Up the Creek

Overview

Nothing drives home the importance of safety in the wilderness like real-life stories of what can happen when these issues are ignored, even for a moment. In Up the Creek, some of the most experienced canoeists in North America confess their mistakes in true tales of hypothermia, near-drowning, close encounters with rapids, and more.

• Fifty stories grouped by theme--Live and Learn; Random Acts of Nature; The Choices People Make; and others
• Introductory chapter outlines principles of canoeing safety and judgment
• Closing chapter reinforces the lessons of each story

Table of contents

Introduction: Why Do We Do These Things?
Chapter 1. Live and Learn--Maybe
Lost Canoe on the Clearwater River, Dean Gyug
Experience on the Slater River, Pam Little
My First Wilderness Rapid--And Almost My Last, John Lentz
Good-Bye to an Old Friend, Doug McKown
Chapter 2. The Right Tool for the Right Job
Swamping on the Swampy Bay River, Sara Seager and Mike Wevrick
A Close Call, George Drought
Big Waves and Small Canoes, Jim Buckingham
Chapter 3. Random Acts of Nature
Whitewater with a Twist, Dave Christopherson
Grizzly Encounters on the Clarke and Thelon Rivers, Mel Baugham
Up the Creek Without a Canoe, Jack Stefanyk
Gail, Lee, and Bear Makes Three, Lee Pearson
Meeting the Big Wheel at the Wheeler, Laurel Archer
The Wild Nahanni, Pam Little
Adventure in the Night, Doug McKown
Foster River Burnout, Doug McKown
The Cat and the Rapids, Jim Buckingham
Chapter 4. Injury and Illness
The Heart of the Matter, Tom Brown
Where There's Fire, There's Fire, Doug McKown
The Lemon Theory Works, Tom Brown
Break a Leg, Doug McKown
A Feverish Trip on the Gull River, Mel Baugham
Burned, Tom Brown
A Trip Cut Short in Nootka Sound, Dean McLeod
Chapter 5. The Choices People Make
Leap for Life, Doug McKown
A Situation on the Kananaskis, Jim Buckingham
Broken Yoke Gorge on the Wathaman, Laurel Archer
The One-Minute Measurement, John Silver
All in a Day's Work, Doug McKown
Never Give Up, Cliff Jacobson
Mishap on the Notakwanon River, Bob Henderson and Warren Trimble
Keystone Canoeists, Doug McKown
Cool on the Credit River, Toni Harting
A Tragedy on the Bow, Doug McKown
A Bad Choice on the Manigatogan, Dean McLeod
Where Is Everyone? Bill Hosford
Have Map, Will Travel, John Buchanan
A Break at the End of the Day, John Silver
Where Exactly Are We? Doug McKown
Chapter 6. People Versus People
The Trip from Hell, George Drought
Decisions on the Arctic River, Ric Driediger
When Things Go Wrong, Hap Wilson
Chapter 7. Solo Adventures
Gordon River Breezes, Roger Parsons
Miracle at Stanley Mission, Jack Stefanyk
How to Christen a Canoe, Jim Buckingham
Trouble on the Vermilion, Doug McKown
Solo on Superior, Jim Greenacre
Chapter 8. It's All About Safety Awareness
Resources
About the Contributors
About the Editor

Biographical note

Doug McKown is former director of the canoeing program at the Banff National Army Cadet Camp. He is a certified canoe instructor and experienced canoe tripper living in Alberta, Canada.

Back cover copy

Instructive tales of mishaps, near misses, and disasters in the wild
Nothing brings you closer to the awesome beauty of nature--and its perils--than a wilderness canoe trip. Trouble can strike at lightning speed and make quick work of the unprepared, inexperienced, or unobservant paddler. In Up the Creek, experienced canoeists confess their mistakes in true tales of hypothermia, near drowning, close encounters with rapids and wildlife, strandings, injuries, and more.
You'll meet the canoeists who shoved off without one of their paddles and were quickly swept into roaring, rock-strewn rapids; the couple who tried to run unfamiliar rapids in a new and untested boat; and the cook who nearly drowned after preparing Thanksgiving dinner. These real-life stories drive home the importance of safety issues and what can happen when they are ignored.

True tales of injury, fire, equipment failure, bear encounters, violent storms, and more
Entertaining and instructive stories from accomplished canoeists
Insights on how to anticipate and avoid canoeing mishaps

The foundation principles of canoeing safety and judgment emerge from these stories, whose contributors include Mel Baughman, Tom Brown, Jim Buckingham, Toni Harting, Cliff Jacobson, Sara Seager, Hap Wilson, and many others.