[Paddlewise] Discovery vs. GPS vs. guidebooks rant

Gordin said (snip):

>I'm firmly in the same camp as Dave Kruger when it comes to sharing camping 
>spots.  Specifically I hate becoming a slave to some guidebook authors 
>recommendations.<

Yeah, I was wondering when someone was going to rant on this subject. I 
agree too - slaving yourself to a guide book kinda flies in the face of what 
kayak-touring is all about, which is of course, freedom.

I think if anyone is silly enough to stand off shore, fretting over some 
distant point where allegedly exists an author's perception of a great 
camping/lay-over spot, well, their just silly.

Having said that, I am grateful for some of the spots I've located via guide 
books and maps over the years, spots that were off the beaten track, that 
were just plain gorgeous, and spots that I probably would not have taken aim 
for, typically, without the recommendation of an author.

To be fair to some of these authors/ guidebook writers, we can choose not to 
purchase their books and go au natural. I for one think there's a balance 
somewhere in this discussion, as always.

As for better sites, you do speak some truth into the situation. However, I 
always make my prime motivating factor (when choosing a spot to overnight or 
hang for a day or two) the usual: lee shore questions, weather, tide 
accessibility, sun-up vs. sun-down ambient light, etc. Good guide books 
denote some of these factors. A guide book is simple that - a guide (as in 
guidelines).

>Even worse is the epiphany book.  The type where the author meets god or 
>has a religious experience that they are compelled to share with everyone. 
>Very few writers do this well.  Rev. Bob is one of the few...<

Interesting point, perhaps one best left for personal discussion, but I do 
understand your sentiment. My own opinion on this matter seems to vacillate. 
In the past I've appreciated everything from forum posts, magazine articles, 
and books  - where the author has taken the time to write their personal 
reflections in an intelligible, meaningful, and hopefully somewhat relevant 
way, as long as it is well-articulated. But is does tend to get a bit thick 
when every new paddler out there makes some epic (or not so epic) voyage 
where there's all this personal discovery going on all of a sudden, whereby 
they then insist on writing all about it. What's too much or not enough 
epiphany for one person's taste, isn't for another's. Again, a little 
balance is nice here too. I'd be perhaps more hesitant to expunge this 
aspect of paddling than you would (by the sounds of it). Certainly a writer 
like Chris Duff is an award-winning writer, recognized for his reflective 
style, but I know there are those who have gotten bogged down reading his 
work.

There are those who I'm sure prostitute their paddling experience to cash in 
on the popularity of paddling right now, and there are those who simply 
can't help but share what transpired personally during some backcountry 
voyage. I certainly don't resent either of these two theoretical 
possibilities, but I can choose not to buy or read what I don't want to.

>That's it I'm going kayaking.<

Now that's an epiphany!!!  :-)

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC

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"Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said 
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Ludwig Wittgenstein
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