There’s a particular kind of man who looks at a map of northern Canada and thinks, “Yeah, let’s raise a kid there.” My mate Drew is one of them.

We were at school together from 9 to 18, bonded over a shared disregard for authority, a love of football, and channeling Muddy Waters on the guitar (he could rip, I mostly sat nearby and nodded enviously).

He lives in the Yukon now, where moose outnumber people 2:1, winters tickle -30, and the wildlife could end your bloodline with alarming efficiency. He’s a university professor, adventure froth-lord, and all-round grabber of life’s proverbials who inspires me immensely.

What impresses me most is how he’s raising his 7 year-old son, B. Backcountry skiing, wild camping, paddling into very remote places with no signal or easy exit. Most of us are trying to squeeze a bit more nature into family life but Drew’s built the whole thing around it. I wanted to see what that actually looks like, and what the rest of us can steal.