Where Are Your Men? Rafting Western Rivers With The Ladies

by Zan Merrill, Nikki Naiser

What do a bunch of well-seasoned river gals do on river trips without their men? Everything you might imagine, and more. These stories invite you to relive experiences of women who have been running rivers for decades and find themselves back out on whitewater year after year. You'll find tales of difficult rescues and the kind of unexpected adventures western river runners love to share. Through a variety of stories, haikus, poems, and essays, this anthology goes deeper. The personal accounts explore the beauty of both the rivers and trusted friendships forged over the years. Sharing life's celebrations and tragedies, these women navigate the waters of their lives.

198 pages, Paperback

Published February 29, 2024

Reviews

[Bruce Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Badass women boaters

This is an eclectic collection of boating stories by an equally eclectic collection of women who love boating. It features stories of adventure, discovery, minor disasters, and much else, but above all friendship. It’s written in the fine tradition of Writing Down the River, Breaking Into the Current (Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon), Woman of the River: Georgie White Clark, multiple Ann Zwinger books, Canyon Solitude: A Woman’s Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon, and others. Many of the boaters featured in this book rafted, canoed, or kayaked many sections of the Green River, the Colorado, the San Juan, the Gunnison, and others. Many started boating in the 1980s and some continue to the present day. Great stories — highly recommend.

[Kaelin Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“and i welcome my body’s insistence to wake up out of a dead sleep and squat where the water meets the bank. What else would wake me and lead me down to the river in the quiet of the night?” - Nikki Naiser

“rafting and kayaking are only a small part if the reasons i fell in love with rivers, forgot to have children, and chose to live like a nomad for so many years” - Faye Coddington

such a good book

[Stephanie H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight. I went on many rafting trips in college and leaned to love western rivers. I haven’t had the opportunity to raft since but reading these women’s stories brought me right back. I laughed, cried and smiled reading their stories.

[Keira Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so lovely! I feel like I know these women, like they’re my adopted aunties that chosen to spend their time telling me about their love of the river and each-other.

It does have a few typos so if that bothers you just be aware!