05/14/2026
Great Heart - The History of a Labrador Adventure: by James West Davidson and John Rugge
This one book captures three canoe expeditions - they’re all the same trip but the diverse outcomes make for a completely engaging book. In 1903 our intrepid but relatively novice trip lead Leonidas Hubbard,leads his friend Dillon Wallace and Scots-Cree guide George Elson on an epic wilderness trek from Northwest River post in Labrador, destined for Ungava Bay, Nunavut via the George River. Starting in early summer, they struggle to navigate through the uncharted wilderness, with challenging whitewater and deep bush. By September, not yet halfway and having exhausted their supplies, they decide to turn back. Early snows, bitter cold, and lack of game stalks their return. Hubbard’s body finally succumbs to the extreme physical effort and starvation, he crawls into his cold tent, and begs his companions to carry on. Wallace tries to keep going but he too fails. Elson does reach help and upon return, Wallace is alive but Hubbard is dead.
After the return home, Wallace publishes a popular book about the expedition and (justly) lays blame at Hubbard’s feet. Hubbard’s widow Mina, is outraged with this stain on her husband’s character, so in spring 1905 engages Elson and his crew of Northern Ontario homeboys to repeat the 1903 trip. Simultaneously, Wallace mounts his own expedition for the 1905 summer - so the race is on.
