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Happy National Blueberry Pie Day! 🫐🥧
Paddle to the Amazon: 40-year anniversary
- Thread starter PaddlingPitt
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I've read both of his books--Paddle to the Arctic, and Paddle to the Amazon. He should have died multiple times. And I can't figure out why he didn't. He did persevere, though.
I also have read both books. He was very lucky to have survived his arctic trip. He was essentially frozen into the ice, wearing only sneakers on his feet. His son had come looking for him, and essentially demanded a search and rescue.
Epic adventures are made by only two kinds of people really. Experienced expedition paddlers who know what they are getting into and inexperienced dreamers that really have no idea. This guy was in the second group. Much like through hiking the PCT or AT these kinds of trips are often made by people making a life change and looking for some introspection.
I am reading Never Cry Wolf at the moment, the classic by Farley Mowat. Another great adventure by a newbie. The story is still wonderful.
I am reading Never Cry Wolf at the moment, the classic by Farley Mowat. Another great adventure by a newbie. The story is still wonderful.
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I should have said he was wearing nothing more on his feet than sneakers. I’m pretty sure he had more clothes on than sneakers on his feet.
I have signed copies from Don. My buddy who ran the school club before me became friends with Don, and would stop in to see him whenever he was in Winnipeg. We had a particularly difficult trip planned, the Pays Plat trip, where one essentially carries a canoe over one's head from Geraldton to Lake Superior, and we were in the process of trying to get him up to talk to the kids, so that they might understand the nature of suffering and persistence. Can't remember what happened, I think his house partially burned down or something, and it never panned out. He was no slouch in experience, and had been a member of the 1967 Confederation cross-Canada canoe race. However, he was a very stubborn fella who seemed to have a unique ability to piss people off. i also read Kabloona in a yellow Kayak, it was fairly enlightening.
There are several points in the Kabloona book, that our hero doesn’t come across as very heroic. Of course, that’s probably true for most of us.
Victoria Jason, his arctic trip partner and Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak author gave a talk at our kids school some 25 years ago. She was very diplomatic but it was clear that Don wasn't easy to paddle with.
On an arctic sea kayak trip my wife and I did in 2008 out of Kugaaruk we came across a plaque on the shore of Pelly Bay honouring Victoria's work in bringing the culture of the kayak back to the community and kids of Kugaaruk in the years she spent there after their trip.
On an arctic sea kayak trip my wife and I did in 2008 out of Kugaaruk we came across a plaque on the shore of Pelly Bay honouring Victoria's work in bringing the culture of the kayak back to the community and kids of Kugaaruk in the years she spent there after their trip.
