Up the Creek

A native of southern Ontario, Doug McKown became involved in canoeing through Scouting as a boy. In the early 1970s he became a serious competitor in whitewater slalom racing, earning many top finishes in the C-1 and C-2 classes, and began instructing canoeists for various organizations including the Scouts, school programs, and the Outdoor Club at the University of Guelph. He also developed canoe courses and wilderness paddling programs as a canoe instructor for Seneca College in Ontario. Later he developed adult education canoeing programs in Banff, Alberta, which are now in their twenty-seventh year of operation. For ten years he was director of the canoeing and kayaking program at the Banff National Army Cadet Camp, one of the largest such programs in western Canada, and was instrumental in developing and implementing their canoe safety and rescue programs. He went on to develop and teach river rescue courses for the Canadian Department of National Defense, for Parks Canada, and for clubs and public programs. Since 1987 he has been full-time paramedic in Banff, and was a director of Banff Emergency Medical Services for eight years, with coverage responsibility for Banff National Park. McKown has been certified as an advanced lake and river canoe instructor, examiner, and instructor trainer with the Canadian Recreation Canoe Association, and has been publishing articles about canoeing in numerous magazines since the early 1980s. Since 1994 he has written a regular instructional column for Kanawa Magazine, Canada’s national canoeing magazine. HOMETOWN: Banff, Alberta CANADA

Introduction: Why Do We Do These Things?Chapter 1. Live and Learn--MaybeLost Canoe on the Clearwater River, Dean GyugExperience on the Slater River, Pam LittleMy First Wilderness Rapid--And Almost My Last, John LentzGood-Bye to an Old Friend, Doug McKownChapter 2. The Right Tool for the Right JobSwamping on the Swampy Bay River, Sara Seager and Mike WevrickA Close Call, George DroughtBig Waves and Small Canoes, Jim BuckinghamChapter 3. Random Acts of NatureWhitewater with a Twist, Dave ChristophersonGrizzly Encounters on the Clarke and Thelon Rivers, Mel BaughamUp the Creek Without a Canoe, Jack StefanykGail, Lee, and Bear Makes Three, Lee PearsonMeeting the Big Wheel at the Wheeler, Laurel ArcherThe Wild Nahanni, Pam LittleAdventure in the Night, Doug McKownFoster River Burnout, Doug McKownThe Cat and the Rapids, Jim BuckinghamChapter 4. Injury and IllnessThe Heart of the Matter, Tom BrownWhere There's Fire, There's Fire, Doug McKownThe Lemon Theory Works, Tom BrownBreak a Leg, Doug McKownA Feverish Trip on the Gull River, Mel BaughamBurned, Tom BrownA Trip Cut Short in Nootka Sound, Dean McLeodChapter 5. The Choices People MakeLeap for Life, Doug McKownA Situation on the Kananaskis, Jim BuckinghamBroken Yoke Gorge on the Wathaman, Laurel ArcherThe One-Minute Measurement, John SilverAll in a Day's Work, Doug McKownNever Give Up, Cliff JacobsonMishap on the Notakwanon River, Bob Henderson and Warren TrimbleKeystone Canoeists, Doug McKownCool on the Credit River, Toni HartingA Tragedy on the Bow, Doug McKownA Bad Choice on the Manigatogan, Dean McLeodWhere Is Everyone? Bill HosfordHave Map, Will Travel, John BuchananA Break at the End of the Day, John SilverWhere Exactly Are We? Doug McKownChapter 6. People Versus PeopleThe Trip from Hell, George DroughtDecisions on the Arctic River, Ric DriedigerWhen Things Go Wrong, Hap WilsonChapter 7. Solo AdventuresGordon River Breezes, Roger ParsonsMiracle at Stanley Mission, Jack StefanykHow to Christen a Canoe, Jim BuckinghamTrouble on the Vermilion, Doug McKownSolo on Superior, Jim GreenacreChapter 8. It's All About Safety AwarenessResourcesAbout the ContributorsAbout the Editor