Pan-Audio: "The River" by Peter Heller

 Pan-Audio: The River by Peter Heller, 2019, Wisconsin Digital Library.

I listened to this in Spring or Summer, 2020 and it made me want to take a canoe trip. I did get to attend a Troop trip on the Black River in July or August for two nights, and Boy #1 came along. 

Two college dudes take a weeks long remote trip in Northern Canada. Traveling down the river and lake to lake with portaging. Fishing along the way and sharing a canoe. The only concerns are weather and bears. They run across some drunk dudes who look like tenderfoots who will die but see no people.

Later, they find a woman. I don't recall everything but basically it's a Mysterious Woman In Danger story. She is suffering from exposure and a beating (pretty sure about the beatings part) and cannot communicate much. The two dudes are trying to figure out who was trying to kill her. The drunk dudes? Escaping a bear and separated from her party? Those angry voice they thought they heard one night? Should they use their bear rifle to kill the guy who is after her?

Things happen. I'm sure there are some interesting morality discussions and deeper character "stuff" I did not give a damn about. It's an adventure story with young men wanting to do right and well for an injured woman in mortal peril. With canoes.

The Black River canoe trip referenced above was a great trip. Perfect weather during the day. The water was not too high or fast. The river not too crowded. We found sand banks to camp on. There was rain both nights but I stayed dry in my bivy sack under a pop-up shelter. The water drained quickly through the sand each morning. No bears.

Notes written July, 2020 and backdated.