2 comments about Western Whitewater from the Rockies to the Pacific: A River Guide for Raft, Kayak, and Canoe.

1. I can't believe that this would go out of print due to unpopularity. This guide is too good and too popular among river rats I know. I suspect liability issues, though I really hope it is coming out again, new and improved
   
   This definitive guide of runnable rivers in the West features detailed directions to put-ins, take-outs, mile-by-mile guides to the rivers (including descriptions and suggestions of routes and scouting points in major rapids).
   
   I love this book so much and regard it as so valuable that I'm almost tempted to pay the astronomical and ridiculous fee of $75 to once again own a copy. But I probably won't.



2. Definitely a must-have for anyone who runs rivers in the western US, regardless of conveyance. This is a comprehensive listing of major (and not-so-major) runs giving mile-by-mile descriptions of the rivers, their rapids, and points of interest. While the fact that it's out of print may lead to some errors that develop over time (the take-out on the Klamath River isn't as described any longer), the sheer volume of information in this book is too great to ignore.

2 comments about Buffalo River Handbook: Buffalo River Handbook.

1. Admittedly, it is difficult to be comprehensive and remain a "handbook," meaning something that you could take with you and refer to while on the trail or the river. If you are looking for specific maps for trails, I would recommend books by Tim Ernst, or if you are looking for details on running the river, A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks are both superior for their individual information. This said, if you want something to refer to in general with historical as well as geological information along with talk of the flora and fauna with generalized information on trails and the river this book is outstanding. Excellent color and black and white pictures, and a searchable index.



2. If you are interested in learning about the trails, river, people, geology and biology of the Buffalo River . . . this is the place to start. No one knows the Buffalo River country better than Ken Smith. It has been his passion for more than 40 years. An earlier book he wrote, Buffalo River Country, played a key role in the creation of America's first national river. He knows the Buffalo River trail as no one else can. He laid it out and supervised its construction. He is actively involved today in the extention of it from Hwy 65 to Hwy 14. This trail will ultimately make it possible for a hiker to travel by trail from St Louis, Missouri to near Ft. Smith Arkansas.
   
   Buffalo River Handbook easily rates five stars for anyone going to the Buffalo. I would also buy the Trails Illustrated maps of the Buffalo which he also edited and which go hand in hand with the Buffalo River Handbook.

3 comments about White Water.

1. White Water is a story about a boy named Greg whose parents are divorced. He only gets to see his father one weekend a month. When he visits his father each month, they both switch off and pick what they are going to do. This time it was his fathers pick and he picked to go white water rafting, at first he was against Greg was against the idea of going so was his mother. When his parents found out he was listeningin on their conversation about this they made him go. To find out what happens on this adventure i strongly recommend getting this book and reading it u won't regret it.



2. I thought this book was very action-packed.It really made me want to go white water rafting.When I read the first page of that book,I knew it was going to be really cool.So,if you like white water rafting books,then this is the book for you.



3. I like this book because it had a kid in there just like me that helped his father out. His father got bitten by a snake and his son rafted all the way back to the yellow bus. Then his father went to the hospital and the two sons went to see him. His father said "Next time when we go on vacation, you can pick where ever you want to go."

5 comments about Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa.

1. Humorous, insightful and at times moving, this book almost has a taste of the nineteenth century explorer to it as the pair strikes out on their adventure, learning as they go. For those of us that would always take the "comfort route," it's well worth reading!



2. "Wild, pristine beauty surrounded us as we drove to the base of remote Djomba to establish camp. Towering green peaks sprouted out of ripe clusters of lush vegetation. Massive pyramidal volcanoes rose of the verdant floor suggesting its prehistoric past. Churning, whitecapped rivers cascaded over mountainsides into translucent pools below, and its beauty didn't end with nature." ~ pg. 146
   
   Brandon Wilson is an expert storyteller who masterfully weaves a story of a seven-month odyssey across Africa. His exciting writing style keeps you on the edge of your seat as you journey to the heart of Africa. The detailed descriptions bring the story alive with the sounds, scents and sights of a real-life adventure.
   
