I had forgotten that I'd read this book. I was in eighth grade. I used to keep a book journal. Here is what I, as a thirteen-year-old, wrote about reading this book:

"My father bought Distant Fires for me but read it first. He liked it because 1.) It was about canoeing and 2.) It was witty. Scott Anderson and "Steve" were on a really long canoe trip from Duluth to the Atlantic Ocean. It was funny! All the tribulations in this trip were retold in a humorous way. Scott Anderson put things so eloquently. Hudson's Bay was "the resting place of the rivers". Oh, and I thought this was original at the time: Life is the pursuit, not the capture." ( )