Canoeing: A Woman's Guide

In 1999 and 2000--as a young, adventure-crazed hippy--I spent six-and-a-half months circumnavigating the entire 1,960-miles shoreline of Lake Powell, in Utah and Arizona, in a beat-up Old Town-Tripper. I canoed the shores of every river arm, every bay, every canyon, and every cove. I lived mainly on brown rice, experienced terrifying waves and windstorms, spent weeks of the winter in crushing solitude, and months of the summer dodging drunken jet-skiers. For over six months, canoeing was my life, and this book was my only instructor. I had no clue what I was doing, but in a matter of days, studying this book and following its advice, I was able to meet every challenge nature could offer. My next planned trip is a long kayak paddle along the entire chain of Aleutian Islands...and I'll be taking a Laurie Gullion book with me then, as well. Probably her book on coastal sea kayaking--and next time I'll practice more. If you're interested in canoeing, get this book. It will tell you all the basic strokes you need to know, and give you good advice on safety and equipment.