   Brandon Wilson is an award-winning writer and photographer who has spent his life exploring the world. He is also a keen observer of human nature and deftly describes the human drama that is ever present in the stories of the overlanders and exotic locales. There are a few photographs to compliment this journey but the writing captures scenes in seconds and transports you to a different time and place.
   
   As Brandon and his partner travel from Mororcco to Cape Town you are invited to vicariously experience every nuance and challenge experienced by independent travelers. He and his partner have a passion for adventure and are inquisitive about the local peoples and unique cultures. They maintain their sense of humor throughout and press on, undaunted towards their final goal. Some of their adventures include:
   
   Hunting with Pygmies
   Climbing Africa's Highest Mountain
   Meeting Mountain Gorilla
   Horseback riding in lion territory
   Sitting out underneath the stars by campfires
   Watching Antelope and Cape Buffalo graze
   Visiting Serengeti National Park
   Watching Hippos in Zaire
   Experiencing village life and living with locals
   Surviving Torrential Rains
   Sampling local foods and finding restaurants
   Swimming and rafting in African rivers
   
   
   Through vibrant prose and the eye of an artist, Brandon Wilson paints his recollections with startling clarity. His writing unleashes an immense longing for the experiences he describes. There is a profound beauty of freedom in the way he travels. As they reach Gillman's Point on Mt. Kilimanjaro you can't help but cheer them on to even more exciting adventures like surviving a rafting trip down the Zambezi river.
   
   I can also highly recommend Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith. Brandon Wilson's writing is the best travel writing I've ever read and his adventurous spirit is inspiring.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



3. I purchased this book for my husband who only reads non-fiction. He stated that it is "dry" and written like a diary. It is not engaging nor funny. I hope he picks it back up to finishe reading...or I guess I will to feel we got our monies worth.



4. I bought this book following Amazon's reader reviews but found it a pain to read.
   From the start the author can't bear the way he chose to travel (overlanding with a group) and his fellow travelers... well, when on a low budget, stay graceful! If one can't stand other human beings AND can't afford a way to travel suitable to both his arrogance and means, why do it anyway?
   
   The "traveler" seems to wander through Africa with American centered prejudices and poor references of a narrow minded background.
   The reader is continuously faced with his self centered obsession for his own boring motives (if any) that he thinks anyone cares about. He makes the reader witness all his irritations and frustration of a pure misanthrope, "forgot" to check the proper geography and history and spelling of the names of the countries he goes through, remains ignorant of the world, cultures and people and till the end totally misses the whole point of traveling.
   
   Everything, even the slight excitement he seems to feel when encountering wild animals is awkwardly written, in dry insensitive words without style.
   
   Oh, those hundreds of dull phrases in italic! Those infinitely repeated "burro" like donkeys have Spanish names in Africa, "black" like there's a need to remind us of the color of Africa's inhabitants.
   What is Lake Kiva? Lake Tanzania? Are there really "caimans" in Africa? What is a "wild west town" to anyone not American? When were there only 700 black rhinos left? "Zaire, these days, after years of war, known as DRC": check exactly when the name changed? Victoria Falls, the world highest cascades? Since when does Michelin rate up to five stars? Any need to be condescending and transcript everyone's accent again and again while oneself has no clue about foreign languages? Any need to be rude, pushy and obnoxious when addressing people?
   
   In this long boring account of what seems to have been an ordeal to him that we are forced to share, the only human encounter that seems to have somewhat pleased the ever complaining author are... another white couple traveling and Whites in South Africa.
   
   This is a shallow disappointing report that would disgust anyone who wishes to travel to Africa.
   Thanks God we know better.



