Paddling North - by Audrey Sutherland (Paperback)

About the Book

An Epic Memoir of an Intrepid Solo Adventurer, a Woman Who Lived by the Philosophy "Go Simple, Go Solo, Go Now"

Book Synopsis

2013 Gold Winner IBPA Ben Franklin Awards

In a memoir remarkable for its quiet confidence and acute natural observation, the author of Paddling Hawaii and Paddling My Own Canoe begins with her decision, at age 60, to undertake a solo, summer-long voyage along the southeast coast of Alaska in an inflatable kayak. Paddling North is a compilation of Sutherland's first two (of over 20) such annual trips and her day-by-day travels through the Inside Passage from Ketchikan to Skagway. In 22 years she encountered over 30 bears, four wolves, and hundreds of whales. Her lifelong philosophy, "Go simple, go solo, go now," is illustrated in this reflection-filled story of kayaking adventure. Includes maps, illustrations, and the author's camp food recipes.

Review Quotes

"A sort of guide to life, a sharing of one adventurer's philosophy and her love for what she finds in nature, in testing herself, and in deep thinking. It stretches far past "I went there, I did this" into an examination of life akin to the work of Thoreau, Muir, E. B. White, and others she quotes along the way. She also brings into her text her cultural knowledge of Hawaii and what she learns along the way of Alaska history and indigenous knowledge." -- Anchorage Daily News

"At just 160-some pages, Paddling North can be consumed in one long sitting, but that would be the equivalent of motoring the Northwest Passage. Better to take the leisurely pace of a blow-up kayak, subject to the push and pull of Sutherland's tidal adventures, as lingering and memorable as a sunset in the far north, seen from a deserted beach on an uninhabited island." -- Adventure Journal

"What I liked about her book is just how down to earth it was and the priorities she has. Her reasons for adventure were quite different to a lot of stuff I've read. For example, she has recipes in the book. She makes a real effort to collect bits of seaweed and wild garlic along the way. She seems to have her priorities nicely sorted. Also, it's quite inspiring that she began as a late middle-aged woman to do these sorts of things." "But the takeaway of the book, the line that stands out for me is when she says, 'Go simple, go solo, go now.' It's an amazing summary of how people should just get on with their adventures." --www.fivebooks.com

By all accounts, Sutherland was a badass. -- Juneauempire.com

More than simply a story told from point A (Ketchikan) to point B (Skagway) - a distance of over 560 kilometres! - Paddling North captures Sutherland's spirit of adventure and infuses it with an appreciation for the finer things in life: food, wine, and warmth. -- www.stillstoked.com

Read this book if: you're staring at your screen, desperately wishing it was the ocean. Buy this book for friends who: value adventure and wine in equal measure. --www.stillstoked.com