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Park Bagger

Park Bagger

Adventures in the Canadian National Parks
ISBN: 9781771604789
$32.00
  • Paperback / softback With flaps

An inspiring collection of thrilling personal adventures and stunning photographs sharing the incredible diversity and profound beauty of Canada's national parks.

Distributed across the second-largest country in the world, the Canadian national parks can be challenging to get to. Many of them are so remote that they have no road access or infrastructure of any kind, but they are not impossible to visit. Although much of the vast Canadian wilderness is fraught with challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and sometimes threatening wildlife, there are also pleasant beaches, waterfalls, and places to kick back and relax in.

Explorer Marlis Butcher has "bagged" all of the Canadian national parks. In her quest to visit and get to know the parks, Marlis canoed, kayaked, mountain biked, backpacked, hiked, snowshoed, snorkelled, and trekked by whatever means of travel she could devise. During her park explorations she's encountered grizzly and black bears, polar bears, wolves, and wolverines. She's survived incredible storms, falls off mountainsides, and sinking boats. Marlis has investigated uncharted lands and travelled down quaint country roads. In Park Bagger, she shares her adventures, with the objective to encourage others to explore the national parks and to protect Canada's vast wilderness.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
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M
M. P. Courville
Time well spent on a great book!

This fantastic book found its way to me a bit like like an inviting lighthouse peaking its singular flame of light through a foggy sea. Being a very fortunate new member of the esteemed Explorers Club, and having been helped out quite a bit by a fellow member in my application process, I thought it might be a nice gesture to try out a book written by the first Canadian member I had a chance to connect with. I had also come to the realization in recent years that small print and/or self-published authors are far more deserving of our attention, than the humble review counts on the usual platforms seem to at times imply.

Being outside of my usual genres of reading, this book really surprised me. The initial chapters on remote Canadian wilderness in the far northern regions had me absolutely glued to the pages. I would begin each chapter, being each national park itself, with a look at the provided map, and appreciation for the associated photos to each. I found myself constantly stopping mid-chapter to look up even more photos. I also had the habit of taking a few particular snippets of newly learned information with me to coffee time with my wife. From the descriptions of harsh terrain and weather, to the calming visuals of peaceful scenery, each chapter came alive as if I was there experiencing the parks for myself.

I appreciated the generously shared introspective words of experience, in-between the joys and challenges along the way. At a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters that involved mountainous areas. So much so, that I began to add to my list of places to travel to in the future. In our over-stimulated, information-condensed world, this book brings to life part of the uncorrupted innocence that we all came from.

Matthew

A
Amazon Customer
Love the book, the content and the spirit!

What a wonderfully descriptive and well written book on Canada's National Park's. I am indebted to Marlis Butcher's meticulous note taking of her observations in visiting them... all? Makes me want to get back out there and explore the ones I haven't yet been to.

M
Marie Gavin
Park Bagger

Used book arrived in wonderful shape. Great read about the author's trips to all of Canada's national parks. Photos from each park as well.

Q
Queenie
Makes me want to go exploring!!

I gave this book 4 stars because for me personally, it was one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. I am now more determined than ever to cross more adventures off my bucket list now that I’m entering my retirement years. Not all Marlis Butcher’s experiences are my forte: such as slogging through the high arctic for 15 days carrying 25 kilos on my back or doing a wet exit in a kayak on Lake Superior BUT reading this book piqued my interest of many destinations within Canada and as I researched all the options, I realized that many exciting quests are within my reach – even at my age. (For example, there is a river rafting outfitter that does excursions in the far north that states that the average age of their clients is 57 and many are in their 80s!) This book was possible because Marlis kept a journal during all her travels; something I have come to realize is quite important to preserve the memories of the minute details, thoughts and emotions that may otherwise become lost with the passing of time. I regret that I have lapsed in the habit many years ago and have promised myself to keep a journal during every trip I go on from now on.
However, the reading becomes rather tedious in many places. I think this is because the chapters covering each park are grouped together as a region instead of being presented chronologically in the order they were visited. Many of the parks within the same region so similar that it seems like if had been to one, you’d been to them all. This book serves just as much a personal account of a lifelong ambition as it is a presentation of material designed to inspire potential park visitors. It’s a treasure trove of information with regards to history, flora and fauna of each park and region and Marlis writes from a personal perspective which I really enjoyed and felt like I could relate to.
This is just my opinion but I think as a reader I would have been drawn in even more if the book was presented entirely in chronological order: beginning with her first trips as a teenage Girl Guide, where her passion for the outdoors and learning about this country was ignited and concluding with her final trip in 2019 to Ukkusiksalik where she lost her precious hunting knife her godmother had given her for her 16th birthday, and a companion consoling her by saying this was a symbolic exchange for completion of her mission to visit all of the parks.
(I understand many people would prefer the format of the chapters being grouped together by region because it may make it easier to reference but this could be overcome by adding an index listing all the parks by region and their corresponding page numbers in the book.)