5. All through Brandon Wilson's Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa one idea kept coming to me. Parallax! That's not a word that comes to mind every day. In science, it means getting better or more complete information about displacement or movement by collecting data from two points of view that are not in a straight line with the thing you are examining or learning about.
   "After all those months of struggle, doubts of sanity and infinite challenges," Wilson writes near the end of the book, "we'd fulfilled our dream. We'd crossed the length of Africa from Ceuta to the Cape." All along the rugged, often road-less road dotted with rare moments of genuine rest--sarcastically (?) called "pure luxxxurrry"--Wilson pursues the parallax view of everything everywhere at every opportunity. He studies his fellow travelers and their motivations and observations like Margaret Mead recording the lives of Papua New Guineans. That, however, is nothing but technical practice for the real work of genuinely absorbing dozens or hundreds of African cultures.
   To get in touch with "real Africa" and to understand lives as they are lived, Wilson talks with people who are not in the business of guiding and informing (and even listens to those who are in the overland/travel business). Sometimes the informant is a person eking out an existence in, say, the Central African Republic. When it is, he inquires of two or more people in different situations and observes still more. Sometimes he collects information from a Peace Corps worker or an Embassy employee. And always, he reports his own direct observations and often those of his intrepid and obviously longsuffering wife as well.
   Parallax, for Wilson, is clearly a method for chipping through individual biases and official "facts" toward the precious truth which, over and over, turns out to be that misery and joy, dreams and wishes, family feelings and love are the same for us all no matter where or how we live. Fortunately, Wilson never stops treasuring the differences from culture to culture in Africa, and he never becomes numb to the differences between African cultures and his everyday life on Maui.
   We, the readers, have the added dimension of our own experience and ideas. With luck, we are able to hold our untested perspectives gently enough that, once disproved, they can be let go painlessly.
   Wilson's trek "X Africa" is not all pain and gain. As Wilson puts it, "Often you run into weird, but welcome coincidences traveling." World travelers have long known that if you spend the day on the Champs Elysées in Paris, you're sure to meet someone you know. Apparently, if you spend several months crossing Africa the long way, you're going to run into both other travelers whose paths crisscross with your own and people removed from yourself by slight degrees. "One night... we happened to share a table and talk with two U.S. Marines... one of them came from my small childhood town and the other had attended my Southern alma mater."
   Coincidences are everywhere in Dead Men Don't Leave Tips, but the tale moves forward and finds its depth in the triumphant surprises. Frequently, these scenes of human contact start with someone reaching out to help himself by "helping" Wilson, then saying, "Don't worry." Often enough, the phrase introduces a series of events about which someone really should have been worrying. Then there are the other moments: the aunty with a gracious guest house, the discovery that being white isn't always a handicap in South Africa so long as people know he's not an Afrikaner, the magic of one kind of "pole-pole" travel hold-up meshing seamlessly with another.
   Africa's pole-pole is a real-life opposite of Hawai`i's never very serious wiki-wiki, it means at the speed of... well, Africa.
   I was swept away by the drama and the storytelling in Wilson's book. Still, it is only my second favorite travel book from the past century or so. Maybe Wilson won't mind that so much if he hears that his "adventures X Africa" are second only to his earlier Yak Butter Blues.
   Even if you normally can't stand to read a travel book, give Wilson a chance. He'll win you over.

3 comments about The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier (Canoeing & Kayaking Guides - Menasha).

1. Great book on numerous trips on both slow and fast water. This combination makes the book a worthwhile purchase. Living in AK for five years and doing a number of the trips makes this a great way for me to stir up a few memories. Put-ins and take outs are accurately marked. Overall excellent book.



2. I love this book, and wish the author would write a sequel, describing more rivers. I have used the Alaska River Guide for several years to plan trips all over Alaska. The maps are great, the trip descriptions fascinating, and the pre-trip preparation information essential, especially for people new to Alaska.



3. This book enticed us to take three fantastic trips: on the Noatak, the Selawik and the Kantishna rivers. Jettmar's book provided absolutely essential information about the river, maps, and travel arrangements. The information was accurate and succinct. Great guide for Alaska rivers! We hope she'll write another about more of the rivers.

3 comments about Canyon.

1. The author carefully weaves his own experiences as a Grand Canyon river guide with the history of the Canyon. This book will keep you enthralled right up to the last page.

   I would heartily recommend this narrative to all who enjoy adventure books. This classic should be on the bookshelves of everyone who enjoyes whitewater rafting.




2. This book is full of interesting information about the Colorado River going through the Grand Canyon. The author has included all aspects of this great place. He tells the history of the river and canyon, including the geolgy, the first residents, the first settlers, the daming and problems with the daming, the many people who have tried to make the trip, and the history of the wildlife. I found it to be a great read with a lot if great insight into the Grand Canyon. I couldn't put it down and I look forward to reading it again before I take the pluge and float this great river.



