One Woman's River
Reading Complete!
About 30 minutes ago, I finished reading One Woman’s River for the second time. I remember enjoying the book the first time I read it, but the details were lost to me over the years.
The brief overview is this - Ellen Kolbo McDonah is retired, and she's always wanted to kayak the Mississippi River from source to see. She felt that while she was newly retired, it was the perfect time to tackle this adventure, and this book is essentially a diary of her trip.
Something I love about this book is how it feels like the reader is looking over Ellen's shoulder the entire time. The writing is unpretentious and real. A candid account of an adventure.
Ellen is a retired art teacher, so the book is littered with beautiful pieces of art that capture brief moments along her journey. When people helped her along the way, she gave them a piece of art as a thank you for sharing water or providing assistance along the way.
Something that struck me when I finished this book was how relieved I felt that she made it unscathed. I'm a kayaker. I know rivers are dangerous, but they aren't as dangerous as humans. And I was worried about her running into humans who would do her harm.
Of all the encounters listed in the book, there was only one time when I thought she might be in danger. She was quick on her feet and avoided a bad situation, but it could've easily gone the other way.
I'm not saying she was lucky here, because when women are outdoors, doing things alone, they have to be smart. Luck does play a part in it, but not as much as being smart and prepared does.
Her interactions with people and wildlife on the river were overwhelmingly positive, according to her account. People were helpful. Animals were curious.
I like to read about people doing good things for each other. I like to know that people are doing good things for each other. I also like knowing that people are doing adventurous things, and I love it when they share their adventures with all of us.
I'm glad I read this book again.
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