Woodlands Canoeing: Pleasure Paddling on Woodland Waterways

Janet Money, a former sports editor of the Woodstock Daily
Sentinel-Review, is a London-based freelance writer.

This basic guide to canoeing covers equipment, paddling technique,
portaging, and camping. Drawing upon his own occasionally humbling
experiences, the author makes no pretence that canoeing is simple.
Although he includes detailed chapters on paddling techniques, he
confesses that the best way to learn strokes is to sit in a canoe and
experiment with them.

Personal stories save the book from becoming a dry manual. A chapter
titled “Canoeing with Kids” describes the first canoe trip Sparkman
took with his 9-year-old son, as well as the experiences of another
father-and-son team who endured portages, hard paddling, and, of course,
rain. The important point is made that children are not just small
adults; they lack the stamina of adults and their body makeup leaves
them more susceptible than adults to hypothermia.

The book is illustrated with photos and line drawings. The drawings are
indexed but the text is not, a minor shortcoming given the detailed
table of contents. Woodlands Canoeing is both an excellent resource and
a pleasant read.