Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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).

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.

This book is like a train wreck. You want to do the decent thing and turn away but the gore is too compelling. This is a poorly written journal of an egotistical fool that mooched, sponged and thieved his way across the arctic. There was no-one that this creep wouldn't use, and when he's quite justifiably refused "good samaritan" help, he rants and raves about how unfair it all is.

His writing is nothing more than egocentric drivel about how brilliant and brave he is. Nothing about the beauty, the people or the history.

The journey was remarkable, but Starkells stupidity, incompetance, lack of planning and astonishing lack of ethics are a study on how not to make this type of journey. His methods of resupply consisted of sponging off people who likely couldn't afford it and stealing the rest.

Please don't buy this book. It might encourage this idiot to go kayaking again.

I was simultaneously intrigued and repelled by this book. Starkell's story is told in first person narrative, and in the course of his journey we learn a lot about this man's complex character and motivations. From the beginning, it is apparent that he is haunted by having reached his 60th birthday. As he tells the story of his exceedingly hazardous journey, the tale takes on an almost ritualistic quality. The journey becomes a pilgrimage through which Starkell is attempting to exorcise the demon of approaching old age and infirmity. The ritualistic atmosphere is heightened by the hypnotic and obsessive ambition that drives this man.

What intrigued me about the book was Starkell's honesty and the incredible story he tells. Whether you like the man or not (and it is apparent that many reviewers do not) his story is compelling, and I found myself utterly absorbed, particularly towards the end of the book when it becomes clear that he is going to lose the race against the fast-approaching winter and ice. I also appreciated that Starkell tells his story honestly. The fear, loneliness, regrets, and doubts that afflict him throughout his journey are there for all to see.

However, while Starkell's single-mindedness can make for a fascinating read, it is also repelling in some respects. I couldn't help but draw comparisons between his attitude and those of some early arctic explorers who sought to "conquer" the land, and who felt nothing for the land itself or the people inhabiting it. Starkell's ambition unfortunately insulates him -- and, consequently, the reader -- from both the stark beauty of the arctic and the culture of the people who have lived there for centuries.

I could not put the book down because of its classic portrayal of a tragic figure. Starkell's obsessive behavior broods over the tale and creates an atmosphere of impending doom. Like Ahab, he cannot abandon his quest and he blindly pursues his goal with utter disregard of the potentially lethal consequences to himself and others. His tragically flawed character drives his paddling companions away, leaving him to face the majority of his arctic journey alone, and ultimately nearly destroys him. While I would not want Don Starkell as a paddling companion, I respect his accomplishment and I thoroughly enjoyed his book.

This is a partial review, in that I put it down after the first 2 chapters. Embarking on this epic journey, he capsizes within 50 miles of his start point and is woefully unprepared to handle it. At this point I couldn't care less about the fate of the author on his future attempts.

I found this book fascinating. Don's background is canoe racing and canoe marathons. He is not on a nature trip, he is on a marathon. Clearly he is the type of adventurer who should be traveling alone. Clearly, as others have pointed out, Victoria Jason's account is more spiritual, more nature and culture oriented and is fascinating for other reasons. But Don's journey should not be disparaged. He is a tough guy and beat the odds despite his lack of preparation and lack of navigational and paddling skills. The fact that he lived to tell about his journy is a major accomplishment.

Both he and Victoria have been inspirational to me and led me to my own expeditions. There is a little of both of these paddlers in me and I find them both inspirational in their own ways. Read both this book and Kabloona in a Yellow Kayak. Very different perpsectives on the same journey. And before bashing Don about his treatment of Victoria, think about the fact that if not for him, Victoria may never have achieved her greatness.

The preceding reviewer takes light account of the forthrightness of Starkell's account, as well as the supra human effort it took to complete his jounrney. Starkell is absolutely strung out at the end of it, and he gives a powerful account of his beateness, even though he succeeds. Its a heros voyage, challenging himself as he does, and its epic in scope.
Yes it was a mad journey, and yes, it was possible he wouldnt succeed. But many have ventured less, and lost more.
I think people should give Starkell a little latitude for his social faux paxs up there, and when i read about the reception he got at the DEW station, i thought, these are the people whose orbit he is trying to paddle away from.
Reading also, the crtical account of his companion who parted paths because he was too 'driven', well, thats why he is the kind of guy who completes such a journey, and why his is a book people want to read, in contrast to on golden pond.
to call a man who attempts this, who has the galls to go for it, in this day and age, with his arm chair e-critics, i say, Don Starkell, our time needs you, and i salute you. One day im coming to your door to shake your hand in Winnepeg.

On first getting into this book, it occurred to me that "Journal of Stupidity" might be a more apt title for this personal account of poor planning, false ambition and misplaced energies. I regret to report that continued reading only reinforces this judgement. On reflection though, it must be said that the book conveys an honest and gripping first person portrayal of the man with all his faults and the expedition that never should have happened (hence my 4-star rating). This book is a MUST READ for any would be, modern day Franklins. Finally, I must express my empathy for the author's sometime paddling partner, Victoria Jason, whose shortened voyage will probably not warrant a book of her own, but whose measured sense of adventure and rational mind earns 5 stars from me. (REVIEWER'S CORRECTION: Victoria Jason did indeed write her book - see above review)

Well, I hope that when I'm nearing 60, I have the strength and energy of Don Starkell.

That said, I sure hope I also have more common sense and less arrogance. I found this journey tediously frustrating, full of ego and "conquer the earth" mentality. Survival mentality? Yes of course. I realize he had to try three times, and that he had to push hard to get through because of ice, but I didn't see a whole lot of knowledge of the land, nor respect for his paddling mates when they accompanied him. And, preparation seemed questionable, as in these two examples: refusing to take a gun into bear-infested territory; refusing a radio because it could lead to an easy bailout if the going got tough.

I found myself wondering what took Victoria Jason so long to decide to do her own journey. I found her book a lot more enjoyable, because she seemed a lot less caught up in telling the reader how tough she is, and she told me more about the land through which she passes.

Book is reasonably edited, and the pictures are a welcome addition.