Another of Holling Clancy Holling’s books is “Minn of the Mississippi” which follows a turtle from hatchling to maturity who travels the Mississippi River during its lifetime. Like “Paddle to the Sea” the illustrated book includes much information on the history and geography and wildlife of the river and the regions it runs through. More for slightly older children (and adults) than “Paddle to the Sea”.
PJC, thanks for posting that video. I really enjoyed watching it.
Glad you liked it. Just noting that the Mississippi has its own unique “flavor” for paddlers and nature lovers in general. He captures it pretty well, I believe. I really like the photography.
An interesting little tidbit about him that I learned from one of his talks - He got into doing presentations when a DNR guy who had been keeping an eye on him due to poaching, um, concerns suggested he start giving talks to local school kids about wildlife, traditions, the “old ways” of the Mississippi. It all grew from there.
Since this thread this is about books: It perhaps ought to be mentioned he has several. You can Google them. I wouldn’t call them adventure stories, really, so I didn’t mention them earlier. They’re more like the collections of Grey Owl writings or even some of Ed Abby’s stuff. Only upper Mississippi oriented.
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From a Wooden Canoe has at least a couple good paddling stories in it, for sure! (Referring to Jerry Dennis books)
Without a Paddler by Warren Richey. A paddler look at circumnavigating Florida.
An Adirondack Passage, by Christine Jerome.
A sea kayaking book written by a lady would seem a good idea. “Keep it moving” is a most excellent book by Valerie Fons, in which she describes, as a beginner, paddling down the Pacific coast of Baja. I found it an emotional read in several parts. It’s the most memorable sea kayaking book I’ve read, and I’ve read many of them.
Nick.
I’m a kayak-guy but I have a few canoe adventure narratives to recommend that are all accounts from the 1930’s.
“Enchanted Vagabonds” by Dana Lamb is the account of a pair of newlyweds who in 1933 took a sailing canoe that they built from San Diego to Panama. They encountered pirates, quicksand, flesh-eating insects, fought off attacking natives and malaria. It’s quite a tale.
“Cruise of the Blue Flugin” by Ken Wise tells of 4 California Sea Scouts who in 1936 traveled to Tacoma to purchase 2 strip canoes from the Willits Brothers. They paddled and sailed up the Inside Passage to Skagway, loaded onto a train for Bennett Lake then traveled down the Yukon River to Circle, Alaska.
“North to Alaska by Oar – Bijaboji” by Betty Lowman Carey is an account of a solo trip taken by Betty in 1937 in a small dugout canoe that had been found floating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. When the owner could not be found it was given to Betty and she set it up with oars. She started in Puget Sound and rowed her canoe to Ketchikan via the inside passage. She was an amazing woman with an amazing adventure.
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The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig… his first and best imo.
The Survival of The Bark Canoe by McPhee… humorous.
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I had forgotten about Sea Runners! Yes! That is a great read.