Calvin Rutstrum's fans have long known about his nuts-and-bolts approach to wilderness living. With this reissue of North American Canoe Country, a new generation of readers has the chance to learn time-tested secrets of a safe canoe adventure from a master outdoorsman.

First published in 1964, North American Canoe Country is a complete treatise on the art of canoeing. Written as a guide for travelers who wanted to embark on self-sufficient trips deep into the wilderness, this book offers readers all the information they need to plan and undertake a canoe trip. Rutstrum gives the essentials...

Though he began his life as a Twin Cities resident, Calvin Rutstrum came to see noise, material wealth, and perpetual frenzy as the narcotics of the city. dweller. Like Henry David Thoreau, he set out to live a simpler, more meaningful life. In his pursuit, Rutstrum came to appreciate the natural world and the skills necessary to survive in it. Part memoir, part guidebook, and part environmental treatise, Once upon a Wilderness is a treasury of wilderness wisdom.

Rutstrum reminisces about lessons that his time in the wilderness has taught him. He writes about a range of backcountry issues,...

In his most personal book, outdoors expert Calvin Rutstrum makes an appeal for a more natural approach to life, one in which wilderness values predominate, and weaves that philosophy with narratives of a lifetime of experience and adventure.

Using his vast knowledge of campcraft, Rutstrum describes the wilderness life and details what one can expect from the wild-inspiration from exploring, pleasure from encountering natural settings, satisfaction after gaining experience, and mental stimulation from observation and problem solving. In the process he reveals many adventures, including his...