Synopses & Reviews
A lifetime of wilderness adventures and the resulting insights relating to nature's intricacies as experienced by a master in the art of primitive wilderness survival.
"Fire! Wake up! The shelter is on fire!"
His students affectionately call him "Doc Survival." He's Quebec's Indiana Jones in a forest setting. Searching for the treasures of the wilderness has been his life-long quest; with passion as his only guide, he has dared to penetrate the forest on its own terms, facing increasingly difficult challenges in the hope of becoming nature's confidant, of learning her secrets.
Professor emeritus André-François Bourbeau holds a Guinness World Record for voluntary wilderness survival in the boreal forest. Herein lies his path and his stories, unadulterated: gritty and often comical mistakes punctuated by inspiring successes. What remains of this lifetime of experimentation is one man's everlasting love of the wilderness and its intricacies, a rousing reflection on our own human priorities, and need for deep connection with the environment and other fellow beings.
Synopsis
Over two decades before the word
survivor would become synonymous with prime-time television, two men were abandoned by helicopter in the blackfly-infested boreal forest of northern Quebec for what would amount to a 31-day epic adventure. In his bestselling French-language
Surviviethon books, André-François Bourbeau presented the original first-person story of their trials. Without fire, weapons, shelter, tools, or proper clothing they emerged, not only setting a Guinness world record for voluntary wilderness survival but also deepening their respect and understanding of our natural surroundings.
Professor Bourbeau turned his passion into a celebrated career as a ground-breaking researcher and teacher of primitive wilderness survival. Here is his unadulterated, gritty, and often hilarious account of mistakes followed by inspiring successes.
Synopsis
André-François Bourbeau turned his passion for the outdoors into a celebrated career as a ground-breaking researcher and teacher of primitive wilderness survival. These are his first-hand stories, always informative, gritty, and sometimes hilarious. What emerges is one man's everlasting love of the wilderness.
About the Author
André-François Bourbeau is professor emeritus at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi where he taught for over 30 years in the Outdoor Adventure Program he co-founded. He also founded and directed the university's outdoor research laboratory. Bourbeau lives in the Saguenay region of Quebec.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Bob Henderson
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
One: The Hunt
Two: Garlicky
Three: Spicy
Four: The Swamp Tramp
Five: Up Here, Sir
Six: Dear Frank
Seven: The Farmer
Eight: Sandals
Nine: Licking My Chops
Ten: Banquet Time
Eleven: Cold Hole
Twelve: Batman
Thirteen: Ferns Crack Me Up
Fourteen: Survivathon
Fifteen: Captain Haddock
Sixteen: Retropulsion
Seventeen: Camping with a View
Eighteen: Clean Dirt
Nineteen: Birchbark Pillow
Twenty: Unexpected Swim
Twenty-One: Surprise
Conclusion
About the Author