Customer Reviews

Homelands: Kayaking the Inside Passage

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have sailed and paddled the Inside Passage from time to time over the last 24 years. I am an avid reader of true outdoor adventures. I usually judge a book by its ability to hold my interest and ultimately to motivate me to leave the comforts of home and to take a stoll down "the road less traveled." I have been eyeing my kayak and checking my gear since finishing Homelands. When the ski season is over, I'm packing my kayak and heading north. My only regret is that I do not have the luxury of duplicating the entire trip.

The author provides an engaging and captivating description of this courageous undertaking in a journal format. This format serves the book and pace of the adventure well. The poetic language used to describe characters, places and events is excellent and conjures memories that parallel my own experiences along the British Columbia coast. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the flow, feeling and character of this region. This is not a Fodor's on kayaking the Inside Passage but rather an adventure of the soul and mind, at water level, along one of the most rustic, beautiful and inhospitable coastlines in America.

Having sailed the Inside Passage a number of times, including the summer of 1996 when I encountered Byron and Maren while aboard "Cecilie" and then reading "Homelands: Kayaking the Inside Passage" this summer past, as I sailed it again, I now see the Passage differently than I did before. Byron's insights opened my eyes wider, while at the same time, made me envious of his and Maren's vision. The book is so beautifully written, it left me inspired to look more closely at my surroundings (not only in the Passage)and think more clearly about who and what has been there before me. Out of hundreds of books read, this ranks in my top ten on any subject and "Homelands" covers many.

Byron and Maren sound like wonderful people, and I admire thier spirit of adventure and commitment and respect of the land. I think I expected a lot more action in the story. I would have liked this more had they included pictures of the landscape, themselves, some of the people they had met, and a larger map. I understand their desire to protect the places they stopped, but, being an east coaster who "day kayaks" for four or five hours at a time, I wanted a bigger and better glimpse of such a worthy adventure.

This book is well written and interesting to read, but for a book claiming to be about "Kayaking the Inside Passage" there is remarkably little content on kayaking, camping and equipment (a complaint of other reviewers as well). The book instead emphasizes people, places and cultures, with plenty of politically-correct, ecologically-aware discourse on resource exploitation, which will no doubt resonate with the masses, but I found to be shallow and tiresome. The author appears to divide the frontier culture that he encounters into two camps. The bad guys are the resource exploiters (timber, mining, fishing), rich people in waterfront homes and the cruise ships. The good guys are Indians, biologists, whale researchers, people in non-motorized boats (kayaks are OK as long as they're not newbees) and homesteaders. Byron and Maren only seem to meet and associate with the "good guys" on their trip. No attempt appears to have been made to get to know and understand the "bad guys". I expected a great deal more sophistication in his discussions of development issues. I certainly share many of the authors concerns about loss of wilderness along the inside passage, and have been appalled by clear cutting and other threats to my wilderness playground, but such selfish notions must be balanced against the survival and welfare of people in rural communities.

Ricks is a fine writer. The journey unfolds a day at a time, and for reasons which become obvious, he does not provide a lot of technical paddling instruction, maps, or 'broken stove" anecdotes. Homelands is an 'inside passage,' a journey of the mind through a landscape with a profound spiritual history. The relics and totems of European and American explorers and enterpreneurs are just as present as those of the First Nations peoples; Ricks sees the trees, the forest, the clear cuts, the log rafts, and the tides and currents as part of a personal and historical journey. It's a literate book and can be enjoyed by those who do not paddle. Readers are invited to go with the flow of the book, its weather days and paddling days, and to reflect on their own purposes in being outdoors, or on personal journeys. It is written with an authentic modesty about the considerable accomplishment of the journey, and has a moving ending, much more about the relationships one makes in one's life than about 'getting somewhere.'

Homelands is a wonderful book. While many adventure writers choose to go the He-man route of disaster, mishap and mayhem, Ricks sees fit to pay attention to the subtler events of this journey with his wife. Make no mistake, there¹s plenty of adventure; the narrative can be enthralling; the challenges of embarking on such an arduous journey in tandem are ever-present. Still, what I like most about this book is its fidelity to the landscape, to the seascape, to the people, to the history of the region. The voice is eloquent and full of verve. The story is tinged by a sense of community that drives home the notion of multiple "homelands" in a region still faced with the consequences of a frontier mentality. I hear echoes of Barry Lopez and another terrific writer of place, Wallace Stegner. This book is thoughtful and wise. I look forward to reading more from Ricks. Highly recommended.

I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy not only an exciting kayaking trip down the inside passage from Alaska to Washington, but also a fine piece of writing that was colorful and relaxing. Fellow armchair adventurers will appreciate this close look at the history, ecology, and landscape of this rugged coast. The author does not weigh down the landscape with excessive introspection yet his commentary personalizes the journey just enough to enjoy the couple's companionship through the experience. A great way to enjoy some time in a far-away place.

Byron did an excellent job of taking the reader along on his paddle....spiritually, mentally, and physically. He appreciation for the land and it's people was quite evident and gives the reader a new perspective and greater understanding of each. I appreciated Byron's honesty about spirituality and his insights. Very thought provoking!

Would suggest having a map of the Inside Passage handy to follow their travels as you read.

There are many "how to books" on all aspects of sea kayaking. Byron's book captures the why of this mode of travel. To me it did not matter where the paddle took place but that it re-activated the feelings, the fears, the frustrations, the joy of travels by kayak in wild, almost unpopulated areas. Of walking beaches without human foot print and living day by day with the weather & tides; of seeing how little one needs to live. It is the connection with the past and what has been lost. It is this essence that I hold to and try to take with me in my "real" life.

I enjoyed this journey both as an excape from work and an reminder that you take take the wild landscape for granted. I certainly didn't want the trip to end (or the book) though by the time modern life intruded, I either wanted to go back or escape the degradation it brought. Finally, the historical and scientific information was well-woven into the fabric of the narrative. Good job.