A recounting of an infamous 1950's canoe trip that ended in the death of its leader.
Art Moffatt was an experienced canoer and outdoorsman who wanted to make a nature film along Canada's Dubawnt River. He gathered fellow canoers, hikers and an ex-Army man for a total of six young men, almost all Ivy League college students. At thirty-six, Moffatt was the group elder and leader with the most wilderness experience. This book by survivor Pessl, takes his and another member's journal entries, written along the journey, to show the struggle through freezing temperatures, blizzards, rain, boredom and infractions with the food supply.
Surprisingly, hunger wasn't the major issue. They carried enough for the trip, though much was lost due to water damage, but hunted all along the way. The major cause of their tragedy, as Pessl states in his epilogue, is that they didn't factor in the harsh winter-like temperatures that began in early Fall, and the high caloric food they should have brought in order to remain energetic. ( )

In 1955, cinematographer and experienced canoeist Art Moffatt decided to follow the canoe route of Joseph Burr Tyrell's 1893 canoe exploration across the Canadian Barrens from Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan to Nunavet's Baker Lake and ultimately the Hudson Bay. Besides doing the journey for the love of adventure, Moffatt's goal was to film the expedition since he felt the story of travel through the beautiful Arctic tundra would be a commercial success.

And so Moffatt put together his team made up of an additional five young men and three canoes and what was hoped would be enough provisions and other supplies to see them through. Some of the men were seasoned canoers; one was a novice.

The beginnings of the trip were idyllic and were ideal for filming as they passed spectacular scenery, sites rich in Eskimo artifacts and abundant wildlife. The party traveled slowly with many days of no travel at all and more with delayed starts.

But these young men were not aware how quickly and fiercely winter arrives in the Arctic. Conditions went from sun-soaked afternoons of paddling shirtless at the end of August, to a raging blizzard a week later. Short of food and lacking warm enough clothes, the men decided to make a hurried dash toward civilization, and inevitably, their hurry caused a fatal mistake
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In his epilog, Skip Pessl recounts the numerous articles written in various outdoor and canoeing magazines over the last sixty years. In Pessl's opinion, some of the incidents became mythologized and have little resemblance to the events that actually occurred. He especially dislikes a book published by fellow expedition member George Grinnell, entittled 'Death on the Barrens' which was written almost fifty years after the journey. This book has become somewhat of an outdoor classic and depicts expedition leader Art Moffatt as both suicidal and a bit of a mystic. And so Pessl decided to publish this book, which consists of daily journal entries that he and another member of the expedition, Peter Franck, recorded, as well as occasional entries from Tyrell's 1893 expedition.

Although I am not familiar with Grinnell's book, I found this one to be interesting in its own right. 4 stars. Recommended for those with an interest in the tundra of the Canadian Barrens and outdoor adventure stories. ( )

For readers who dream of packing up and heading out into the great unknown, a strong dose of readable reality is served by Skip Pessl in "Barren Grounds" his telling of a canoe trip gone fatally awry in 1950s arctic Canada.

Written partially -- if not completely -- to refute a prior version of the story authored by another member of the same fated party, this trim volume displays Pessl's logbook side by side with a corroborating journal kept by a third canoeist. At first this redundancy is tiring, as one reads about the same day twice, day after day. But as the story builds to the fatal apex, reading two perspectives instead gives the reader much needed contextual information about each day's events.

This is a fascinating read about some realities of spending weeks upon end out in the wild, and I recommend it to other lovers of outdoor adventure memoir. ( )

Having read many, many, wilderness books over the years, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a copy of this book to review. The book is a fine read, detailed from two journals kept during the trip. Well detailed, delving into preparations, travel and group dynamics. And, even though it is nearly 60 years later, perhaps a cautionary tale. That will be for the reader to decide. ( )

I requested this book because I've had a fascination with the Barren Grounds since I read Farley Mowat's People of the Deer in college. And because as a high schooler, I canoed from Lake Superior to James Bay (Moosonee)--a trip of 30 days. I never got the chance to do a trip on the scale of the Moffatt trip--and likely was not capable of it.

I knew nothing about the story, so was engaged throughout. I felt the journals' (Skip and Peter) placed together as they were, made for fascinating reading. The beauty and wonder, the cold and hunger, the small insight into the personality of the two, were glimpses into a youthful adventure. Both men were philosophical and had taken on the trip with enthusiasm and naivete. In the epilogue, Skip's defense of the trip, explanation from his current maturity, all felt spot on. I doubt I would read George Grinnell's book.

For anyone who has done some canoeing--portaging and tenting--and who appreciates the north, this book will be a very enjoyable read. I will be passing it on to my dad, also, in days past, an avid canoeist. ( )