Watertrail: The Hidden Path Through Puget
Sound
by Joel Rogers
(Sasquatch Books, 1998)
Photographer/author Joel Rogers makes it easy to get lost in the
breathtaking scenery of Washington States Cascadia Marine
Trail, the 400-plus mile route that took him through Puget Sound
and the San Juan Islands. But theres more to the Watertrail
story than just pretty picturestheres also some incredibly
evocative writing. In fact, the first sentence in the book pretty
much tells you what youre in for: The scenic details
of Budd Inlet revealed themselves in all their early-morning glory:
ragged lines of pilings from long-ago mills, the rotting keels
of beached boats, and the Capitol dome rising over the town of
Olympia.
Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Womans
Journey Through the Northwest Passage
by Victoria Jason
(Turnstone Press, 1999)
What does it take to paddle, largely alone, from Churchill, Manitoba,
to Tuktoyuktuk on the Beaufort Sea, and survive? Heres a
hint: Think Victoria Jason. She completed the 4,600-mile feat
between 1991 and 1994. And the two-time stroke victim and grandmother
of two had only been paddling for a year when she started. Impressed
yet? Dont be, thats just the beginning of the courageous
story detailed in Kabloona. Her observations of the landscape
and the people she meets elevate this paddling memoir and make
for a captivating read.
Homelands: Kayaking the Inside Passage
by Byron Ricks
(William Morrow, 1999)
Forgoing the luxury of a standard honeymoon, Ricks and his new
bride spent five months paddling the Inside Passage from Canada
to Seattle. What could have been a run-of-the-mill paddling book
in less-skilled hands is transformed into a personal account of
the couples attempts to build a life for themselves among
the people and places of an intricate coastal waterway. But thats
not to say that the author slouches off as a travel writerhe
dishes out local lore and paddling adventure with the best of
them. The very name, Inside Passage, seemed to carry an
intimacy, he writes, a knowing. It would be a personal
voyage. As much as anything, it would be a journey home.
Paddle to the Arctic
by Don Starkel
(McClelland and Stewart, 2000)
Its hard to talk about Victoria Jasons book Kabloona
(see earlier reference) without mentioning Starkel, who attempted
the Northwest Passage trip three times (once with Jason in 1991)
before finally making it, surviving conditions and setbacks that
are sure to send a shiver down your spine. The resulting book,
written in journal form, offers a frank look at what surviving
in the Arctic is all about. I am very green
to the Arctic, he writes early on, inexperienced but
I dont think arrogant or overconfident
Today was crazy
and risky. Paddled through the ice fields in all directions. Only
my coolness and deck compass saved my life.