The Ultimate Canoe Challenge: 28,000 Miles Through North America (Paperback)

~ Brand Frentz (Author), Verlen Kruger (Contributor)
Key Phrases: canoe challenge, canoe country, wing dams, The Ultimate Canoe Challenge, Grand Canyon, Lake Itasca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Verlen Kruger and Steve Landick came up with the idea of a canoe trip that would surpass all others, and they did it. Paddling their canoes or carrying them on the connecting land passages, they toured North America, from Montana to Manhattan, from New Orleans to the Arctic Ocean, from Baja California to home in Lansing, Michigan.

They mastered wild storms on the ocean, often paddled 75-100 miles or more in a day, shot through deadly rapids going downstream, and paddled up several major rivers, reaching the climax by going up the Grand Canyon. Again and again they were warned, "It can't be done" or "You'll never make it", but each time they rose to the challenge and kept going, finally completing a canoe trip of 28,000 miles that lasted three and a half years and was appropriately named The Ultimate Canoe Challenge. This is the story as Verlen lived it.

About the Author

Verlen Kruger (1922?2004), a family man and plumbing contractor in Lansing, Michigan, found canoeing in 1963 and went on to travel more than 100,000 miles by canoe, including several famous trips. Brand Frentz is a translator, lawyer, writer, and avid local canoeist in Southern Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (December 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595335799
• ISBN-13: 978-0595335794
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #756,693 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An "Ultimate" read, February 27, 2005

By	Jose C. Joven "Hoz" (Indianapolis, In USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Verlen Kruger was a single minded modern day adventurer. He started paddling at 41 and before he died (On August 2, 2004, at age 82) he had covered over 100,000 miles by canoe, a world record. His last major expedition was celebrating his 80th birthday while paddling 2000 miles down length of the Yukon River with family and friends.

This book details Verlens' "Ultimate Canoe Challenge". He and his new son in law Steve Landick decide to paddle up and down almost every major watershed in North America including the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez. They are the only people to paddle UP the Mississipi and up the Colorado river including the Grand Canyon! Three years and innumerable hardships later the job was done. But not without personal and financial costs.

One of Verlens' favorite quotes was, "Happy are they who dream dreams ...and have the courage to make them come true."

Brand Frentz has done an admirable job of telling the tale, the dream and the courage. It is a facinating read and I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy the "ultimate" in anything.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book and a great story ..., October 23, 2005

By	Marek Uliasz "wayfarer" (colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

... full of practical informations, especially, if you are plannning long expedition paddling trips.

The entire story is told from the Verlen's perspective. It's a pity that Brand Frentz didn't try to include any views of other participants of the ultimate canoe challenge. A short interviews with Steve Landick and Valerie Fons would be really interesting.