MANY BRITISH COLUMBIANS ARE proud to know that Whistler /Blackcomb is ranked number two in North America by leading ski magazines. But few of us realize the 120 kilometer Bowron Lakes canoe circuit has been called "one of the top ten canoe routes in the world" by Outside magazine. Chris and Jenny Harris are not' surprised. They've canoed the circuit dozens of times as professional guides. And they estimate that close to 100,000 people many from Europe have also paddled the route. Bowron Lakes Provincial Parks is nestled in the Cariboo mountains east of Barkerville. The couple, who lead at least four tour groups around the lakes every year and give lectures and slide shows about the lakes, have just released The Bowron Lakes (Soules $23.95). "The book is like a memory of the experience for those who have canoed the circuit," says Chris, "and an introduction for those going for the first time." The text includes descriptions of the natural and cultural history of the area by zoologist Syd Cannings and cultural historian Jim Boyde, and includes a map describing .the circuit. Harris says his Bowron book is the first one about this provincial park but the guide is misguided. Well illustrated with historical and contemporary photos, Richard Thomas Wright's Bowron Lakes: A Year-Round Guide (Heritage) updated in 1989, explores the liquid parallelogram with research drawn from the Barkerville archives and resource people such as hunter/outfitter Frank Cushman. "The history of the Bowron Lakes is closely tied to mining, trapping, big game hunting and resort style living," says Wright, "in that order. Where trappers, homesteaders and holidayers once tried to push back the wilderness, we now canoe, hike, snowshoe or ski in ways unchanged for a century. In many places you can sense the ghosts of days past." Harris ISBN: 0-9695235-0-S Wright ISBN: 0-919214-77-0

[BCBW 1991] "Outdoors";