My partner said I’d like this book so I read it and I sure did (does this mean he has to read a fiction book recommended by me now?). This is an adventure book about the author’s trip across Canada’s far north by canoe. The catch? He does most of the trip UPriver to be as far north as possible while he traversed the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut from west to east. Starting in Dawson City, near the Alaskan border, he sets off on foot down the Dempster Highway until getting to Eagle Plains, just north of the Arctic Circle, where he meets up with his canoe and gear, and jumps in the Klondike and starts paddling, poling (like a Venetian Gondolier), and even sailing his canoe up river. From there, he fights the currents of rivers as big as the Mackenzie (with the second biggest drainage in North America, after the Mississippi), and as small as creeks barely the size of his canoe, going all the way to the north end of the Hudson Bay. 

This book was exciting and interesting. I listened to the audiobook and it was funny and well-read by the author. I couldn’t believe the things he said and did (including turning down a night at a luxury private resort owned by an airline magnate, despite not seeing civilization for weeks!). He started in June, and it was so interesting hearing what weather and seasons are like in the land of the Midnight sun. He often would start off canoeing in the middle of the night if it meant the weather was better, because there wasn’t any issue seeing the water or where he was going! And despite starting so early, he was still stuck in the ice by the time he got to Great Bear Lake, which was not quite done breaking up, but no sooner did he clear the ice before he was worried about the start of winter. It's shocking how quick the weather turned.

If you’re looking for a fun adventure read, I’d definitely recommend Beyond the Trees. Its fascinating, funny, and has some beautiful photos and descriptions of the nature he saw in areas where he was hundreds (thousands?) of kilometers from civilization. Great read for summers at the beach or lakeside cabin!