Setting out from his home in Hoarfrost River, located off of McLeod Bay on the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake, David Olesen reflects in his book Kinds of Winter on how his isolated living becomes even more singularly secluded over the course of four extended mushing trips. Reconstructing these four annual trips from the early 2000s SA国际影视传媒� one to the South, the next to the East, and followed by trips North and West SA国际影视传媒� OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 formidable mosaic of journal entries, photographs, and retrospective writing chronicles living an experience that for most of us will remain unimaginable.
The continued repetition of what must be OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 personal mantra, SA国际影视传媒渉our by hourSA国际影视传媒� (and its spinoff franchises SA国际影视传媒渓ittle by littleSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渕iles and milesSA国际影视传媒�) best illustrates the mindset inspired by the grueling aspects not only of northern or homestead living, but to northern travel over the land, an intense event that very few experience on a dog sled. This oft-repeated phrase also gives a glimpse into OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 beautiful writing.
Kinds of Winter is embellished with references to poetry and OlesensSA国际影视传媒� own thoughtful excursions into northern living and the information age, as mushing these long trips provides the space to think (and keep on thinking) in the relative isolation of solo travel across the land up here. Hour by hour is, in fact, very Shakespearean SA国际影视传媒� not that he said it first, mind you, but he has certainly been among the loudest voices in history to do so. SA国际影视传媒淔rom hour to hour, we ripe and ripe, and then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot; And thereby hangs a tale.SA国际影视传媒�
Of course, because Shakespeare is a darkly funny writer, this line from As You Like It is not in the realm of OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 poetic prose, instead being a syphilitic rot joke as ShakespeareSA国际影视传媒檚 English was pronounced far more phonetically than the English we use now.
After a month of reviewing mostly Canada Reads books itSA国际影视传媒檚 a delight to be back up north for my reviews SA国际影视传媒� and kind of shocking, too. Every time Olesen mentions Yellowknife or a piece of familiar geography my mind sparks up as if to say SA国际影视传媒淚 know that place!SA国际影视传媒� And, as there always is when reading books by northern navigators such as Dominique F. Prinet in his book, Flying to Extremes (which was recently released in French), Kinds of Winter has an authorSA国际影视传媒檚 note discussing OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 decision making process of whether to use celsius or fahrenheit, miles versus kilometers, and (in OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 case) setting comfortably into a measurement vernacular that feels quite Canadian in the sense that it never stays firmly on the side of metric or imperial measurements.
Olesen observes, as someone who grew up in Illinois, that in the Northwest Territories SA国际影视传媒渃old is king, winter is this country. Ice and snow set the limits and write the rules here.SA国际影视传媒� This seems to be true in a myriad of metaphorical and practical waysSA国际影视传媒� if youSA国际影视传媒檝e ever considered (or wanted to know) all of the creative places where people and animals can get frostbite, OlesenSA国际影视传媒檚 gnarly depictions from the eastern leg of his trip are a fantastic place to start your reading.
With an appendix that includes recipes (every book ISA国际影视传媒檝e read by people who live on a homestead include their personalized recipes) as well as tips and tricks on sled dog care and dead-reckoning navigation, Kinds of Winter is a fantastic read for those ready to get on the land or, of course, simply read about the experience and think SA国际影视传媒渨ow, ISA国际影视传媒檇 never do that, but ISA国际影视传媒檓 sure glad somebody did and wrote about it.SA国际影视传媒�
