Nahanni Journals: R.M. Patterson’s 1927–1929 Journals
Raymond Murray Patterson
Richard C. Davis, Editor
Justin Trudeau, Foreword
When you cross an Oxford graduate with a young man seeking gold and adventure in the remote wilderness, the result is Nahanni Journals. In this fascinating account of Raymond Patterson, a Londoner who finds his destiny in the Nahanni and Flat Rivers region of the Northwest Territories, Richard C. Davis reveals to us an extraordinary life. Patterson’s journals—never before published—capture the joyful enthusiasm of youth with an immediacy only journals can convey, and his adventures are as swift and unpredictable as the river he canoes. Outdoor enthusiasts, historians, lovers of travel, and anyone interested in captivating stories will enjoy accompanying Patterson for the ride.
The introduction situates the journals within Patterson’s writerly life, considers their relationship to his 1954 book (The Dangerous River), and explores the ways the two accounts reveal different attitudes toward the natural world. Patterson and his journals have played a large role in the preservation of the South Nahanni River, surely a jewel in the crown of Canada’s magnificent North—but one still seriously threatened by resource development.
—Richard C. Davis
This is one of Gods days that only seem to come in northern Alberta—the sun like a flame in a clear blue sky, not a trace of haze & all around the tumbling water & the lake gulls…. Below the waves are breaking & with me I have Jorrocks Jaunts & Jollities. Could money buy more than this?
—R.M. Patterson
“R.M. Patterson’s journals offer us moments in which to reflect upon the nature of the wilderness we are rapidly losing.… As we read Patterson’s journals, we realize once more how much we require contact with an elemental life, with nature’s bounty, in order to achieve contentment and wholeness within ourselves.”
—Justin Trudeau, from the Foreword
About the Editor
Richard C. Davis lives in Calgary, Alberta, where he is Professor of English at the University of Calgary. When not reading accounts of early exploration and travel, he can often be found hiking in the Canadian Rockies or cycling abroad. He is an elected Fellow in the Royal Geographical Society.
[...] meticulously edited by Richard C. Davis and with a perspicacious Foreword by Justin Trudeau. Nahanni Journals right this way, please. Published [...]
We all expect an excellent indexing job and Richard C. Davis doesn’t fail here. I dare anyone to find the reference to a “counter jumper,” a being also mentioned in the life of Jack Hornby.