Path of the Paddle PDF Download

Author: Bill Mason
Publisher: Key Porter
ISBN: 9780919493384
Category : Canoes and canoeing
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Author: Bill Mason
Publisher: Buffalo, N.Y. : Firefly Books ; [Toronto] : Key Porter Books
ISBN:
Category : Canoes and canoeing
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Excerpted from the Introduction The land Canoeing in North America has expanded in recent years to include practically every part of the map. In the United States people of all ages are taking to the rivers in ever-increasing numbers. Rivers that once were considered too dangerous are now canoed regularly as whitewater skills grow. In each state -- southern, prairie, mountain, or coastal -- canoeing has become a means of journeying into wilderness areas and providing the adventure that people are seeking. In Canada, you can put a canoe into the water at any major city and paddle to the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Arctic, or the Gulf of Mexico. The land is laced with a complex network of waterways; some are large, some are small, but most are navigable by canoe. When you look at the face of Canada and study the geography carefully, you come away with the feeling that God could have designed the canoe first and then set about to conceive a land in which it could flourish. The waterways are navigable because the canoe can be portaged easily around the difficult stretches of water. Even the portages over the height of land between watersheds are no longer than those around most rapids and falls. In one place the waters flowing to the Atlantic and the waters flowing to the Arctic are separated by no more than a beaver dam. It was the canoe that made it possible for the Indian to move around before and for several hundred years after the arrival of the white man. As the white man took over their land, the native people would regret the generosity with which they shared their amazing mode of travel. The more I study the birchbark canoe and what it can do, the greater is my admiration for these people who were here long before we arrived. The birchbark canoe is made entirely from materials found in the forest: birch bark, cedar, spruce roots, ash, and pine gum. When it is damaged, it can be repaired easily from the materials at hand. When it has served its purpose, it returns to the land, part of a never-ending cycle. Once you understand this cycle of growth, manufacture, use, and return to the land you begin to understand why our modern culture is in such trouble. The noncycle of growth, manufacture, use, and garbage is a dead end. This is not to discredit the marvelous things that modern technology brings us; but we need to be more aware of where we are headed and from whence we came. An appreciation of the canoe and acquisition of the necessary skills to utilize it as a way to journey back to what''s left of the natural world is a great way to begin this voyage of discovery. The shrinking land There was a time when traveling a distance of 5,000 miles (8000 km) in North America would have been regarded as a very long way. Before the railroad. covering that kind of distance meant extreme hardships any way you chose to make the trip. Improving methods of transportation has been a high priority of human beings as far back into recorded history as you care to go. With each improvement the world has grown smaller. Today you can cover 5,000 miles in about eight hours. All you have to do is go to the airport (which is usually the hardest part), buy a ticket, and select a seat in the smoking or nonsmoking section of the aircraft. About the greatest discomfort you might expect to endure is to end up in the smoking section if you are a nonsmoker or vice versa. When the choice of travel was limited to horse, canoe. wagon, ox cart, or on foot, this 5,000 miles could have taken a couple of years. Today, the earth is indeed getting very small. However, trying to convince the world of business and commerce that there are places on this earth where distances should remain undiminished is not an easy task. Such an idea is very difficult to defend in monetary terms. Perhaps the best way to make a case for primitive methods of travel is in the form of a parable. Let''s say you are hiking and come upon a beautiful, pristine lake nestled among high hills. You estimate to be a bout ten miles (16 Km) long and with great anticipation look forward to several days of a difficult but exciting journey of discovery around the shoreline. Before long a canoeist comes along and invites you to come aboard to make the journey easier. You gladly accept because the going is tough. Now you can get a better perspective on the shoreline and yet the pace is slow enough so that you do not miss anything. You are aware, however, that in accepting the ride the lake has diminished somewhat in size. You estimate that while hiking would have taken you at least four days, you will now be able to do it in an easy two. After a couple of miles, a motorboat comes along side and you a re offered a ride around the shoreline. The canoeist accepts, and while you are less than enthusiastic, you don''t have much choice. As the 100 horsepower (74 600 W) engine roars into action, you slowly become aware that the lake is beginning to feel very small. As the trees and cliffs race by, you realize that what you had hoped to discover in four days is now going to be revealed in a couple of hours. The miles are eaten away as you speed through each bay and inlet and race by most of the islands. When the journey is over and you are dropped off at the point where you first came upon the lake, the mystery is gone. You''ve seen it all; yet you''ve seen nothing. The motorboat driver meant well, but he has only succeeded in diminishing the size of the lake. You set up camp and watch the lengthening shadows. As you look far down the lake, you wish that you did not already Know what lay around that point. You regret that your first view into the hidden bay will not be the reward of a difficult hike tomorrow. For many people, the case I have just attempted to make would seem pointless. To them scenery is scenery, any way you get to see it. To others, it makes a lot of sense. It''s all a matter of perspective. What encourages me to write about the concept of keeping things undiminished by means of primitive travel is the fact that people do change their minds. I enjoy writing for the already converted, but the possibility that other people might awaken to this subtle concept of keeping what''s left of the natural world big is why I write this book. There is no shortage of road builders and people who make their living by shrinking distance. They will succeed too well if there are not enough of us around to present a case for the preservation of the natural environment. Some of it is a I ready overcrowded to the detriment of the plants, animals and native people who lived there long before we arrived. They all have a right to exist because all, like us, were created. In our modern, man-made world we tend to forget this. A journey by canoe a long ancient waterways is a good way to rediscover our lost relationship with the natural world and the Creator who put it all together so long ago. The path of the paddle can be a means of getting things back into their original perspective.

