Eric Sevareid once took a journey, one which most normal individuals wouldn't even dream up. For his buddy, Walter Port, and him, the dangers and terrors of an outdoors adventure were just what they were looking for. Canoeing with the Cree lets us in on that adventure, in a non-fiction account that sees Sevareid giving a narrative of their encounters with not only the treacherousness of the wild but the coming of age of two boys living on their own, sharing their lives with the Cree Indians, and having to survive each other.
Sevareid begins his book immediately, starting in on Walter Port's plan of taking a 2250-mile canoe ride from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay in Canada. Instead of giving a vivid description of Port and Sevareid, we are thrown right into the preparations needed to start the journey. At first, I felt a little disappointed that we didn't get a chance to meet our two protagonists. But throughout Sevareid's depiction of their journey, we are presented with different qualities of both Port and Sevareid. Instead of throwing character traits at the audience all at once, Sevareid lets the situations that happen to them explain their personalities. At one point, a minor disappointment during the journey prompts a fight between the two; the length of time that they had spent together had brought about layers of animosity that came to a head. I felt like this was an important and vital decision by Sevareid - choosing to let he and his friend be fleshed out by their actions gives an added depth to how their surroundings influenced their lives.
Sevareid has a real knack for providing detailed imagery of the environment. He takes more time to describe the beautiful landscape and the rivers themselves. I liked this a lot, and I thought it showed how much of an appreciation Sevareid gained for the beauty of our lands. One of the most touching parts I found in the account was Sevareid's description of saving animals stuck in the mud of a river. Sevareid talks of hunting animals for food, but when it comes to suffering wildlife, Sevareid and Port show quite an endearing quality in their rescue. They only kill what is necessary and appreciate the life of an animal.
The duo's appreciation of the Cree Indians is also apparent through Sevareid's writing. Sevareid makes it known that if it weren't for the Cree's help, Port and Sevareid would have died in the unforgiving climes. It is interesting how Sevareid depicts the Indians, a good cultural study from someone who does not have the same background. He gives them a strong compliment; their ability to perform in an environment that can very easily break a man is impressive.
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