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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Water sports & recreations > Boating > Canoeing & kayaking
Tired of an unfulfilling life in Kansas City, Missouri, Patrick
Dobson left his job and set off on foot across the Great Plains.
After two and a half months, 1,450 miles, and numerous encounters
with the people of the heartland, Dobson arrived in Helena,
Montana. He then set a canoe on the Missouri and asked the river to
carry him safely back to Kansas City, hoping this enigmatic
watercourse would help reconnect him with his life. In Canoeing the
Great Plains, Dobson recounts his journey on the Missouri, the
country's longest river. Dobson, a novice canoeist when he begins
his trip, faces the Missouri at a time of dangerous flooding and
must learn to trust himself to the powerful flows of the river and
its stark and serenely beautiful countryside. He meets a cast of
characters along the river who assist him both with the mundane
tasks of canoeing-portaging around dams and reservoirs and finding
campsites-and with his own personal transformation. Mishaps,
mistakes, and misadventures plague his trip, but over time the
river shifts from being a frightening adversary to a welcome
companion. As the miles float by and the distinctions blur between
himself and what he formerly called nature, Dobson comes to grips
with his past, his fears, and his life beyond the river.
"With a naturalist's keen eye and the sense of adventure of an
explorer, Doug Alderson reveals a compelling glimpse of Florida.
Wild Florida Adventures proves that there's so much more to the
Sunshine State than condos and theme parks." Conor Mihel,
editor-at-large, Canoe & Kayak Magazine "Only consummate
Florida outdoor writer Doug Alderson could have penned such a
delightful - and practical - guide to exploring the state's natural
wonders." Jennifer Portman, Tallahassee Democrat senior writer.
"I've had a great time traipsing around the Florida rivers and
trails with Doug Alderson, and as a Florida native, I learn
something new every trip. I'm very excited about this book... so I
can help unlock the secret places Doug knows about and I haven't
been " Bryan Desloge, President, Florida Association of Counties On
land or water, Florida is a wild playground because of its
incredible beauty, diversity and vast stretches of public lands. In
Wild Florida Adventures, author and photographer Doug Alderson will
inspire you to pick up a paddle or lace up the hiking boots and
start exploring the Sunshine State. From kayaking the length of the
Florida Keys to searching for record-sized trees in a huge swamp to
meeting the famous naked man of the Santa Fe River, this
complementary sequel to Wild Florida Waters takes readers into
Florida's unique places. A couple of favorite rivers such as the
Suwannee and Wekiva are revisited with a different twist, and land
adventures include a journey through the botanical wonderland of
Torreya State Park, an exploration of a wild cave near Marianna,
and a frigid campout in the Osceola National Forest with former
Florida senator and governor Lawton Chiles. One out-of-state
adventure-trying to tackle the mighty Mississippi River by
canoe-has been added because it reveals the shortcomings of
planning a long-distance trip a thousand miles away in Florida. The
results are disastrous-and funny. Useful how-to information at the
end of each chapter helps people plan their own adventures.
The Runyaker's Journey is a story of two journeys. The first, the
Horseshoe-to-Horseshoe Runyaking Expedition, a solo adventure of
paddling and running 1400 miles from Oxford, MI to Niagara Falls,
ON. The journey took fifty-seven days over four summers, using a
9.5-ft kayak he calls Swiftee. Secondly, it's the vehicle used to
tell the Runyaker's life journey, which is that of a true-to-life
Forrest Gump-like character, a boy growing up in Little Chicago, a
run-down rural area near Clio, MI. Despite having slim chances of
succeeding he grows into a man that accomplished many remarkable
things.
What makes a working mother and average athlete decide to take on a massive physical and mental challenge to run, cycle and kayak the perimeter of South Africa, covering 6 772 km in less than five months? Kim van Kets was inspired by her desire to demonstrate to her daughter the fact that mothers are heroes too. She was able to justify the 'time-out' after having built up a credit balance of 150 days owed to her by her adventurer husband. Her story is a
positive and enthusiastic 'off the beaten track' South African adventure and is amusing, anecdotal and inspiring.
It tells of the physical and mental challenges of the journey but focuses on stories surrounding the people and places she encountered along the
way, including those of the ancient Kalahari farmer who pronounced her to be a 'Ramkat' and the Nama goatherd who seemed doubtful about her gender and anxious to be rid of her. The book is also a wonderful South African travelogue and is studded with nuggets of history and fascinating trivia about the plants, animals, characters and places as well as brief summaries of important life lessons the journey highlighted for the author.
It will leave the reader feeling upbeat, inspired and eager to explore the splendour of the beloved country and its people.
The importance of delivering the psychological fundamentals to
achieve paddling success. What's the connection between what
paddlers think and feel and how they perform? How does mental
preparation help performance? What do paddlers and their coaches
need to do, to ensure paddlers perform at their best when it
counts? Former international paddler and now sport psychologist
Jonathan Males combines his many years of experience working with
successful competitors with recent research in this accessible
book, designed to help paddlers and coaches understand the theory
behind success and provide practical skills to improve performance.
Relevant for competitors in all disciplines as well as for
recreational paddlers, In the Flow features chapters on
self-confidence, decision-making, teamwork, whitewater paddling,
competition and the joys of wilderness paddling.
Making a Bent Shaft Laminated Canoe Paddle is all about the very
enjoyable process of making your own paddle. Laminating is all
about using epoxy to join weak wood strips into amazingly strong
paddle shafts and blades. This book walks the reader through the
setup, materials, tools, and the workflow to turn out your own wood
canoe paddles. Hand tools, especially a spokeshave, but also a
block plane and scrapers allow for even the beginning woodworker to
turn out a beautiful paddle that is every bit as functional as it
is art worthy. The setup portion includes a plan and materials list
for a paddle form that simplifies adding the bend to the shaft and
aligning the shaft pieces. The materials portion includes
discussions of shaft, handle and blade as well as epoxy for shaft
and blade and fiberglass for the blade. The tool segment discusses
how spokeshave, block plane, scraper and an assortment of sandpaper
are frequently used, as well as other optional tools like a
Japanese pull saw, an Xacto knife, and other sanding tools. The
workflow of paddle making is basically the whole book. Broadly
speaking there is an assembly portion of a paddle project and a
shaping portion. But in the garage during the reality of making a
paddle both assembly and shaping are mixed together. Sometimes it
is easier to do shaping prior to assembling something else.
Sometimes it is easier to skip part of the shaping bit and go e.g.,
use the paddle to get a better sense of length and then come back
to the shop and complete the shaft and the handle. Many options
exist within the workflow of paddle making. It can be a flexible
process. It's a great feeling to go paddling. It's even better when
you are using one of your very own hand made paddles
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