Paddle to the Arctic: The Incredible Story of a Kayak Quest Across the Roof of the World [Hardcover]

Don Starkell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What do you do after you canoe from Winnipeg, Canada to the Amazon? Paddle a kayak from Hudson Bay 3,000 miles through the Northwest Passage, of course. The author of Paddle to the Amazon sets out on another epic and crazy adventure.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (September 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771082398
• ISBN-13: 978-0771082399
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Kayaking > Sea Kayaking
  • #62 in Books > Travel > Polar Regions > Arctic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A good example of what NOT to do in the arctic, or in life, August 15, 2004

By 

rklobstr (new england) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paddle to the Arctic: The Incredible Story of a Kayak Quest Across the Roof of the World (Paperback)

Another reviewer thought this tale was presented without whining; I must wholeheartedly disagree. The author continually bemoans his chosen fate, actually saying things like 'when oh when will this end?' He went up there three times with insufficient experience & no guidance; continually misreads the terrain and the weather; then is surprised when it's a really hard trip. He has little to say about any beauty he might have encountered along the way because he's only paying attention to the schedule.

He constantly complained about being behind a completely unrealistic schedule and how his companion slowed him down. He doesn't even apologize for the patronizing, dictatorial way he treated her. She was making better choices than he and was often better able to figure out their location, yet he treated her like a nuisance. He even admits to driving her to exhaustion (requiring hospitalization), then gets mad at her for not continuing the trip with him. In hindsight while telling the story, he still has no realization that he could have handled things better.

For a potential explorer, this book may provide a good idea of what to expect in the Arctic. The different adventures he encountered are often entertaining, but his attitude in telling them was intolerable. I kept hoping his companion would smack him in the head with her paddle.

For comparison, Maria Coffey's "A Boat in our Baggage" and Chris Duff's "On Celtic Tides" are glorious, well-written stories of grand kayak adventures. Both authors submerse themselves in their surroundings in an attempt to fully appreciate the experience, and they are richly rewarded for it. They had nothing but positive expressions of even the toughest events. They were not merely trying to beat the clock like Don Starkell - their goal was to find the magic of new places. They found the magic and artfully put it on paper for us to enjoy.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a fools account, June 3, 2005

By 

Chris R (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paddle to the Arctic: The Incredible Story of a Kayak Quest Across the Roof of the World (Paperback)

With in the first chapter i was ready to put the book down. I admite reading this book is like seeing a bad accident, horrifying, yet i had to read on to see what tom foolery was next. At points it occured to me that this may have been a comedy. But no, this is the account of a determined, driven man with no common sense.

Starkell seems to see himself as a hero. With pride he tell of his follies one after another as though over coming each near fatal mistake was a virtue in its self. I dont know what is more amazing, that he lived to tell the story or that he is willing to admite the story.

I am a professional kayak instructor and expedition guide. I have used sections of this book in classes as case studies to see if the novice students can pick out the mistakes. They usually spot them right away.

If you want to know what you should never do on a kayak expedition this is the book for you. As to Mr. Starkell, god been watching over you, and it sounds like that is a full time job for him/(her).

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incompetence and egomania in the Arctic, January 10, 2001

By 

Gerald A. Huntley (Grass Lake, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paddle to the Arctic: The Incredible Story of a Kayak Quest Across the Roof of the World (Paperback)

When I first read this book, some of the adventures seemed so implausibly stupid that I suspected that the story was a hoax. Rest assured, the events described - however improbable - really did take place. The book is a must read for anyone contemplating solo adventures in the Arctic, if for no other reason then to dissuade them. However, Starkell is hardly a suitable role model; those who are familiar with his adventure have described him as "a danger to himself and everybody around him". Nor can much be said for his character; he almost killed his partner by forcing her on when she was seriously ill, yet in his account of the episode, he talks of nothing but how frustrating it was to be behind schedule.

For a truly heroic account of this and other adventures, I highly recommend the account of the late Victoria Jason, who accompanied him on his first two trips. Her book, Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak: One Woman's Journey through the North West Passage, is an inspiring account of courage and generosity made all the more remarkable by the fact that all the while she was battling what turned out to be a terminal illness. Despite all obstacles, she nonetheless succeeded where Starkell failed -- and kept all her fingers and toes to boot.