By the time this post is published, I should be about two thirds through my 530km canoe trip from Lake Missinaibi to James Bay.

I thought it would be good to go back to the ultimate source of all Canadian canoeing wisdom this week: my hero, Bill Mason. In this passage he talks about “the song”—that force that draws people out into the wilderness year after year.

Some people hear the song in the quiet mist of a cold morning; others hear it in the middle of a roaring rapids. . . . But for other people the song is loudest in the evening when they are sitting in front of the tent, basking in the camp fire’s warmth. This is when I hear it loudest, after I have paddled and portaged for many miles to some distant, hidden place. (Song of the Paddle: An Illustrated Guide to Wilderness Camping)

Amen.