Good books about running big water
Submitted by cmonster on Tue, 08/31/2004 - 10:45
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- The Jackson Hole Trouble - Jake Logan: Fairly forgettable dimestore Western set in 19thc Wyoming, but does have a harrowing whitewater raft run near the end.
- Mystery of the Nile: The Epic Story of the First Descent of the World's Deadliest River - Richard Bangs and Pasquale Scaturro: The first half of the book is all about the Class IV-VI rapids encountered by the group and how truly nerve-wracking they were, and is fantastic reading on that score. The second half of the book is interesting in a different way, as an examination of how expeditions fall apart as a result of personal differences.
- Daughter of the Drow - Elaine Cunningham: I know, it's fantasy, but the protagonist rafts whitewater through caves and it's all described in glorious, knuckle-biting detail.
- Distant Fires - Scott Anderson:
"By morning, the fury of the night had given way to stillness.
The unruffled lake took on a strange beauty, its many islands seeming to float over the shallow waters. 'We'll be off the lake in no time,' we thought. Quickly, we loaded up the boat, pushed it off its sandy berth and headed out into the vastness of the lake.
After an hour we saw Devil's Island on the horizon. In the past, Indians and non-Indians alike had stopped on its rocky shores ot make offerings to the gods and devils of the lake, thanking or hoping for safe passage. We passed up the opportunity. That might have been a mistake." - Yukon Wild: The Adventures of Four Women Who Paddled 2,000 Miles Through America's Last Frontier - Beth Johnson: This book changed my life. Even if I never paddle the Yukon, just reading about this expedition made me realize how much power I have to mount an expedition like it, and how crucial it is to stay true to my freaky Green fringe roots. I will be adding this one to my permanent collection and it will appear in several good friends' holiday stockings.
- River Days: Exploring the Connecticut River from Source to Sea - Michael Tougias: The author really wants to pelt us with Vermont history (which is awesome) but recognizes that there's more value in documenting the practicalities of his journey (where to put in and take out, park, camp, etc). The resulting mix is a little disorienting.
- Shooting the Boh: A Woman's Voyage Down the Wildest River in Borneo - Tracy Johnston: I read this book years ago on a long plane journey, and scenes from it still stay with me today. It's definitely not a how-to manual (closer to a how-not-to) and the author sometimes edges towards mad whining (yes, we know you're wet. You're on a river. Thanks for the update) but I maintain it's a classic.
- Running the Amazon - Joe Kane: Almost two separate books: one about being the support staff to an Apocalypse-Now-type kayaking trip in the southernmost tip of Peru, one about crossing from Peru to Brazil entirely in a sea kayak. Page-turner.
- Paddling My Own Canoe - Audrey Sutherland: This is my favorite water expedition book. The author, a divorced mother, decides to travel to a remote portion of the Hawaiian islands, first by foot and then by swimming and rafting. She's not an expert when she starts out, and her learning process enlivens the book. It could use more of her internal dialogue and motivation, but is riveting nonetheless.
- Canoe and Camera, or, Two Hundred Miles Through the Maine Forests - Thomas Sedgwick Steele This is a quaint travel-journal from 1882, detailing the best ways to get to Moosehead Lake in Maine. Intriguing specifically for its datedness.
- Riding the Dragon's Back: The Race to Raft the Upper Yangtze - Richard Bangs, Christian Kallen (to be read)
- Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft - Thor Heyerdahl (to be read)
- The Long Way - Bernard Moitessier (to be read)
- The River and I - John G Neihart (to be read)
- Class Five Chronicles: Things Your Mother Never Told You 'Bout Whitewater - Jeff Bennett (to be read)
- The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-La - Todd Balf (to be read)
- River Horse - William Least Heat Moon (to be read)
- Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon - Thomas M. Myers, Michael P. Ghiglieri (to be read)
Great list! I read Kon-Tiki in the 9th grade. Excellent story.
I just finished reading Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon, by Thomas M. Myers, Michael P. Ghiglieri, which contains some hair-raising stories about how NOT to raft the Colorado river.
Ooh! I'm adding it to the list. Thanks for the suggestion.