3. Well written narrative that provides good information about the Colorado River at higher levels. Decent adventure story and also captures some of the magic or running the river in this magnificent canyon.

5 comments about Up Shit Creek: A Collection of Horrifyingly True Wilderness Toilet Misadventures.

1. This is not a book to be read immediately before or immediately after a meal.

   You will learn more about the logistics of removing human waste from wilderness areas than you probably cared to know.

   You may find yourself screaming in horror as you hurl this book as far as the walls of the bathroom will let you.

   You will laugh and in the process, you will learn something about whitewater rafting from the stories, the diagrams, and the glossary in the back.

   This is a bathroom classic. Choose your time for reading it carefully!




2. Scatological humour is fine in the right place and in small doses. Up Sh*t Creek meets neither criteria. The right place is in the men's room, or round a camp fire, where this type of story can be related first hand by the participants or witnesses. Small doses simply means that one or two stories are enough. Up Sh*t Creek attempts to bring together dozens of toilet jokes and, by doing so, is guilty of overkill - the stories lose their impact.

   Probably the best place for this book is in the room we all use but seldom discuss. There, the stories can be 'digested' little by little and might pass for a few chuckles. Don't expect anything too cerebral, don't buy the book if the discussion of bodily functions offends you, and don't lick your fingers as you turn the pages!




3. I first bought this book as a gag for some of the guys I work with as a river guide. I made the mistake of reading it first, and laughed so hard I cried on several of the stories. My daughters were awakened by my laughter and came to see what mom thought was so funny. We (myself and 2 daughters) shared the laughter for a little over an hour, and many times since. It is the most often asked for book at my house, and, it has gone, and will continue to go on river trips and camping trips with me. Some people gross out when the stories are read aloud, but nearly all will pick it up, read it, and laugh about it in private.



4. Without a doubt, one of the funniest books I've ever read. I bought this book while on vacation for some light reading and I've never laughed so hard in my life. I'll agree that it's not dinner material, but it's riotous reading.
   
   One word of caution, don't have someone read this to you while you're trying to drive!



5. I bought this book as bathroom reading humor and was very excited to have it for guests' amusement. However, I was terribly disappointed with the writer's style. It's simply too much detail and information.
   
   Every story is told in the same style - as if the author felt a need to drag out every page to the fullest; and sometimes that's just not necessary. A good story benefits from descriptive narrative, but it also suffers from being diluted with too many words.
   
   I will most likely sell my copy of this book.

5 comments about The Raft.

1. As a native of Wisconsin, I had much interest in the story of a boy, his grandmother, and wildlife on a Wisconsin river. The illustrations, admittedly the author's strong suit, were strong indeed. The images were of such excellent quality that they almost made the book worthwhile. The beginning of the story held promise, but ended up spending beyond its means into imagination. Either a story of the boy visiting his grandmother for the summer and experiencing adventure on the river, or an imaginary tale of prolific so-close-you-could-touch-it wildlife would have been good. Neither was completed, and the resulting combination left me feeling flat. The experts, my two and five year-old grandchildren lost interest before the book was halfway through. Maybe for children a little bit older? I wish hope Mr. LaMarche to continue to illustrate, and a story-teller to author the books.



2. It's a excellent book. You can imagine it really happening well you read it. It is a wonderful fast moving story.
   lydia and Hannah
   age 7 and 10



3. This is such a nice (feel good) story about a boy discovering his love of drawing and his relationship with his grandmother, who is also an artist. My two year old will sit and listen to this story, although it is probably meant for children a little older (3 and up). I have read a lot bad children's books, but this one is a winner.



4. I first encountered this book at the school where I teach. The children were captured by the story of this little boy who, at first, didn't want to be out in the country but who quickly became enamored with nature as it, it seems, was enamored with him. The pictures are beautiful. My students wanted to eat up every page and see everything in every picture. They understood just what he was going through and felt the same way about their journeys into nature. This book is a beautiful, gentle and simple reminder of the loving magic that comes from a relationship with the natural world. It's incredibly moving to witness the inner landscape of this little boy changing as he spends more time outside. If you wish that for your children, or whomever you are shopping for, I highly recommend this book. (Or a car ride to the nearest mountain lake.)



