Once Around Algonquin - An Epic Canoe Journey

In the age where many are documenting their back country trips on YouTube, I found it nice to get back to a good book, by a great story teller. Love Algonquin and enjoy reading about the stories and history that make it such a magical place.

Another great read by Kevin Callan.

It's hard to explain why I like a book beyond saying that "it was really good"---kind of like describing why it's hard to say why I like one wine more than another---but here's the best analogy I can give: Kevin's trip around Algonquin is not a meal. It's a plate. Kevin is the chef. He serves many courses on this plate: Algonquin's history and ecology, comedy (with his trustee partner Andy), endearing and relatable tales, a heaping portion of quotables, and above all, a deep and true love for the backcountry. As always, I find myself reading Kevin's words very slowly, savoring the meals. And every time I finish one of his books, I'm left wanting to make a trip of my own for dessert. Kevin's books inspire us all---newbie or vet---to get out there and relish in the spiritual fine dining that is the backcountry.
-Jon / Backcountry Angling Ontario

This book is the latest of seven Callan books that I've bought so I'm a big fan....Normally.....This book just seemed to be too familiar, like a story that has been told one too many times around a campfire. We've heard the ideas about wilderness and camping in general before, in at least one of his previous books, so that it felt recycled. The book was supposed to be about Callan and Andy Baxter's completion of "The Meanest Link" in Algonquin Prov. Park and it was, to an extent...But there wasn't enough of THAT story in there to make this feel like a new book worth buying.
Maybe Kevin's winding down his epic adventuring and returning more to discussing his philosophy of canoeing. All well and good but I felt a bit cshort-changed with this book.