Northwind

Leif awakens from a nightmare where monsters drag him into a pit. Famished, Leif sets to fashioning a new fishing spear. Using skills he learned from Old Carl, Leif creates the spear from dried willow sharpened to points. However, his first attempts to fish with the new spear are unsuccessful. Leif is so hungry he holds rocks in his mouth to trick his belly into thinking he is eating. He is so immersed in his task that he doesn’t notice the birds have gone silent. Leif looks to the woods as a large brown bear approaches his camp. At first, seeing the bear’s large size, Leif thinks he is imagining it. Soon, though, the bear is rifling through his belongings, so close Leif can smell it. Suddenly, a wave of peace passes over Leif. He realizes that he can do nothing to save himself; he is at the mercy of Odin or his destiny. Having already survived so much, Leif no longer fears death. Leif marvels at the powerful creature and his foolish ignorance in missing the signs of bear activity in his camp. The bear comes closer, captures Leif’s scent, and walks away back into the woods. Realizing that fate looked kindly on him, Leif resolves that he’s an interloper in these areas and pledges to “join with and of this place. I will see. And learn. And know this place and all place that will come to me” (153).

After packing his gear, Leif paddles to a bear-free island and cooks his fish. After watching the bears eat grass, Leif surmises that he can add grass to his stew to improve the taste. Having lost the first wood carving, Leif plans a new work that will include more than just pictures and reveal his entire life history, beginning earlier than his escape from the fish camp plague. Leif finds berries to supplement his fish and briefly considers eating a raven as they relentlessly peck at his food. He departs the small island feeling at one with his canoe, the water, and all creation. 

Leif finds a habitual rhythm of paddling, fishing, camping, and sleeping. Through that rhythm, he gains a sense of equilibrium in life activities. He no longer overeats or over-dries the canoe on what he calls his “long stops” (160). He pauses working on his carving to consider why he feels compelled to document his story. Leif concludes that his work is meaningful because it is a way to preserve his story. During his extended camping stays, he works to repair his losses, remaking a spear and fashioning a new paddle. Leif thinks about his former life of forced labor on a stinking ship and concedes that though he is alone, he prefers this unfettered life: “His place of life had gone from a dark little hovel in a half-rotten ship to all of everything” (162).

The more he paddles, the more in tune Leif becomes with the current rhythms that he uses to his advantage in navigating the inlets. Soon, he notices a marked change in the feeling of the water and realizes that he has reached the sea. Leif remembers how Old Carl described the ocean swells as the “heartbeat of the ocean” (164). Seeing the ocean changes Leif’s perspective, and suddenly his canoe feels very small. Knowing that his canoe is no match for the ocean waves, Leif hugs the shoreline as he continues north. Even then, the steep, craggy canyons and expansive inlets make navigating more difficult. After observing the changes in the tidal movements, Leif discovers that he can cross the inlets at high tide and shelter near shore when the low tide causes dangerous white caps and crashing waves. His efforts are successful until one attempt pulls him too far out, placing him at the mercy of the ocean. A group of dolphins swims near the canoe, and Leif notices that they don’t struggle against the waves but instead ride them. With some practice, Leif directs the canoe, and soon he is surfing the waves. Leif must control the boat’s direction so the waves don’t pound him into the cliffs, but otherwise, he enjoys being carried along by the powerful unseen force and learning another lesson about syncing with and submitting to nature.

As Leif pushes further north, the landscape changes again, and the lack of places to tie up safely forces him to sleep in the canoe most nights. Having prepared extra food ahead of time, Leif doesn’t starve, but he does miss the presence of berry bushes to supplement his diet. The birds return, and he is thankful for the respite from his solitude. The current is strong, and Leif grows exhausted from paddling. To keep going, he must summon the encouraging words of Old Carl. Once, when Leif was suffering aboard the seal-hunting ship enough to consider jumping overboard, Old Carl said, “We never know what is coming. All we know is that it will change—and what if it’s something good that you miss because you gave up?” (182). Emboldened by the memory, Leif ignores the pain in his arms and the pang of his empty belly and presses on.

A dense, disorienting fog descends, and Leif hears a strange sound of something large crashing into the water. He emerges from the fog into a bay full of hunting whales rocketing out of the water and violently crashing back down. Every variety of whale is present, and their movements toss the little canoe about like a toy. Simultaneously awed and terrified of the feeding frenzy, Leif has to dart around to avoid being smashed under a falling whale. Though he feels helpless, Leif understands that the whales are just following their instinct to feed. He watches them use the bubble trap technique to corral the fish and then scoop them into their cavernous mouths before squirting out the extra water, a process he finds remarkable. After dodging several close calls with whales’ mouths, Leif is soaked and must bale water from his canoe. Finally, he paddles to shore and quickly makes camp. Leif concludes that each time he has a brush with death, he learns something new.

Leif enters a new landscape that he describes as “[a] world of giants” (197). The grand scale of the land formations reminds him of a lesson Old Carl taught him about how small humans are compared to the vastness of the sky and the sea. After the latest incident with the whale feeding frenzy, Leif paddles close to the shore, which allows him to find berries. A gray whale swims near him, and Leif imagines that the whale holds the spirit of his mother. He cherishes the gentle presence of the whale and names her Grace after the old woman who cared for him on the docks when he was a baby. When he must stop to fish and camp, the whale leaves, and Leif grieves. He feels privileged to witness several more whale feedings, referring to them as “whale dances” (202).

Though he longs to explore every deep inlet, Leif has learned to carefully monitor the currents to avoid disaster. The current is so strong that some days he must paddle all day without stopping. When he pushes himself too far, Leif begins to hallucinate. First, he thinks of Old Carl and Little Carl, but soon, he is imagining whales, lights, and clouds. Leif sees what he thinks is a large blue ship. The sight sends him into mental turmoil, as his greatest fear is to be imprisoned on a ship again. The mirage turns out to be an iceberg with seals sliding down the side. Leif touches the iceberg and finds that the melted water is fresh, not salty. As he continues into the bay, more icebergs appear, and their brilliant blue color entrances Leif. He enters what Old Carl called a “fjord” (213) and hears a thundering sound. Soon a large wave crests and just misses in capsizing the canoe. At the end of the bay is a large glacial wall, with pieces of the ice calving into the water, creating tsunamis. Mesmerized by the ethereal blue light shining through the ice, Leif considers staying before accepting that it isn’t safe. He finds a place to tie up, harvests some blackberries, and absorbs the beauty of the scene for just a bit longer. 

Leif remains at the ice wall for several days. After a large ice block falls into the water, he harnesses the power of the wave to exit the fjord. The weather warms, and Leif soaks in the sun and works on his storyboard. Leif turns contemplative, reflecting on the power of this period of his journey: “He now moved into a time that he knew he would remember for the rest of his life” (220). Leif sleeps deeply and dreams again of his mother. Though he longs to see her face, in his dreams, it remains hidden. Leif concludes that he is creating the storyboard to understand his origins. Thinking about his vivid dream life, Leif deduces that there must be a way to connect his waking life to his dreams. If he works on the storyboard right before falling asleep, he hopes that his mother will see his story and know how his life has gone. Then, maybe she will turn and show herself to him.

After another long stay on a bear-free island, Leif is fully stocked with dried fish and paddles north. The ocean grows larger, and the waves become more formidable. Leif finds a beautifully crafted oar marked with the word “OSPREY” (228). The oar hasn’t been in the water long enough to decay, and Leif knows there is a ship nearby. Leif determines that he isn’t ready for life on a ship again and turns south. He plans to make a camp for the winter, hunt for a large, flat fish Old Carl once told him about, and continue learning about surviving in nature.