Other editions of book Snow Man: John Hornby in the Barren Lands by Malcolm Waldron

Hornby, who came from an affluent British family, emigrated to Canada in 1904 and fell in love with the Canadian North. Known as a man who could deal with any situation, however adverse, he seemed to seek out hardship. According to legend he could "out-Indian the Indians" in his ability to survive in the northern wilds and often set out into the bush with little more than a rifle, a gillnet, a bag of flour, and tea. His strange and solitary ways earned him the nickname "Hermit of the North" and old-timers often described him as "bushed" or "bush-queer" as a result of spending too much time in the bush.