[Paddlewise] Discovery vs GPS vs guidebook Rant

  My original rant was not so much against guidebooks but against the 
slavish devotion to the books.  In my original post near the bottom is the 
following statement,

  "This works for me on the west coast where access has not yet become a 
problem - I wish it was like this everywhere else."

I mistakenly thought that readers would understand I was talking about this 
specific area, the BC coast.  I should have been clearer, sorry.  Of course 
if you paddle in parts of the world were access is a problem the dependance 
on guide books becomes more important.  Out here the most important part of 
trip planning is developing contingency plans for bad weather and sea 
conditions.  As we've learned, in eastern North America, planning camping 
locations is an equally important part of trip planning.  I can't imagine 
what it must be like paddling in Europe where every square inch of soil is 
part of some lucky sots personal fiefdom.  I suppose you have to sneak 
ashore just after dusk and leave just before dawn to avoid the authorities.

I guess the problem with a rant is that it's just that.  I should have 
lined up the points I wanted to make, like a row of ducks and knocked them 
off one at a time.

1.      Not all guidebooks are equal.  Choose carefully unless you want to 
have a private library of kayaking books.
2.      Don't be a slave to the authors recommendations.
3.      Take time to enjoy and discover.
4.      Avoid the omnibus guide books that propose to tell you everything 
you need to know about paddling 1,200 miles of coast line.    Read them if 
you want to get a big picture impression but don't depend on them in the field.
5.      Live in the moment not some stuffy pages that are at best a 
momentary snap shot of someone else reality.

I sent the following e mail response to Doug last night.

How ya doin you old book burner partner.

You once confessed to tearing pages out of second hand books to start camp 
fires. I once burnt a very large part of a private library. Yes burning 
books is a sin but at 20 cents a kilo it was simply too expensive to ship 
all the books. Besides the library owner confided to me that, "it's ok as 
we we're only burning my daughters books and none of mine". Not even the 
used book store wanted them. Poor Harold Robbins, to heavy, unloved, 
unwanted - so into the fire he went. I must confess I enjoyed chucking him in.

Of course you are right in many regards. But personally I would not 
characterize Chris Duff's efforts as guide books. His account of 
circumnavigating New Zealand in "Southern Exposure," falls more into the 
category of literature and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea it's 
written to a higher standard then a lot of kayaking books. That book 
followed the very old novel template of the quest or journey. Think of 
Homer. No I don't mean Simpson. We learn about Chris, his struggles and how 
he coped rather then about where to camp or what arch to paddle through. I 
can't comment on his other novels/books as I've not read them.

I use to purchase every book produced by our local authors in what became a 
misguided attempt to support anyone trying to make a living writing. I 
stopped after two expert kayakers rewrote a certain kayaking tome. I found 
they'd added very little to the collective knowledge of our sport and found 
myself wondering if the work was about kayaking or self aggrandizing. Now I 
wait until new works reach the public library where I can review them and 
then make a decision to purchase.

I suspect the best guide books tend to be written by knowledgeable locals 
who have paddled the area for years. I absolutely hate those so called 
guide books that have been written by someone who's just passed through the 
area while on the way to somewhere else. Here in BC I believe one of the 
best, (I've actually loaned it to a friend so will likely get the title 
wrong) is Kayaking Routes of the Northwest. It's written by a host of 
kayaking guides and masterfully edited into a good solid read with lots of 
information.

Doug wrote,

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.

I once had a kayaker tell me that reading, "The Wind Came All Ways", made 
her head hurt. This book should be read by all serious kayakers in the BC 
Gulf Islands. I wickedly suggested, "Maybe if you thought more - thinking 
wouldn't be so hard." I have a certain mean streak that gets the better of 
me from time to time. Indeed there are some who would say the nice person 
intervals grow shorter and shorter as I grow older and older.

When it comes right down to it I think I was chastising those goal driven 
paddlers who have to hit every hot spot in the guide book. I use to be that 
kind of a cyclist - goal driven, obsessive, maniacal - now I'm something 
else. So the old adage is still true - choose your paddling partners carefully.

Gordin

Hope to see you on the water.
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