I was prepared to disfavor this guide. Partly due to my curmudgeonly ways. Partly because it will lead to more folks on my home waters, and in the way of the waterfowl that own those waters (or, should). But, I don't. It is actually quite good. And, it avoids __the__ cardinal sin of paddling guidebooks: illumination and exposure of all the secret places a paddlearea reveals to the dedicated explorer. Keith G. Hay's Timber Press production (ISBN 0-88192-620-5; $19.95) is a well-illustrated and smoothly crafted description of the lower hundred and fifty miles of the Columbia River, from Bonneville Dam to its mouth, near Ilwaco, WA. And, it details camping spots, access points, attractive features, and points of historical interest, both for the water-borne visitor and the highway traveler. As a bonus, Hay integrates selected excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark and identifies campspots used by the Corps of Discovery (complete with GPS coordinates!), along with the approximate route the explores took on the water. This is truly __the__ way to experience the last few weeks of their cross-continental journey to the Pacific. There is a concordance of plants and animals described by Lewis and Clark; a good bibliography of accessible materials about river history, geography, and biology; and, an appropriately balanced dissertation on hazards of paddling the Columbia, geared for novices and beginner paddlers. This includes strongly worded warnings, within the narrative, when the route reaches the more exposed and swirly waters down by my home town. In truth, these swirly waters hold no unusual terrors for prepared sea kayakers, but Hay's caveat is tuned for the unwary, as it should. [Those interested in anecdotal ventures detailing some of this water might visit these two URL's: http://www.kayakplace.com/essay/dkn/dkn02.htm http://www.kayakplace.com/essay/dkn/dkn11.htm ] Of course, there are errors and omissions, but few are serious, and only a couple could lead to difficult circumstances for paddlers. Hay has been careful to avoid exposing (or, perhaps ignorant of) many special, sensitive areas in the last forty miles, including a 70-nest heron rookery, several commando-style campspots along the Washington shore in places where you might __really want__ a campsite when it gets rough, and a seal and bald eagle hangout guaranteed to reward quiet paddlers with close-up views of these shy creatures. For this, he has earned my heartfelt gratitude. He may have even provided some purposeful misinformation to steer campers away from my favorite campsite, fabled Dead Wild Pig Island near Clatskanie. Could be there is a bit of Edward Abbey in old Keith ... At any rate, the book is definitely a critically important piece of gear for water travelers on the Lower Columbia, and well worth the price. I recommend it highly ... and I sure hope Keith comes through with that new carbon fiber stick he promised .. [grin]. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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