Paddling the Tennessee River: A Voyage on Easy Water

My wife and I do quite a bit of paddling. I was interested in learning about the Tennessee River when I first moved to Tennessee. I got much more than I bargained for with this book. Not only does the author narrate the journey, it was also the most painless introduction to a local region and its history that I have ever read. The author can come off as a bit of a tree hugger at times, but take it with a grain of salt. He did an outstanding job with this book and his writing style made it a very enjoyable read. I would recommend this to anyone.

This book is fun to read. The historical aspects of the book hold the book together. As for the narrative it is too self centered. He worries too much about too many things. I can relate to the conflict between powerboaters and others. Some of the areas that he paddles my wife and I have paddled. He offered few details he doesn't side trip at Wheeler into the wildlife refuge,he just rushes through. He set an impossible schedule that made it hard to enjoy the trip. He talks way too much about his dog. We have a dog. Maybe he should have noticed the eagles and the turtles. When we paddle we enjoy the time well spent.

Kim Trevathan's Paddling the Tennessee River: A Voyage on Easy Water is that rare bit of travel writing that manages to be informative, entertaining, and well written. As Trevathan makes his way down the essentially tamed Tennessee River looking for clues to its former wildness and beauty, he goes beyond a mere recording of visual observations and ends up with a story that reads more like a good novel than anything else. In the course of this book, which covers his five week journey down river, he touches on the history of the river and the region, modern eco-politics, the anti-septic world of corporate America (from which Trevathan is on brief hiatus), the prevailing southern stereotypes (will he or will he not be required to squeal like a pig at some juncture of his journey) and the still-surviving beauty of the great Outdoors. In short, this is an ambitious book, a commendation in itself. That Trevathan manages to chew what he has bitten off with humor, insight, and intelligence is a testament to his many talents. Oh, and you'll love the dog.

Trevathan's account of his canoe trip with his dog Jasper on the Tennessee River is an easy paddling sort of read. Like the trip itself, it's musing, meandering, a little slow in some places, but rapid and tense in others. The book is at its best with sidebars about the river's place in history - more specifically TVA history, descriptions of the Trail of Tears motorcycle ride in Florence, Alabama and conversations with real life characters who manage to make the Tennessee River their livelihood.Trevathan wrestles with the divergent interests that often conflict with each other. On one hand the TVA dams prevent widespread flooding and destruction of homes, but it also strips the river of its natural beauty. He rails against the large cabin cruisers that create wakes that toss his tiny boat, but then makes friends with a married couple who offer him cold beer and a tour of their luxury houseboat. The book is a reflection of the river --- a flotsam of history, travel, and an indictment of the insanity called "progress." Trevathan has successfully completed two voyages: one was canoeing the Tennessee, the other was writing about it.