Water Words: “Wherever Waters Flow”

A Carolina Paddler Book Report

“Wherever Waters Flow”

Written by Doug Woodward

Published by Headwaters Publishing, 2006

254 Pages

When I was asked if I was interested in writing up a brief article on a book and was given a few titles to consider, I knew right away which one I wanted to read, “Wherever Waters Flow: A Lifelong Love Affair with Wild Rivers,” by Doug Woodward. I had already ordered it based on a recommendation from another book and this was a good excuse to dive right in. And wow, what an adventure. The book jumps right into the action with the aptly titled chapter “Moment of Truth”. Doug does an amazing job of storytelling and conveying the intensity of the moments he shares. I would love to experience many of the rivers and adventures Doug goes on and tells of. Others, I am happy reading about the experience from the comfort of my couch. But either way what an amazing set of stories and a wonderful set of experiences to live. There is a little bit of everything in this book. Doug tells personal life experiences and lessons learned, a history of whitewater paddling, and tales of common bonds formed by adventurous people.

You as a reader may connect with this book differently than I did, but will no doubt connect in some way. There are several stories of mishaps on the river. When paddling, and often for years without incident, it is easy to become complacent or let your guard down. Doug tells of several incidents in the book where preparedness, being aware of the situation, and quick action turn potentially disastrous situations into merely a scary occurrence on the river. Several other times, with everything possible that could be done at the time, the situation could not be salvaged. Doug does a good job of expressing the real love and adventure of the river, but reminding the reader of the potential danger of these environments.

I thought of these stories as I was paddling the run-out of my local run on the Lower Haw River after Moose Jaw falls. It is a mix of mostly class I and II rapids. On this particular day, the water level was on the lower side. I was with a group of six or so. One of the paddlers that day is well known and respected in the club, an ACA instructor, and his credentials would probably be more than the page could contain. I got caught in a flow which took me in a direction which was not the line of the rest of the group. We are talking a distance of 40 ft. While the route I took was fine, it did take me away from the group. No one else knew, and I don’t think he knew that I saw him, but this paddler saw where I was, and that if something happened, no one was in place to assist. He broke from where he was with purpose to an eddy just below the rapid I was running. There was no incident. He never said a word, and quickly broke back to the group when I was through, but it was just his instinct to be in the right place, just in case. While I fall short, I strive to have that sort of mental focus at all times while on the river.

Doug also tells of his experiences with the filming of the movie Deliverance. I won’t give away any of the details for the future reader here, but this is one of many stories, of striving for your best, taking on challenges and opportunities, and being available when those opportunities do call.

Doug’s book is a great reminder that we as paddlers in 2022 are the beneficiaries of years of trailblazing in the sport. There are those before us that toiled out of love for the sport to improve all aspects of paddling. These include discovery of unpaddled rivers and routes, improving/creating legal access to once unavailable sections of rivers, boat design improvement, boat material improvement, safety equipment and technique development, group paddling strategies, and the list goes on. Today we can drive to rivers like the Nantahala, feeling confident of put-ins, take-outs, known lines, shuttles, and guaranteed water flows. That was hardly the case 50 years ago. We live in a world where we often only see the polished final products of athletes, businesses, products, and people. I think it is of great educational benefit for young and old to have the layers of the onion peeled back as Doug does, and to hear the history of how these athletes, businesses, products, and people were developed.

Well, I’ve said enough. It’s time for the reader of this article to go and read the book for themselves. I couldn’t possibly do justice to Doug’s storytelling abilities, or to the vast number of experiences that I have left out here. These include but are not limited to several multi-week camp rafting expeditions, taking a future President of the United States down the Chattooga river, and other tales of adventure. I thank Doug first for living these experiences, and secondly for sharing them with the rest of us to learn and enjoy.