5. I love using this book in my class. After I read it aloud, I have all my students write down different events in the book. Then, I pass out 8 popsicle sticks to each student. On six of the sticks, they write down events from the story. Then they switch with a partner and put the events in chronological order. They glue their six sticks together in order side to side, with two additional sticks glued under them (holding them together) - creating their own raft. They love it.

2 comments about The Complete Whitewater Rafter.

1. Jeff Bennett has been doing rivers in North and Central America as a guide, whitewater instructor, international racer and professional photographer since the early 1970's. He has co-authored several other books, including Class Five Chronicles. The Complete Whitewater Rafter is the culmination of his river experiences and the progeny of his previous book Rafting!. Although sole author, he envisions The Complete Whitewater Rafter as the culmination of a river-running evolution that has been ongoing for the last half century. He has borrowed tips and techniques from contemporary instructors and classic technique textbooks.

   Bennett characterizes this book as a complete course in river running. For those who raft, the book has it all, beginning with a chapter on the Evolution of Rafting: From Powell to Paddle Cats and ending with a chapter that covers becoming a professional guide, whitewater photography, rafting for the physically challenged and rafting with children.

   I primarily bought the book to get tips on oar rigging and everything was there, including all existing boat, frame, and oar designs. The chapter on gear maintenance and repairs was first rate and complete (it even included material on maintaining wetsuits, drysuits, lifejackets, and pumps). For those with interests in paddle rafts the cook covers all the strokes and more importantly has an entire chapter on Paddle Captaining: The Art of Whitewater Choreography. Several major rafting companies include this as mandatory reading for guide certification. Finally, the book has several chapters on multiday trips, which review packing and carrying gear, river camping and cooking, and river exploration. This material is applicable to anyone who is contemplating a multiday trip (whether raft supported or not).

   If you are not particularly interested in rafting check-out the book for the information in chapters 5, 8, and 10. Chapter 5 - River Morphology: The Dynamics of Running Water looks beneath the surface at river mechanics, laminar flow, turbulent flows, chaos, helical currents, and meanders and relates all this to tongues, upstream Vs, standing waves, diagonal waves, haystacks, breaking waves and stoppers, pillows, undercuts, rooster tails, boils and holes. It's really well written and excellently illustrated. I will probably scan-in some of the illustrations and make slides to use in lectures for paddling classes. Chapter 8 covers running rapids in oar rigs and paddle rafts but the information is equally applicable to hardboats. Again, the illustrations and suggestions on tactical approaches to rapids are excellent. Finally, chapter 10 - Rafting on the Cutting Edge discusses class V rafting including boulders and slots, waterfalls, high water techniques, and even steep creeking. I hadn't even imagined creeking in a raft but it is done. I have a whole garage full of hard boats for every possible use. This book has made be consider getting an R-2 for this year's creek season.




2. Bennet's book is detailed, readable and contains all the information that is needed to start rafting, though the information on the types of boats available is a bit dated. His chapters on the river bed morphology and the effects on the moving water are understandable and excellent and far makes up for the older information on this years raft models.

   We have used this as a basis for our white water rafting cours.

2 comments about Whitewater Rescue Manual: New Techniques for Canoeists, Kayakers, and Rafters.

1. Mssrs. Walbridge and Sundmacher cover the subject of whitewater rescue well. It is geared toward the recreational boater, but is also a valuable tool for the public safety officer (police, sheriff, fire/rescue,SAR, ranger, etc.). It does not cover reading whitewater, since assumes the reader is already a boater of some sort. It does present the most common problems and solutions. In addition it covers use of the tools needed to safely execute timely rescues. Easy reading, excellent photographs and drawings illustrate the points well.



2. Great book that anyone who plans on kayaking, rafting, or anything on the river, should own. There's the important and simple things that every one should know about what to do in possibly dangerous river situations. There is also a good amount of advanced rescue techniques involving many ropes, pulleys, carabiners, and people so if that's what you're looking for this has it.