Book Review: A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters by Amy and Dave Freeman

Reviewed by Brady Krien

A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters
Amy and Dave Freeman
Milkweed Editions, September 2017
$35.00; 303 pp.
ISBN: 978-1571313669

In his 1956 book, The Singing Wilderness, Sigurd Olson wrote of “wilderness music,” a haunting melody reminiscent of “times when the clouds were dark and the waves rolling high, when the calling reached a pitch of madness which told of coming storm; mornings when the sun was bright and happy laughter came from the open water; nights when one lone call seemed to embody all the misery and tragedy in the world.”

In their debut book, A Year in the Wilderness, Amy and Dave Freeman capture more than a few stanzas of this backcountry harmony in the chronicle of their 366-day journey through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) of Northern Minnesota. Inspired by the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, the Freemans, veterans of over 15,000 miles of backcountry travel, decided to spend a year traversing the lakes, rivers, and portages that make up the BWCAW. “Long journeys are addictive,” they write. “They distill life down to its most basic essence.” This book is the embodiment of that essence, as they capture their journey in both photographs and words to raise awareness of the region and the mining interests that threaten it.

Interleaving narrative with hundreds of stunning photographs, A Year in the Wilderness traces the exploits of this high adventure couple from the fall of 2015 through the following summer as they paddle, ski, and sled their way across one of the largest wilderness areas remaining in the lower 48 states. Divided into four seasons, the book blends history, ecology, and advocacy to catalog both the Freeman’s journey and the changes they observe in the natural world, from the first hatch of dragonflies in the spring, to the plummeting moose population struggling to survive in a warming world.

Though the threats posed by climate change and mining companies are a constant refrain in this work of witness activism, the book never descends into the type of cynicism toward which the genre so often tends. Indeed, the Freeman’s story is one of hope and often of profound joy in the connections between people and place. “Wilderness,” they remind the reader, “pushes us and makes us better, leaving us more confident in ourselves and our ability to work together.” This is borne out by the surprisingly large number of people who populate their book. From the frequent visitors who resupply and reenergize their expedition to Dorothy Molter, “The Root Beer Lady” who lived on Knife Lake until 1986, to the Anishinaabe people whose pictographs dot the region, the relationship between people and wilderness is at the heart of the book. It is these human characters (and a supporting cast of canine companions) that keep the Freeman’s story clipping along at an engaging and enjoyable pace. They are as essential to the narrative as they were to the expedition itself.

With this book, the Freemans prove themselves natural successors of Sigurd Olson’s legacy of carefully crafted activist writing. They write, “the land speaks to anyone who takes the time to listen.” It is our responsibility to ensure that “future generations have the opportunity to hear it too.” It is an excellent book for any season—once you read it, you will find it difficult to get the Freeman’s singing wilderness or their lone, lingering call of warning out of your head.  

Brady Krien is a doctoral candidate in English literature at the University of Iowa where he teaches writing and studies American environmental literature. He is also a contributing author for Inside Higher Ed’s Gradhacker blog. When he’s not writing, reading, or teaching, he enjoys cycling, kayaking, and backpacking.