I riviting, engrossing tail. If you reed it and enjoy it go on to ''The Long Labrador Trail' by Dillon Wallace' the story of Wallace's successful re-attempt of the Hubbard expedition. ''A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador'' by Mrs. Leonidas Hubbard, Jr, the story of Mrs. Hubbard's successful re-attempt of the Hubbard expidition (whipping Wallace's butt). ''Challenge the Wilderness'' by Clayton Klein an account of the life of George Ellison, the Indian guide who saved Wallace's life and expertly guided Mrs. Hubbard to success on her expedition. Letters to the Granddaughter The Story of Dillon Wallace of the Labrador Wild. Retracing the trips in the North and the remarkable life of the author of 'The Lure of the Labrador Wild" by Philip Schubert being an account of a modern retracing of the expedition routes. (A good tracing of the route with historical notes but a very misleading title). ( )

My attention was grabbed within the first few pages and held for the duration of the book. The unfortunate wrong fork in the river which, undetected, set their course for disaster. The hardships faced, coupled with continuous bad luck, glued me to these pages. A true adventure story of the 'true north, wild and free'. ( )

In 1903 Leonidas Hubbard and Dillon Wallace set out with their Indian guide, George Elson to explore an area of Labrador that had not been fully explored by Europeans yet. In their attempt to explore Lake Michikamau they took a wrong route and instead of following the Naskapi River they instead followed the Susan River, which sent them into the heart of Labrador and on a path that they were not prepared for. With the cold winter winds coming in and the last scraps of food gone the three men found their adventure quickly turning into a fight for their lives.
This was a completely engrossing read that left me wondering how anyone could have survived this experience. The strength and courage that Dillon writes of is inspiring. Being forced to carry hundred pound loads of gear and a canoe on little to no food and wading through snow with only moccasins on their feet yet hardly complaining and bolstering each others spirits with talk of home and bible stories is truly amazing.
I read this as an ebook and while it is a great story I would have loved to be able to see the maps and photos that went along with this story. I will be keeping an eye out for a used copy of this book with the photos and maps included as it would truly add to the story.

In July, 1903 Leonidas Hubbard, Michigan journalist, and Dillon Wallace, NY lawyer, set out with their Indian guide, George Elson on an exploratory trip through northern Labrador. The plan was to follow the Naskapi River to Lake Michikamau, a region as yet unexplored by Europeans. It was Hubbard’s intent that the articles he would write of the adventure would secure his journalistic reputation. Alas, the trip was ill-fated from the start. Lacking an accurate map, the group mistook the Susan River for the Naskapi, resulting in an epic trip into the heart of Labrador until they at last admitted defeat and determined to head for home. It was too late, however, for Hubbard, who died of starvation in the wild.

“Beyond the circle of our bright-blazing fire the darkness was profound. As the wind in great blasts swept over the tops of the trees, its voice was raised to piercing shrieks that gradually died away into low moans. We thought of the vast wilderness lying all about us under the pall of a moonless and starless night. Where had all the people in the world gone to, anyway?” (Ch 11)

I enjoyed The Lure of the Labrador Wild. It’s well written, and while I’m afraid I have to agree with Hubbard’s critics that the expedition seemed pure folly, one would be hard pressed to find a more honest depiction of the rugged and beautiful but fatally unforgiving country that is Canada’s North. ( )

In 1903 two unlikely outdoorsmen from New York City (and their mixed-blood Indian guide) canoed about 150 miles into a barren unexplored region of Labrador. Armed with optimism and romantic notions, they made every mistake in the book; only 2 made it back alive. Similar to Into the Wild these sorts of things occasionally happen and the story might be long forgotten, but Dillon Wallace wrote a book about it, and Bully, what a book. Teddy Roosevelt raved and it became an immediate best-seller. From the start Wallace sets a tone of impending doom and deepening dread. We watch with bemused tragedy as they make one mistake after another while the humble repressed "mixed breed" Elson rises up to become the strongest and smartest of the three. It's a romantic story told with great emotion and care, set in the bleak but unspoiled wilderness of Labrador.

The story became legend because of the book. Hubbard's widow, Mina, retraced the expedition in 1905 and wrote her own book. Wallace also retraced the journey in 1905, and wrote another book. The 1988 book Great Heart, a modern retelling of the expedition, is included on National Geographic's list of the 100 best outdoor books of all time. In 2008, a documentary was made called The Last Explorer. Lakes were named by Hubbard and Wallace that still retain those names to this day. In Labrador the book is famous, although granted it only has about 25,000 people.

I followed along using Google Maps. It wasn't easy, I initially thought it was a different river, ironically the same mistake they made in 1903! Fortunately it didn't cost my life. This is a great introduction to one of the last wild places on Earth, and also a great piece of outdoor literature. The book reads surprisingly contemporary, the writing has held up well.

Read via LibriVox, narrated by Tom Weiss. Tom's narration is excellent.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2011 cc-by-nd ( )