Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic

Outstanding book! I adored reading about Natalie and Anns adventure canoeing 2,000 miles to Hudson Bay. Laden with honesty about the experience, I so appreciated the authors straightforward account of the lows and highs and in-betweens of the trip regarding the challenges of the environment --night paddles, high waves, storms, food supply devoured by dogs, and even polar bears -- and the stress of two best friends acting as one the whole time. Though I will not experience such a strenuous experience in my lifetime, I loved getting to experience it vicariously by reading Hudson Bay Bound. Highly recommend!

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my honest review. Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic by Natalie Warren is a very interesting book about the adventure of a lifetime for two friends. It is the story of a 2,000 mile, 85 day canoe trip from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay undertaken by Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho just three days after graduating from college. They were the first women to complete this trip and they even managed to pick up a dog along the way. It is an inspirational book that, in addition to the adventure aspect, talks about the effect that people have on our environment, particularly our waterways. There were challenges along the way, weather, the threat of polar bears, as well as personal issues between the two friends. There is a lot to learn from this book and I highly recommend it.

This book was so much more interesting than I thought it would be. I learned so much about rivers, lakes, farming communities and First Nation people. I didn’t know that the Minnesota river was once the most polluted river in the US. Farming is dumping tons of harsh chemicals directly into the river. Our politicians don’t seem to care about water pollution. As water becomes more and more precious and climate change is happening faster and faster our country and world will soon face a water crisis. This book really opened my eyes.

Hudson Bay Bound tells the story of two women in a canoe on a journey of 2,000-mile from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay. The daily events they endure and the people they meet along the way is told so I felt like I was there with them. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho are an inspiration to all who see an adventure and then take all the steps needed to fulfill that vision. They see things none of us will personally ever see but we now know of these things. Get this book and go with them on the trip. You will be glad you did. Thank you NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for the ARC of Hudson Bay Bound. This is my personal review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the University of Minnesota Press for a free digital copy for my review. I really enjoy female adventure memoirs. And this one did not disappoint. It was full of adrenaline filled recollections, relational reflections, as well as ponderings on the societal effects on them as paddlers and the waterways they explore. The book was a good length and moved quickly. It gave enough space to each event without too much commentary. The afterward was such a sweet wrap-up as we heard from both Natalie and Ann as they reflected now on their journey and the effect it has had on their lives.

“Hudson Bay Bound” was a memorable & absorbing story of 2 women who canoed all the way from Minnesota, up through Canada, to Hudson Bay. I enjoyed reliving their trip as they told their story.....

Natalie Warren in her book, Hudson Bay Bound, vividly demonstrates that adventure is not dead. Two college-age women set out from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a canoe and paddle 2,000 miles to Hudson Bay, Canada. Natalie and her co-canoeist, Ann Raiho, faced strong headwinds and potential failure right from the start. Yet they persevered and overcame obstacle after obstacle on their paddle to the sea. Along the way they met wonderful people (and a few not-so-wonderful) and it is the description of these encounters that gives the book life. My only disappointment with the book (and it is not the author’s fault) is the lack of maps. The only map showing the route from Minneapolis to York Factory on Hudson Bay is at the beginning of the story. Maps showing individual sections described in the text would have been a great aid in following their journey. At times I had to resort to using Google Earth to get a sense of just where they were at various points in their adventure. An interesting contrast to this book is Colin Fletcher’s River, the story of his rafting trip down the Colorado River. Natalie writes Hudson Bay Bound from the perspective of a 20-some year old woman with most of her life still in front of her; Colin writes as a 67-year old man with many flashbacks to what brought him to his adventure. The two books are an interesting contrast and both are well worth reading.

This was by far my favorite book this year. It is extremely well written. Having grown up, and still living in Minnesota, I know much of the area personally. It is quite beautiful and extremely challenging in a canoe. I have purchased four copies of this book. One for my self and three for friends and family. I will probably buy and send more as gifts, Sincerely John Gallagher

The story of two college graduate women paddling to the Hudson Bay and their journey.

Great story! Lots of interesting thoughts and details about the river and the people they encountered.