalilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful book that I would imagine you could only pick up at a roadside diner in the North country or some such setting. Amateurish in some ways it adds to the writing of a young man describing his trip. Very readable and I am happy to have found such a limited distributed book.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but there are several in this genre that are better. Canoeing With the Cree tops the list.

[Chad Kerchner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Very well written. Witty. Very similar to Canoeing with the Cree, but still different enough to be interesting.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

great adventure, following the trail forged by Eric Severiad.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this book and enjoyed it every bit as much as I did ten years ago. Low key "Minnesota" humor and a good adventure yarn make this a fast, enjoyable read.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a mistake to read this before "Canoeing with the Cree."

[NancyInWI]

I don't remember reading this at all, but I must've read it on vacation at our cottage.

[Michael Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott was a football player I had the privilege of coaching, a friend, a brother in Christ!