“I looked for the map,” I said, “but couldn’t find it.”

“It was in my pack,” my father said. “Don’t worry, we won’t get lost. We’ve got to keep our heads and think out each step before we take it. We’ll be all right. Both of you are good in the woods, and that’s a blessing now. We must avoid being separated, but in case that should happen, remember, just keep going downstream. Sooner or later this creek will run into the Cold River, and I know several trapper’s camps there and at least two trails cutting the river.”

“How will you be able to paddle?” I said.

“We’ll improvise a back rest,” he said. “I’ll stretch my legs out and manage all right.”

Then as we sat near the comforting fire, he began to talk, slowly and without interruption. At the time I didn’t know what he was doing. I realize now that he was giving us his whole life’s experience in the woods, with the emphasis on how he caught certain animals or birds, or what he ate in the dead of winter when he had been snowed in on Gore Mountain. Tim found the stories entertaining and forgot them as quickly as he heard them, in his eagerness to hear the next one. I was entertained, too, for it had not seemed to me that my father was old enough to have lived such a varied life. He told us of tricks the Indians had for catching wild geese and turkeys. He described sources of food which I found revolting. “Grubs and worms are good,” he said. “You find them under a fallen tree. They’re heavy with fat, and that’s what you need in the winter. Don’t waste an ounce of fat. If you’re cooking meat, don’t let the fat melt or burn away. It will save your life. Many a man has died for the lack of an ounce of fat.”

The night grew cold, and we huddled together under the two blankets. “Don’t let the fire go out,” warned my father. “We’ve got to save our matches.”

“I’ll watch it, Dad,” Tim said.

“Let the wild animals hunt for you,” my father said, continuing his dialogue. “An owl that has caught a rabbit can easily be frightened away from his catch. Even a wolf will run from a man, and you can steal his kill. Though there aren’t many wolves in this area anymore.”

“What about bears?” Tim asked.