Snowshoes and Solitude

In the spring of 1994, Les Stroud and Sue Jamison bade farewell to modern society and followed their hearts north, into the remote reaches of the Canadian wilderness. Leaving home, family and jobs behind, they would spend the next year living closer to the land than most of us could ever imagine. And they did it without the luxury of a single modern convenience. Les and Sue were attempting to replicate life in North American some 500 years ago, before Europeans first set foot on the continent. They created fire without matches. They built a shelter with a stone axe. They survived on what the bush provided. In doing so, they realized the true meaning of living wild, and how closely life and death coexist when you're many miles from human contact. Snowshoes and Solitude is the incredible story of Les and Sue's year in the Wabakimi wilderness. It chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the daily lives, and their burning love and respect for the natural world.

Directed by Les Stroud, Snowshoes and Solitude leans on a strong ensemble — Les Stroud — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2001.