Rivers Running Free: Stories of Adventurous Women

by Judith Niemi, Barb Wieser

Paperback

Genres: Adventure, Womens, Nonfiction

287 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1987

Reviews

[Michaela Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked this book up in the vintage section of my bookstore and absolutely LOVED it!! i spent the last couple of months taking my time and reading and loving all the stories included and i think i will always reach for this book whenever i want some inspiration for adventure :)

[Chris Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has stayed with me for years. I was impressed by their willingness to let go of comfort, to dig deep and find inner strength when the weather or circumstances turned difficult. I remember the women as approachable, people I would like to be around and emulate. I've given it as a gift twice. It's a great inspiration for anyone getting ready to attempt something outside of their comfort zone. As Harry says, "If they could do it, why can't we?"*

*"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

[Susan Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I spent my summer vacation: Unable to get away on a canoe trip one summer, I joined in spirit the women featured in Rivers Running Free. The book is a collection of 37 first person narratives by and about women examining their relationships with the wilderness, their companions and themselves.

The trips date back as far as 1905 and range all over North America, including urban adventures along the Hudson and Mississippi, and the daunting, almost heartbreaking, journeys through Labrador or down the Saskatchewan.

The strikingly common threads in all these journeys are the importance of working with nature (as opposed to trying to conquer it) and the value of developing co-operative relationships with long-time friends and total strangers. There are a number of useful and enlightening maps (canoists love maps!) showing the course of each trip (with points of interest along the way) and one of North America showing where each trip occurred.

The prevailing spirit that seems to drive most of the women in this book, in spite of the portages and the mosquitoes, is the realization that "We're getting too old not to be doing what we want to do."

(I first posted this review on Amazon some years ago)

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there was ever a time when I needed to be reminded of how strong, resilient, and adventurous women can be, and always have been, even in the most oppressive of times, it is now. And this is the perfect read to provide that reminder. Maybe I'll plan a canoeing trip this summer.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more books like this one. My lifecoach gave me this collection, and it sent me on a journey to find the longer stories of the women in this book. Adventurers, trailblazers, sportswomen all. I love it.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about strong adventuous women full of stories of women from another time living life to the fullest.