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. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Gordin's very temperate rant and Michael Lampman's eloquent description of the difficulties of finding a spot to lay his weary head on the Gulf Coast of Florida stimulated me to detail some of our experience here on the Lower Columbia River. In sum, so far we got it good, and we ain't complaining! Much of the lands in and adjacent to the Columbia on the Oregon side of the River are in the hands of the Division of State Lands, which has a tacit policy of allowing anyone to use their non-dedicated lands for "recreation," which basically means any pursuit not expressly prohibited by state law. We have many miles of sandy beaches and near uplands where we can camp ... excluding ... US Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges, which sometimes overlay the DSL lands. And there is the rub. As the critters native to these parts get squeezed off private lands through habitat loss, their principal refuge is these USFWS Refuges, which have been encroaching on some of the islands in the Columbia -- which have been used by watersports users, paddlers and power boaters alike, for many years as campspots. We are not in a critical situation ... YET. But, the needs of paddlers for places to camp may, in time, reach something like the situation Michael paints for the Gulf Coast. In fact, there is only one reasonable place to camp for paddlers on the lower 15 miles of the Columbia (Ilwaco, WA, to just below Skamokawa, WA). And, this is the most exposed region of the River, where paddlers are most likely to get nailed by wind, and __have__ to camp. Many of us have tried to leverage the Refuge folks to open a few spots on their islands for boat-in camping. Their response has been to cite diminishment of habitat for wildlife, to justify the day use only policy. As a devoted protector of wildlife, I understand that response. But, I suspect that a few locations for paddlers would not seriously harm the habitat for waterfowl or aquatic mammals, and would help make more paddlers aware of the value of USFWS Refuges, much in the same way that use of Refuge lands by duck hunters drives support for nesting grounds for ducks (e.g., Ducks Unlimited). In fact, on Willapa Bay, Long Island has five boat-in campgrounds which are grandfathered in from their original inception back in the 1960's, and their existence has contributed to strong local support for the Willapa USFWS Refuge, which has a very active Friends group. This saga might be one from which others in Michael's situation can take a page, and ferry their concerns to their local Refuge managers. On the Willapa, a change in mangers some five years ago has made camping in those five Long Island spots more acceptable to the Service, and it could be that something similar might happen for Michael. Joining the Friends group for a Refuge is a good way to gain an ear amongst USFWR personnel. That's my rant. -- 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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