Amazon.com
Novice paddlers and seasoned veterans alike will find this a highly readable and eminently sensible guidebook to the essentials of safe and enjoyable sea kayaking. Forget the macho approach--this is an instructional for women, written by a woman. Basing her instructive technique on the premise that women hail from the "talk it over and think it through first" school of outdoor learning, author Shelley Johnson's tone is friendly and conversational. Whether discussing useful ways to carry and transport a kayak, getting in and out of it, or staying afloat, she is quick to offer supportive, practical advice. Yes, for instance, proper paddling techniques are difficult to master; but with the easy-to-follow captioned photographs provided, forward, backward, turning, and support strokes are a whole lot easier to understand and ultimately execute. If your greatest fears are the "wet exit" (capsizing) and hypothermia, you'll be pleased to learn there are myriad ways to prepare for and/or prevent such safety hazards. In addition to lending her own expertise, Johnson also includes comments, stories, and instruction from veteran water women of all ages. Chapters on weather/tidal conditions, equipment, and heading out with children all brim with excellent tips and straightforward advice. A resource listing is also included. So if you want the lowdown on how to be well prepared, properly geared, and safety conscious in a sea kayak, this edition of the Ragged Mountain Press Woman's Guide series points the way. --Martha Silano
From Library Journal
This new series is designed to teach outdoor skills to women in the way they learn. Each book includes detailed instructions about each activity and questions specific to women. The topics discussed include locating a backpack designed for a woman's body, getting a sea kayak on and off a car roof, and safety for women while backpacking. In an additional, attractive feature, women of all ages describe how they overcame obstacles, what they enjoyed the most, or just how they felt about undertaking a new activity. Both authors are published experts in their fields; Johnson is a registered Maine Guide, a certified coastal kayak instructor, and the sea kayaking editor for Canoe and Kayak Magazine, and Hall has hiked in the Rocky Mountains, Virginia Blue Ridge, and Europe, as well as the Appalachian Trail, which she described in a newspaper series. Both books are extremely well done and appealing, although Backpacking is more accessible to armchair travelers. Buy for public libraries and watch for more in this series.?Alison Hopkins, Queens Borough P.L., NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
