"A lifetime of canoeing adventures and historical narrative condensed into a riveting read that I couldn't put down. UNGAVA captures the remote wilderness tripping experience more vividly than any book I've ever read. I could see the polar bear in the eddy, feel the wind in my face and the bugs on my back. Superbly written, scores of color photos (many obscure historical finds). No one writes books like this anymore!"
Cliff Jacobson
"Michael Peake is as ambitious and adventurous in print as he is in a canoe. Ungava, the second book in his trilogy celebrating the adventures of The Hide-Away Canoe Club, is a magnificent read as well as a visual delight. Come paddle with Mike and his fellow northern adventurers, from Jacques Rousseau in a past century to the Peake brothers and their fellow travelers today. It's a trip you will never forget."
Roy MacGregor
"Michael Peake has always outperformed while sharing his canoe trips and his love for wilderness travel. It's no surprise that his latest work is outstanding. It's an amazing view of his and others' past journeys, and will definitely inspire people to get out and do the same."
Kevin Callan
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More reader reaction:
“Your books arrived today. My very high expectations were exceeded by a good deal! Thank-you! Great stuff!” – Kevin Silliker. New Brunswick outdoorsman.
“This book is a treasure, a treasure to have and to hold. So many thanks. Now you know that all those expeditions had a purpose!” – John Rugge. Co-author of Great Heart.
“The book arrived. It’s breathtaking in photos and research. So grateful to have it.” – Roy MacGregor. Celebrated Canadian author.
“Ungava just arrived and I’ve only read the first few pages. It is amazing! You have produced an amazing combination of your trip stories, great photos and history, too. I’ve encouraged my paddling friends to get it! Thank you.” – Blair Richardson. Canoeist, Oakville, Ont.
Ungava, the second volume of the Hide-Away Canoe Club trilogy is now available. This self-published, 116-page, large format book features seven HACC trips across northern Quebec’s challenging Ungava Peninsula.
Plus, we focus on the remarkable Professor Jacques Rousseau, whose canoe routes we followed on several expeditions. Largely unknown in English Canada, Rousseau is well recognized in Quebec. He was a world renowned scientist with the adventurous spirit of a wilderness canoeist and the heart of a poet.
I spoke to his two sons and delved through the archives of the University of Laval and the Montreal Botanical Garden to unearth some of Rousseau’s superb photos that capture a time now lost. We also researched Rousseau’s files to report on his trips. I grew to greatly admire this man who died in 1970.
Besides the trip reports and Rousseau history, we have mined the extensive files of my former newsletter Che-Mun for related material. This includes a story by Great Heart authors John Rugge and Jim Davidson on Mina Hubbard, profiles of Robert Flaherty, A.P. Low, Bob May, Elliott Merrick and others. And there’s a 1955 letter with amazing photos from the Saglek Station–a defense installation on the coast of Labrador which later became part of the DEW Line.
Though technically not in Ungava by a few miles, we include our 1982 trip down the Rupert River along with a 1990 interview of a man who worked for the fur trader Revillon Frères along the Rupert during WWI. Other trips include; three journeys down the George River and three traverses of the Ungava Peninsula on the Puvirnituq, Decoumte, Leaf, Kogaluk and Payne rivers and a visit to Pingualuit Crater.
In 1990, the HACC was the first party to retrace Rousseau’s 1948 trip from Hudson Bay to Ungava Bay via the Kogaluk and Payne rivers. We also feature our Labrador Odyssey 2001 trip from Saglek Fjord up the ocean coast into Nachvak Fjord and then up the Palmer River though the Torngat Mountains to the Korok River which we followed down to Ungava Bay.
Our first HACC book, Northern Journey, told the story of the Morse River Expedition along with a profile of Eric Morse and the Voyageurs. We received positive reviews from Roy MacGregor and John Rugge, so you can blame them for me wanting to continue. I had intended to do all the other trips in one book but there was just too much good stuff. The Coppermine, Rat and Porcupine, Missinaibi, Churchill, Back and other rivers await in Volume III.
This book is privately printed with limited quantities available. It will again be in large format 13” x 11” with 240 photos and illustrations. Further details to come. Across Ungava | The Hide-Away Canoe Club
