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100 WEST BY 53 NORTH

by
Jim Prentice
Copyright 1990, Jim Prentice, Brandon, Manitoba, CANADA

North of 53. A magic phrase. Spoken, mumbled or thought

inwardly by thousands of souls venturing northward. An
imaginary line, shown only on maps and labelled 53 degrees.
It's presence indicated to highway travellers by road side
signs.
A division of territory as distinct in the mind as any
international border.
If you have not been "North of 53", you have not been
north!
Travellers and writers, poets and pilots, have
contributed to the lore of the north. The rigors of life in
the bush are told in tales of man eating mosquitoes, of
murderous hordes of black flies, of the lumps of flesh
carried away by the giant bull dog flies.
The stories of record breaking trout, walleye, and pike
are legion. There are tales of sights and sounds heard deep
in the spruce forests:
The crashing of moose, tearing through brush and
breaking down trees. The drumming of grouse. The incessant
hum of insects. The cackling quackery of ducks feeding on
quiet ponds and placid bays.
Once heard, the intermittent song of the loon is never
forgotten. It's voice the signature of authenticity of a
northern scene.
If the wildlife in the northern bush land seems
different than found elsewhere, so is the life of man. It
takes a special breed of person to live in the north. The
farther one travels, the more this becomes apparent. The
Southerner, whether on his first or fiftieth trip north of
53, never really becomes aware of the implications of
northern living.
Generally, the owners of "cottages" on southern lakes
have more amenities at hand for a weekend of "roughing it"
than most northern dwellers have on a year round basis.
The modern cabin on a lake shore near a large
metropolitan center is equipped with electric service, a
telephone, paved roads, natural gas pipelines, and cable
television.
Nearby are services that provide food, fuel, repairs,
and entertainment. Drivein theaters and fast food chains
abound. Waterfront businesses have docks built for those
arriving by boat to do their shopping, laundry, or to
transfer suitcases from the family car. The local merchants
deliver goods to the cabin by road or by water.
Entrepreneurs make a businesss of servicing and maintaining
cabins during the owners absence in the off seasons.
Most of these "cottages", whether on the lake shore, or

located five well paved streets from the water, rival the
homes of many city dwellers. These lake side communities,
although seasonal, differ little from the urban living from
which they offer escape.
Look at an average northern community. Study and
compare the standards with those of urban areas and their
nearby lake side retreats.
There are no local bus services. If the car doesn't
start you either walk, or call a taxi. Yes, most areas do
have a taxi service of one kind or another. Even if it's a
ride in the back of some one's pick up truck.
Mail delivery is unknown. A pleasant stroll in
midsummer is contrasted by an ordeal in life threatening
conditions during winter.
House to house delivery of milk and bread is
nonexistent. Perhaps newspapers are delivered, but it
requires a family effort, especially in winter.
Bus, rail and scheduled air services to nearby
settlements is severely restricted, if available at all.
Many small taxi companies exist because of the large fares
collected in the transport of natives to and from the
reserves.
Although diminishing in recent years, the bushpilot and
charter aircraft still play a large role in northern
transportation.
The pilots of these small aircraft learn to live with
conditions that would keep their southern colleagues on the
ground.
In summer they fly float equipped aircraft. They are
busy hauling trappers, fishermen, freight, fish, furs, and
supplies to and from the reserves, fish camps, traplines,
logging areas, and small settlements.
In the fall, when the ice is too thin for skis, yet too
thick for floats, they change the aircraft to wheel
equipment. Changing to skis when ice conditions permit.
Winter flying presents problems that most pilots never
hear of. Temperatures exceeding 40 below zero, blowing snow,
ice crystals, and whiteouts. All these challenge the pilot
in their daily work. The preheating of engines to coax them
to life. The problem of congealed oil in propeller pitch
mechanisms, and fueling with super cooled gasoline are
regular chores.
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