This story is incredible. It describes the life style and working conditions Ed van Zeeland finds himself in, in a remote logging camp. He alternately is a tree planter, compass man, timber cruiser and road lay out man, and this thrilling, fascinating, heart-stopping narrative follows him as he goes from assignment to assignment throughout British Columbia over the course of a decade.During that era, van Zeeland experiences a life time's worth of escapades and meets a host of eccentric characters who, like him, share indomitable courage and devotion, and an unquenchable thirst for the great outdoors and the unsurpassed beauty of nature.His encounter with a black she-bear and more so his escape from a cougar are hair raising stories in this well written story.It is novel is sure to intrigue anyone who has ever worked in the woods, or walked in the woods, as well as anyone who enjoys reading about different lifestyles and different careers.There probably aren't many Ed van Zeelands left in the world, but his world is definitely worth reading about.