Book Review: Trespassing in God's Country
George Theriault is not a great writer- his anecdotes are told straightforwardly, delivered in a simple manner evocative of the plain, barren landscapes he so often frequented. He is neither a Faulkner nor a Tolstoy; he is a Canadian bush pilot. And yet his autobiographical account, Trespassing in God's Country: Sixty Years of Flying in Northern Canada, truly impresses me.
Some of the most memorable images from his book come from his trout fishing experiences. Because of the nature of his work, Theriault has the opportunity to fish in some of the most pristine and virgin waters our country has to offer. He compares the clear waters of Great Slave Lake to an aquarium, a place where fish literally fight each other to steal a fisherman's bait. He describes the fiord that connects Hottah and Great Bear Lake, where every summer you can see hundreds and hundreds of trout "piled on top of each other". And he recounts his trips to Foot Lake in Northern Ontario, where people constantly land speckled trout between six and eight pounds.
Having grown up in Northern Ontario, the author also has several anecdotes about the excellent walleye and pike fishing in the province. On his first trip to Raney Lake, for example, Theriault manages to catch walleye on every cast for about an hour, despite the fact that he is casting from shore. He also remembers fishing at Nemegosenda Lake, where he catches his biggest northern pike- a 35 pound monster- using a red and white daredevil.
Theriault also spins a few distinctly Canadian fishing yarns. On several occasions, he flies Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to various fishing destinations north of Ottawa. Unsaddled by the burden of his government office, the Prime Minister uses the sport of fishing as a means of meditation, and "catching a fish [seems] less important to him than the experience of just sitting in the canoe moving his fishing line in and out of the water." And while in Labrador, Theriault is fortunate enough to experience an ice skating fishing trip, where he and his acquaintances skate up a frozen river in search of trout. Reading this passage, one realizes the wonderful opportunities afforded to us by the Canadian wilderness.
There is not much in the book about fishing technique- Theriault strikes me as an angler who never had to learn the modern techniques that are necessary to use on heavily pressured lakes. The author is nonetheless aware of the fact that angling is a test of intuition, a measure of one's ability to "read the signs of nature." And so he amusingly mocks the expert fishermen he flies up to one lake who are adamant that trolling is always the best way of catching walleye. These so-called experts waste a great deal of time and gasoline trolling the waters and catching nothing while their wives catch plenty of fish from a dock by the lodge using night crawlers.
Perhaps the strongest message that resonates throughout the book is the importance of conservation. Throughout his life, Theriault unfortunately sees first-hand the deterioration of some fine fisheries due to over fishing. Clearly, the man isn't against hunting or keeping fish for eating- but he knows that "strict controls and quotas" will ensure the continued existence of these sports, and that they prevent the added expense of re-stocking lakes. Part of this respect for nature that Theriault has may have been influenced by his experiences with Aboriginal people. For instance, he notes that when Aboriginal people kill a seal, no part of it is wasted. And so he realizes that the people who actually have a connection with nature often, but not always, know the best ways to ensure its future existence. While he applauds the intention of people who have environmental concerns because they are fashionable or in vogue, he cautions them to "think clearly about the issues."
So even though Trespassing in God's Country is not stylistically ground-breaking, the book nonetheless leaves me with a great appreciation for what this country has to offer to outdoor enthusiasts. It has also ignited in me a great desire to travel to some of the places that Theriault was lucky enough to have visited. And though he is no Tolstoy, he does manage to jot down a few poetic passages. I'll leave you with one paragraph describing the Canadian wilderness that is particularly beautiful:
"When you breathe this pure air, you feel that this land is your home. This is where you start to remember that you are inseparable from all other life. If you take time to listen, you can begin to hear the earth breathe. Then you realize that you are breathing in the same rhythm. As you peer up at the night sky, filled with stars and galaxies and streaked by the endless, shifting cloud formations, you can imagine how all of life must be connected, like each strand in a spider's web."
