Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon Rivers (Paperback)

by Pete Giordano (Author), Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club (Author) "The Grays River is located in the far southwest corner of Washington, and for this reason advanced boaters often overlook it..." (more)
Key Phrases: soggy sneakers, boulder gardens, river class, North Fork, South Fork, Gauge Currently (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Paddlers will want to pick up a copy of the fourth edition of Soggy Sneakers. -- Eugene Register Guard

The ultimate guide to paddling in Oregon. -- Tail Winds

Product Description
Kayakers, canoers, and rafters: rejoice! The classic guide to running Oregon whitewater has been completely updated.

*236 runs (35 new to this edition) make this the most comprehensive guide available
*Includes new quick-reference index of all runs
*Expanded section of exploratory runs for those craving adventure/little-known routes

Soggy Sneakers will take you from the high desert to the ocean surf, from steep creeks to gentle streams and rivers, from runs within one hour of urban areas to remote rivers in the wilderness. Members of the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club--who have run all of Oregon's rivers--share their expertise and detail rapids and landmarks found on each run. There's something for everyone, from Class 1 (flatwater) excursions to Class 6 (most challenging) adventures.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books; 4 edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898868157
• ISBN-13: 978-0898868159
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Oregon boating book, April 8, 2000

By	Michael Budig (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Soggy Sneakers: A Guide to Oregon Rivers (Paperback)

Soggy Sneakers along with Paddling Oregon (by Robb Keller) are the two definative books about boating in Oregon.

Soggy Sneakers -published by Seattle Mountaineers-is in its third edition and features over 200 runs compiled by members of the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club who have run all of Oregon's rivers.

Included are Class 1 to Class 6 runs, with maps and descriptions of flow, gradient, length and character of each run. The book is an easy read and includes information on where to obtain shuttles and the best seasons to run.

The one criticism I have is the book fails to specify which type of craft (kayaks, canoes, rafts) are suited for each run.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Club Written Guidebook, July 24, 2005

By	Douglas L. Tooley "Mr. Tea" (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Soggy Sneakers has been in print since the early 1980's - and it has stood the test of time better than I!

I was in High School in Eugene while the project was being finished - starting as a project by mentors Gene Ice and Bob Porter it metamorphed into a club based model for a great guidebook. What makes this book unusual is that there are almost as many authors as rivers - insuring that the author is writing not about a river he or she has run once, but usually several times, at several different times of year and water levels.

As such the descriptions are written about favorite rivers and although this does lead to a bit of discrepancy in comparing different rivers that is more than made up by depth of knowledge and enthusiastic writing.

The completion of the book by the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club, many of whose members are academics at Oregon State University, only adds to the professionalism and usefulness of the book.

And I think they've even got one description written by yours truly left...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Check which boat the writer was using, November 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Soggy Sneakers: A Guide to Oregon Rivers (Paperback)

My open tandem canoe group used Soggy Sneakers on an exporatory (for us)week long trip in Southern Oregon. We found that the ratings listed in the book varied considerably depending on wether the writer was a kayaker, rafter or open canoeist. When a rafter called it a Class II it was a very different thing from when an open canoe rated it Class II. We got skunked several times before we started looking at the boats the raters were using. An open canoes Class III is a rafter's Class I and a Kayakers Class II. Once we figured that out we found the book very useful.