Without a Paddle by Warren Richey

This weekend, I finished a book that I have been reading through for the past couple of weeks. The fact that it took me several weeks to get through it is no indication of how good the book was. In fact, the book was excellent, but gone are the days that I could sit down and read through a book in one sitting, uninterrupted. In fact, I think the ending of that level of reading devotion coincided with becoming a dad. Now, now matter how good the book, reading for twenty minutes is a prelude to falling asleep.

The book is called Without a Paddle and was written by superhuman paddler Warren Richey, a member of the small boat endurance racing group called the WaterTribe. These guys are devoted paddlers who combined navigation, endurance, strategy, sleep deprivation, competitive spirit, and camaraderie into hard-core events in Florida. The race that is detailed in the book is called the Ultimate Florida Challenge. This race takes place over 30 days and covers 1200 miles, nearly all spent paddling, but it also includes a 40 mile portage through the GA/FL Okefenokee swamp. Think about that for a second… 1200 miles in 30 days means these folks have to put in at least 40 miles every day to get there before their deadline expires. In reality, some of the faster racers can complete this course in a good deal fewer days.

The book reads along two themes. First, it reads as a log and journal of the race itself. You’ll find descriptions of the beauty of Florida and the southeast coastline. You’ll read about the challenges of fighting and using the tides (something I never considered before). The author does a wonderful job of bringing the race atmosphere to life and building the pressure as the race progresses. His strategy of racing waypoint to waypoint, and breaking the enormity of the distance into mini-races, seems the only way to accomplish such a distance alone. The history and stopping places passed along the way made me want to take a trip down there to see the unique, out of the way spots he mentions. The second theme of the book is the psychological and emotion insight that the author intentionally includes. On one hand, he is open about the circumstances that drove him to the race. His history isn’t just a side-note. It’s a piece of the puzzle to discovering the type of person that competes in this way and possesses the self-drive to commit to a race like this. It may seem odd to find the emotional admissions in the book paired with the hard-core challenge, but I enjoyed it. Also, the author does a great job describing the psychological toll taken by the race itself. Extreme exhaustion, disorientation, and sometimes poor decision making climb as the days go on. While the body acclimates itself to the demands, the mind becomes less and less agile.

I don’t want to spoil any more of the story, and be sure not to read too much on the WaterTribe site. I visited the site mid-book and accidentally saw who won the race. If you are a fan of adventure reading or paddling or just looking for a different type of read than the norm, this book is well worth the time.