Path of the Paddle: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Canoeing

by Herman "Skip" Mason Jr.

Covers both single and double paddling on flat water as well as white water.

Genres: Nonfiction, Outdoors, Reference

Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent technical book on whitewater canoeing. Great lessons from an experienced master who has seen both failure and success. As well, Bill Mason's appreciation for nature and the environment stand out in this wonderful book !

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glory,

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive, albeit rather dated and likely replaced by Youtube videos these days, which allow you to see the movements outlined here in real time.

[Stuart Marlatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an almost perfect book - Bill Mason's love of the craft shines through homey but well-written prose, while his descriptions of canoe technique and rivercraft are generally clear and easy to follow. He obviously writes from a wealth of experience, which translates into solid advice without becoming needlessly dogmatic. As a technique book, I much prefer this to Jacobson's series of canoe texts (although those are reasonable in their own right); I especially appreciated his series of river scenarios and discussions of how to handle them.

I would really liked to have rated this 5-stars. However, the production could have been much improved. The b/w pictures accompanying the text are often poorly reproduced, with insufficient greyscale to allow them to be clearly interpretted. Additionally, a bit more editting might have spotted some inconsistent terms as well as other undefined terms. But all in all, this is one of my favorite canoe books. It certainly should have a place on the shelf of every serious paddler.

[David Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who has paddled flat water and is thinking about stepping up to whitewater, this is the book you need to read, preferably before you hit the river. This book taught me that I had to relearn everything I knew about paddling, and got me to the point where I could get on and off a white water river without having to chase after my canoe. From paddling techniques to reading water, Bill Mason here does an outstanding job of laying out what's needed to paddle a canoe either tandem or solo on every manner of river.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gold. Pure gold. Or even better, as the advice in this book could save your life more than a lump of gold could out on the water. New and more advanced paddling techniques have been developed since this book was published 30 years ago, but for paddling basics this book is still relevant and remains a classic.

[Don Gubler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice

[David Beckstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the best book you can get on canoeing!