I am asked why the paddle in this picture in a National Geographic article on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail is held backwards. Does anyone know what kind of paddle this is? It seems too short to be a double-ended paddle, and I’ve never seen anyone switch sides like that.
It isn’t an odd paddle if you’re a Maine guide. My Maine Guide paddle from Shaw and Tenney has a very similar handle which allows for multiple grips. Yes, that is the handle/grip not the paddle.
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Yes a Maine Guide style handle.
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Thanks, good to know!
Paddles have grips.
A lot of things are unusual about this photo. The loaded canoe has no freeboard. The paddlers body position is limited and awkward looking. The top grip is a very old design that others have noted.