Paddle to the Amazon: The Ultimate 12,000-Mile Canoe Adventure - Softcover

Starkell, Don

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0771082568 ISBN 13: 9780771082566

Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1994

Synopsis

An epic 12,000-mile canoe trip is the subject of this breathtaking father and son adventure. From Winnipeg, the Starkells paddled south down the Mississippi, along the coast of Central America, inland through the waterways of Columbia and Venezuela, and eventually down the Amazon--the longest canoe trip ever recorded. They encountered piranhas, wild pigs, and hungry alligators; they were arrested, taken for spies and set upon by pirates; and they lived through violent hurricanes, food poisoning and near starvation. But the greatest test was the love and conflict between father and son as they struggled to complete their odyssey together.

About this title

Synopsis

When Don Starkell and his two teenage sons - Jeff and Dana - put their 21-foot canoe into the Red River in Winnipeg, it was the start of an odyssey, ten years in the planning, that would demand every bit of their strength, purpose and courage. They paddled down the Red River into the Mississippi system, through the heart of America to New Orleans, then right along the Texas coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. The open seas of the Gulf amost killed them, leaving them struggling in the surf or stranded in pitiless heat in lagoons trying to avoid the crushing waves. At Veracruz, Mexico, Jeff announced he was quitting; to continue meant almost certain death. Not to be deterred, Don and his youngest son, Dana, chose to continue. They fought their way around the Yucatan Peninsula, along the war-torn coast of Central America, past Colombia, across the top of South America to Trinidad, and then plunged into the core of the continent, up the Orinoco and Rio Negro, to reach the Amazon, and finally, the sea. Don's log is an account of adventure and hardship. The natural obstacles encountered ranged from whales to piranhas, giant bees to crocodiles, and howler monkeys to anacondas. They survived hurricanes, floods, landslides and gales that pinned them on a tropical sand bar for days as their food and water ran out. Their experiences, landing on shore at night, were just as varied. They were suspected of being CIA spies, drug smugglers or revolutionaries, and were shot at, robbed, searched, roughed up and even jailed. Just as often they were befriended, nursed back to health and given food by people who were themselves starving. This is a tale of discovery and self-discovery of a father and son traversing 13 countries and surviving a personal challenge.

From the Inside Flap

It was crazy. It was unthinkable. It was the adventure of a lifetime.
When Don and Dana Starkell left Winnipeg in a tiny three-seater canoe, they had no idea of the dangers that lay ahead. Two years and 12,180 miles later, father and son had each paddled nearly twenty million strokes, slept on beaches, in jungles and fields, dined on tapir, shark, and heaps of roasted ants.
They encountered piranhas, wild pigs, and hungry alligators. They were arrested, shot at, taken for spies and drug smugglers, and set upon by pirates. They had lived through terrifying hurricanes, food poisoning, and near starvation. And at the same time they had set a record for a thrilling, unforgettable voyage of discovery and old-fashioned adventure.
"Courageous . . . Exciting and always immediate." -- The New York Times Book Review

"From the Paperback edition.

Edition details

• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart Inc.
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0771082568
• ISBN 13: 9780771082566
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 336