A rebellious fourteen-year-old struggles to survive in Northern Ontario in his quest to find his missing father.

SYNOPSIS:

IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Synopsis

He said he’d be home by the next full moon, but that was almost two weeks ago. Where is Jason Sharman’s father? He is big, strong, invincible. What happened? Is the prospecting so good he’s stayed longer?

His mother attempts to conceal her grief but even at fourteen, Jason sees the deepening lines by her eyes and the sharpness in her voice. Now the bank manager is threatening to take the farm if the mortgage isn’t paid by the end of the month.

Leaving his younger brother in charge of the animals, Jason goes to his uncle for help. He follows the same path his father took over two months ago.

Jason thinks about his father and the conflicts between them. He’s no longer interested in going fishing or hunting, he wants to spend time with his friends, move into town, go to art school in Toronto. His father can’t understand him anymore and their conversations often end in an argument. Though his body has grown strong and muscular, inside Jason is still a boy in need of his father’s approval.

During his journey, Jason learns to overcome many obstacles. The first night, alone in the woods, the soothing daytime sounds of wildlife, now shrouded in darkness, become frightening. His body is weary, and he falls asleep quickly, but is startled awake when an owl swoops down at his tent.

He is relieved to reach his uncle’s cabin the next day, but that relief is short-lived. His uncle has broken his leg and is unable to go with him. He draws him a map for the route and sends him off with his blessing and his grandfather’s compass.

Jason deals with many new experiences - learning to cook over an open fire, making his bed of pine needles, encountering wolves, and a female cougar and her cubs. He learns to read nature’s signs, distinguish animal sounds and name the constellations.

A dog watches from the woods and one day Jason finds the animal caught in a trap and rescues him. The dog, he names Trapper, slowly becomes his friend. Making a fishing rod, Jason practices the casting skills his father taught him years before. He shares his catch with the dog. Another day, Trapper provides supper, a rabbit he caught.

Jason plans to cross a bridge over a river and make the final trek to the cabin where he hopes to find his father. But the bridge, destroyed by time and weather, forces him to find another way to cross. He thinks he’s found a safe place. He’s wrong. The current catches him and drags him down river. He hits his head on a rock but Trapper swims beside him, using his body to push Jason away from the powerful current and to shore.

Finally, Jason finds the cabin. His father is inside but, burning up with fever, he is semi-conscious. He has a large, infected wound on his leg. Despite his father’s groans of pain, Jason forces himself to lance and drain the wound. When the fever breaks and his father rouses, Jason continues to care for him, giving him fluids, making soup, dressing his wound.

After several days, his father’s condition improves but they are getting low on rations. Temperatures have dropped and snow has fallen freezing the land. Jason uses strips of rawhide from a rabbit he skinned to make snowshoes. Hunting for food, he regrets killing a deer, yet knows it is necessary for their survival.

He cooks deer steaks then uses tree branches and rawhide from the deer hide to build a travois. Before more snow comes, Jason settles his father in the travois, and they set out for home. Despite the frigid weather, Jason’s father sleeps much of their journey.

Jason follows his father’s directions for a short cut that avoids the downed bridge. But just as they reach the other bridge, they are attacked by a pack of wolves. His father tries to fight them off, but he is too weak. Jason grabs the rifle and shoots toward the wolves until they run off.

Exhausted, they finally make it to his uncle’s house. Jason falls into bed not waking until the next morning when a joyous reunion occurs. He is overwhelmed by the look of relief and joy in his mother’s eyes, and the look of pride in his father’s.

Jason learns not only to survive in the wilderness, but to accept and appreciate himself. In the days together, he and his father have developed a closeness and a mutual respect. Though Jason might never hear the words he wants, he understands the love his father has for him. And it is enough.