L
Liz P
Great Resource on Canadian National Parks

A good friend wrote this book and I'm looking forward to reading it on my holiday. She's pretty adventurous so I'm expecting a good read.

Book Details

448

April 27, 2021

Width: 6.00 in
Height: 9.00 in

“Wow! To the world’s list of dauntless, determined, and inspirational adventurers, we must now add the name Marlis Butcher. This impressive work brings to life her decades-long exploration of Canada’s national parks and finds her ranging among glacier-fed lakes, white-water rivers, and snow-capped mountains – not to forget ocean waters east, west, and north. Park Bagger is a keeper.” — Ken McGoogan, author of Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage and Flight of the Highlanders: The Making of Canada

“Few of us will ever get the chance to experience all of Canada’s national parks, but for those of us who can’t, Marlis Butcher’s book offers armchair travellers an escape into the wilds of Canada’s diverse national parks. It’s an eloquent tribute to these national treasures.” — Adam Shoalts, Ph.D., national bestselling author of Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic

“Marlis Butcher has an insatiable curiosity that is infectious. This intrepid, never-say-can’t, modern-day explorer’s account of her quest to visit every one of Canada’s national parks leaves me with an enriched sense of our vast nation’s unique resources, history, and culture.” — Sharon Wood, Canadian mountaineer, author of Rising: Becoming the First North American on Everest

“Intrepid explorer Marlis Butcher’s new book captures the uniqueness, majesty, and beauty of Canada’s national parks. Over years, she braved extreme weather, rugged terrain, and isolation to experience the raw, awe-inspiring allure that is Canada.” — Milbry Polk, author of Women of Discovery: A Celebration of Intrepid Women Who Explored the World

“Canada’s national parks are not ‘parks’ in the manicured, civilized, effete sense of the word. Instead they are sprawling, remote wilderness refuges populated by wolves, grizzly bears, and sea lions, often difficult to access and barely explored. Marlis Butcher proves herself to be up to the challenge of getting to all of them, hiking through them, photographing them, and, most importantly, writing about her adventures in them with entertaining skill and passion. Highly recommended.” — Peter Rowe, adventurer, filmmaker, and author of Adventures in Filmmaking

“Anyone wanting to experience the Canadian outdoors in an utterly unique way will find themselves immersed, transported through this country’s beauty with Marlis Butcher’s Park Bagger, a wonderful read for nature lovers and travellers alike.” — Bill Arnott, bestselling author of Gone Viking: A Travel Saga

“It’s no secret that many Canadians spend more time and effort travelling overseas than exploring the rich, varied, and exquisite beauty of their own country. Not so for Marlis Butcher, who made it her mission to visit Canada’s 48 national parks. From paddling the country’s northernmost navigable waterway, the Thomsen River in the High Arctic’s Aulavik National Park, to kayaking alongside sea lions in Haida Gwaii and hiking among antelope in Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, Butcher shares lively stories of tenting in driving rain, snowshoeing in frigid temperatures, and savouring a picnic lunch while whale watching on a sunny day in Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park, all with a hope of inspiring others to experience Canada’s greatest treasures.” — Lynn Martel, author of Stories of Ice: Adventure, Commerce and Creativity on Canada’s Glaciers and Tales & Trails: Adventures for Everyone in the Canadian Rockies

“Marlis Butcher takes us on a fabulous romp through our national parks. An inspiring read that will make you want to get off the couch and set off into the great wilderness areas of Canada.” — Frank Wolf, wilderness adventurer, documentarian, and author of Lines on a Map: Unparalleled Adventures in Modern Exploration

“What a grand adventure! It may have taken the better part of her adult life to accomplish, but we all get to benefit from Marlis Butcher’s obsession for visiting every Canadian national park. Her colourful descriptions of these natural and cultural treasures fills me with wanderlust. Whether you’re planning a family trip to Banff or an expedition to Ellesmere Island, Park Bagger is a great resource to help you get the most out of your Canadian national park adventure.” — George Kourounis, Royal Canadian Geographical Society explorer in residence and chair of the Canadian chapter of The Explorers Club

“Before you explore Canada’s National Parks, you must purchase two things: a park pass and a copy of Marlis Butcher’s Park Bagger. The first item grants access to these great lands; the second provides the inspiration.” — Jeremy Kroeker, author of Motorcycle Therapy and Through Dust and Darkness