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when did I last catch a muskie? Was it two years ago?”
    The man in the front turned. “Yes. No. I think it was three. We’ve had a lot of strikes since then but no boaters. Why?”
    “I was just telling the boy about our fishing.”
    “Nonfishing, you mean. We never seem to catch anything.”
    The man next to Brian nodded. “But we see the country and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” He studied Brian, his eyes questioning.
    “Yes.” Brian looked out the window. “That’s what it’s all about . . .”
    “We worked the woods all our lives.” Ben, the man in front, turned. “Cruising for the lumber companies, living. Just living. We’re down in the Cities now but once you’ve been in the woods—well, you can take the man out of the woods, but you can’t take the woods out of the man. We like to get back. Muskie fishing is just an excuse.”
    The man next to Brian nodded. “It must be the same for you. We heard about you, saw it all on television back when it happened. You must have got the woods in you then.”
    Brian nodded.
    “It’s a wonderful thing,” the old man said, looking again out the window.
    “What?”
    “To have the woods in you. Young people almost never have it now. You’re very lucky.”
    And Brian knew he was right. He’d never felt he was particularly fortunate before but the old man was exactly right. He was very lucky to have the woods in him and to be getting back to it. “I hope you have good fishing,” he said, and meant it.
    “And you as well. I hope everything comes to you that you want.”
    Brian smiled and watched the woods and lakes unroll beneath the plane. The droning of the engine made him drowsy and his eyes closed, then opened again, and he thought—looking across the wilderness, half-asleep—he thought, lord, what a wonderful place this is, and knew it was a kind of prayer.
The List
CANOE , 17-foot, Kevlar, named The Raft, from my time with Derek on the river. With two wide wood paddles with glassed tips. Repair kit with a piece of glass cloth and epoxy resin. Light life-vest flotation device.
STRAIGHT BOW , Wood-and-glass-laminated, 45-pound pull at 26-inch draw, 4 extra strings. 100 cedar arrow shafts, all spine tested for stiffness to match the bow. 60 field points, 50 MA-3 broadheads, nocks, precut 4-inch feathers—turkey, not plastic—glue to make everything, point cement, small fletcher to put feathers on, plastic tapering tool to work shafts down to take the points and nocks.
    He debated long on the arrows—whether to take premade arrows or the materials to make them and in the end did both. He had two dozen finished arrows, half broadheads and half field points.
Small stone and file to sharpen broadheads. Plain leather quiver to hang down the center of my back.
Again, he debated whether to use a standard over-the-shoulder quiver or a center-hung with double harness. He decided on the center quiver because his head would protect the arrows and keep them from hitting things when he was moving through the brush.
KNIFE , Plain hunting-style knife with cross hilt and straight 6-inch flat blade sharpened on one side except for the tip, to be sharpened also on the top back about 2 inches. A tool—and a weapon. Use the same stone and file for sharpening the broadheads to sharpen the knife and hatchet.
HATCHET
    There were many variations he could have gone with here, as with knives, but he chose a plain belt ax, not unlike the one his mother had given him when he started north the first time. Like the knife, it was always on his belt and would always be there. He had learned that it was much better to have a tool-weapon with you and not need it than it was to need one and not have it.
FISHING GEAR , Nothing fancy. 2 spools of braided line, 20-pound test, a dozen metal leaders and a container of small sinkers, the kind with the rubber twist center. Small plastic box with 100 assorted fishhooks. No rod, no reel, just the hooks, line and sinkers.
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