Book Review: Man and Dog By Justin Barbour

You can tell that adventure runs through Justin Barbour’s veins when he starts describing his joy for planning what most would consider a crazy idea. Take an adventurous camping trip and multiply it 10 fold to imagine what this fellow Canuck set out to do. To top it off, he brought his best friend along for the journey... Saku, a Cape Shore Water Dog. You would think it doesn’t get more ‘Newfoundland’ than that until Justin shares accounts of the kind people he met along the way, and the sheer beauty of Newfoundland’s backcountry.

Just as Justin wanders off the beaten path for his 700 km trip we read about the contrasts from snowy vistas of the Long Range Mountains to waking up to fog rolling through the forest of the Avalon Wilderness Reserve. His account shows just how much there is to discover within our own provinces.

The book seamlessly weaves between a mix of personal journal accounts of each day, tips for fellow campers, and nods to Newfoundland history. I especially appreciated the photos throughout the book and the two page map of his journey so I could follow along.

As he slogged through a 68 day expedition that spanned two seasons and a temperature range from -15 to 23 degrees, Justin’s optimism was impressive. Despite losing pieces of gear (and sometimes retrieving them again), trying his luck to supplement his diet on what ever he could fish, caring for his companion, and discovering the various ways that fatigue impacts you on such an arduous journey, he never sugar coated how much of an effort the journey was. Still, the positive outlook kept the story from ever feeling like he was in over his head. Justin planned well ahead for ‘the unknown’ and re-accounted in great detail every step of his journey.

This book was fun to read as you followed along with Justin and Saku’s incredible journey each step of the way.

Stay connected with Justin by following him online on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You can purchase the book on Justin’s online store, or the Kindle version at Amazon.ca or paperback at Indigo.ca.