Author: Nick Offerman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698138325
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Parks and Recreation actor and Making It co-host Nick Offerman shares his humorous fulminations on life, manliness, meat, and much more in this New York Times bestseller. Growing a perfect moustache, grilling red meat, wooing a woman—who better to deliver this tutelage than the always charming, always manly Nick Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson? Combining his trademark comic voice and very real expertise in woodworking—he runs his own woodshop—Paddle Your Own Canoe features tales from Offerman’s childhood in small-town Minooka, Illinois—“I grew up literally in the middle of a cornfield”—to his theater days in Chicago, beginnings as a carpenter/actor and the hilarious and magnificent seduction of his now-wife Megan Mullally. It also offers hard-bitten battle strategies in the arenas of manliness, love, style, religion, woodworking, and outdoor recreation, among many other savory entrees. A mix of amusing anecdotes, opinionated lessons and rants, sprinkled with offbeat gaiety, Paddle Your Own Canoe will not only tickle readers pink but may also rouse them to put down their smart phones, study a few sycamore leaves, and maybe even hand craft (and paddle) their own canoes.

Author:
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395292037
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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A toy Indian and his canoe travel from Lake Nipigon to the Atlantic Ocean.

Author: Bill Mason
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781871890648
Category : Canoes and canoeing
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Author: Bill Mason
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781552635797
Category : Canoe camping
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
A sequel to the phenomenally successful Path of the Paddle, Bill Mason, one of Canada's most respected canoeists, conservationists and artists, offers his insight, experiences and expertise in this new edition of a classic. Included in this edition is an extensive, updated resource list on all aspects of canoeing in North America. (February 2004)

Author: Natalie H. Wiest
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 160344775X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Within about seventy-five miles of downtown Houston, some 1,500 miles of rivers, creeks, lakes, bayous, and bays await discovery. Canoeing and Kayaking Houston Waterways, by longtime paddler Natalie Wiest, is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to experience Houston’s well-watered landscape from the seat of a kayak or canoe. Before introducing readers to the quiet, green world that lies within and around the heart of the city, Wiest gives some pointers on water safety (including swimming and boating); on weather, flood stages, and legal access; and on an often unseen but always present paddling companion—alligators. She also provides a gear checklist for a day trip, a brief guide to boats and paddles, and a “sampler” list of easy places to paddle for true beginners. Presented in nine chapters, each organized around a river system or coastal basin and comprising a “suite” of paddling trips, the excursions described by Wiest offer a general description of the destination, directions (both driving and paddling), and details about the paddling conditions and access sites, which are all publicly owned or managed. Each chapter lists mileages, USGS gauging station numbers, and GIS locations when applicable. Also including ninety color photos and more than thirty detailed maps, Canoeing and Kayaking Houston Waterways offers both novice and experienced paddlers a helpful and enjoyable reference for experiencing nature at water level, in and around Houston. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

Author: Matt Gaw
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
ISBN: 9781783964352
Category : Canals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Tales of escape and adventure on Britain's waterways In The Pull of the River two foolhardy explorers do what we would all love to do: they turn their world upside down and seek adventure on their very own doorstep. In a handsome, homemade canoe, painted a joyous nautical red the colour of Mae West's lips, Matt and his friend James delve into a watery landscape that invites us to see the world through new eyes. Over chalk, gravel, clay and mud; through fields, woodland, villages, towns and cities, they reveal many places that otherwise go unnoticed and perhaps unloved, finding delight in the Waveney, Stour, Alde/Ore, upper and lower Thames, Lark, Great Ouse, Granta and Cam, Wye, Otter, Colne, Severn and the Great Glen Trail. Showing that it is still possible to get lost while knowing exactly where you are, The Pull of the River is a beautifully written exploration of nature, place and friendship, and an ode to the great art - and joy - of adventure.

Author: Don Starkell
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 0771082568
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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It was crazy. It was unthinkable. It was the adventure of a lifetime. When Don and Dana Starkell left Winnipeg in a tiny three-seater canoe, they had no idea of the dangers that lay ahead. Two years and 12,180 miles later, father and son had each paddled nearly twenty million strokes, slept on beaches, in jungles and fields, dined on tapir, shark, and heaps of roasted ants. They encountered piranhas, wild pigs, and hungry alligators. They were arrested, shot at, taken for spies and drug smugglers, and set upon by pirates. They had lived through terrifying hurricanes, food poisoning, and near starvation. And at the same time they had set a record for a thrilling, unforgettable voyage of discovery and old-fashioned adventure. "Courageous . . . Exciting and always immediate." -- The New York Times Book Review

Author: Hilary Russell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781614680536
Category : Boatbuilding
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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