Outdoors library: Languid tales of Pacific Northwest paddling

Thursday, February 22, 2007

"It was an idyllic morning when we floated through Burnaby Narrows, heading for the Swan Islands and staying close to shore," writes Mary Gazetas, author-photographer- illustrator of "Around One More Point: A Journal of Paddling Adventures" (TouchWood, $24.95, 128 pages). "Peering over the sides of our kayaks, we spotted numerous red rock crabs within our reach. ... Soon we had a large bowl filled with supper."

Paddling from island to island, partly living off the land (grilled salmon for dinner again?), camping on deserted beaches, witnessing incredible sunrises and sunsets, occasionally navigating 8-foot waves -- so it goes in Gazetas' reader-friendly travelogue.

"Point" is a compilation of photos (forested islands, bays, wildlife), sketches (campsites, boulder-strewn beaches, maps) and laid-back diary-type entries that Gazetas created on and off during 24 years of kayaking and canoeing along British Columbia's wild coastline.

Camped on a gorgeous beach on Vargas Island, she writes, "For two mornings we had beautiful fog drift in to blanket our landscape. Afternoons were usually spent fishing and beachcombing. ... We saw a grey whale, a giant submarine of a sea lion, ospreys and golden eagles. ... At night the skies were filled with shooting stars."

Of course, strength, determination and skill are requisites for paddling, camping in the wilds ("We saw signs of wolves") and enduring unpredictable weather year after year, and Gazetas and her companions deserve much credit for their depth of character. Yet this reader kept wishing something dramatic would occur (other than windy days) in between Scrabble games and scouting for whale bones and abalone shells. Maybe like a pod of killer whales run amok? Or a nuclear submarine surfacing nearby and scaring the heck out of everyone?

True, an idyll like this can lull you to sleep quicker than it can inspire you to get on the water. Still, let's make a point of recommending it to amateur and experienced paddlers alike, if only for its value as an amusement and as a welcome break from the library of sternly worded how-to-kayak books written in tones so dry they could be used as kindling.

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