-- My copy of this book was a kind gift from successful entrepreneur and avid angler Ed Topornicki, founder of Topper Linen in Toronto and a good friend of my grandfather and family --
Related Posts:
Book Review: Fishing Mapbook (Zone 15: Central Ontario)
Book Review: Dave Mercer's 135 Secrets Fish Don't Want You to Know
Some of the most memorable images from his book come from his trout fishing experiences. Because of the nature of his work, Theriault has the opportunity to fish in some of the most pristine and virgin waters our country has to offer. He compares the clear waters of Great Slave Lake to an aquarium, a place where fish literally fight each other to steal a fisherman's bait. He describes the fiord that connects Hottah and Great Bear Lake, where every summer you can see hundreds and hundreds of trout "piled on top of each other". And he recounts his trips to Foot Lake in Northern Ontario, where people constantly land speckled trout between six and eight pounds.
Having grown up in Northern Ontario, the author also has several anecdotes about the excellent walleye and pike fishing in the province. On his first trip to Raney Lake, for example, Theriault manages to catch walleye on every cast for about an hour, despite the fact that he is casting from shore. He also remembers fishing at Nemegosenda Lake, where he catches his biggest northern pike- a 35 pound monster- using a red and white daredevil.
Theriault also spins a few distinctly Canadian fishing yarns. On several occasions, he flies Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to various fishing destinations north of Ottawa. Unsaddled by the burden of his government office, the Prime Minister uses the sport of fishing as a means of meditation, and "catching a fish [seems] less important to him than the experience of just sitting in the canoe moving his fishing line in and out of the water." And while in Labrador, Theriault is fortunate enough to experience an ice skating fishing trip, where he and his acquaintances skate up a frozen river in search of trout. Reading this passage, one realizes the wonderful opportunities afforded to us by the Canadian wilderness.
There is not much in the book about fishing technique- Theriault strikes me as an angler who never had to learn the modern techniques that are necessary to use on heavily pressured lakes. The author is nonetheless aware of the fact that angling is a test of intuition, a measure of one's ability to "read the signs of nature." And so he amusingly mocks the expert fishermen he flies up to one lake who are adamant that trolling is always the best way of catching walleye. These so-called experts waste a great deal of time and gasoline trolling the waters and catching nothing while their wives catch plenty of fish from a dock by the lodge using night crawlers.
Perhaps the strongest message that resonates throughout the book is the importance of conservation. Throughout his life, Theriault unfortunately sees first-hand the deterioration of some fine fisheries due to over fishing. Clearly, the man isn't against hunting or keeping fish for eating- but he knows that "strict controls and quotas" will ensure the continued existence of these sports, and that they prevent the added expense of re-stocking lakes. Part of this respect for nature that Theriault has may have been influenced by his experiences with Aboriginal people. For instance, he notes that when Aboriginal people kill a seal, no part of it is wasted. And so he realizes that the people who actually have a connection with nature often, but not always, know the best ways to ensure its future existence. While he applauds the intention of people who have environmental concerns because they are fashionable or in vogue, he cautions them to "think clearly about the issues."
So even though Trespassing in God's Country is not stylistically ground-breaking, the book nonetheless leaves me with a great appreciation for what this country has to offer to outdoor enthusiasts. It has also ignited in me a great desire to travel to some of the places that Theriault was lucky enough to have visited. And though he is no Tolstoy, he does manage to jot down a few poetic passages. I'll leave you with one paragraph describing the Canadian wilderness that is particularly beautiful:
"When you breathe this pure air, you feel that this land is your home. This is where you start to remember that you are inseparable from all other life. If you take time to listen, you can begin to hear the earth breathe. Then you realize that you are breathing in the same rhythm. As you peer up at the night sky, filled with stars and galaxies and streaked by the endless, shifting cloud formations, you can imagine how all of life must be connected, like each strand in a spider's web."
-- My copy of this book was a kind gift from successful entrepreneur and avid angler Ed Topornicki, founder of Topper Linen in Toronto and a good friend of my grandfather and family --
Related Posts:
Book Review: Fishing Mapbook (Zone 15: Central Ontario)
Book Review: Dave Mercer's 135 Secrets Fish Don't Want You to Know
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