Water Words: “Whitewater Philosophy”

Doug Ammons grew up in Missoula, Montana surrounded by outdoor activities and nurtured by a family that supported his pursuits. He was part of many first descents but may be best known for participating in the 1990 second descent of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine and the first solo descent of the same river in 1992. This has since been repeated by Aniol Serrassoles (2018).  Sadly, it is where Jeff West (founder of ACE Ocoee kayaking school and author of a great Ocoee guidebook) died in 2012 while trying to descend solo.

Ammons has a PhD in Psychology and this book is a combination of his passions. My interest in this book came in 2011 after a good friend of mine drown on a trip we made together. Ammons toured in support of the book and some of us heard him speak in Winston-Salem at a Great Outdoor Provision Company sponsored event.

The book is a great  dive into how he (and we) think about a variety of topics. He shares his opinions, his “ethic” of kayaking- how he sees the river as his partner and how he sees his bond to other boaters. He discusses Brenner’s wave in Missoula, an artificial feature which he helped develop. He’s not against “play parks” but mostly  appreciates their convenience while awaiting his next big trip. He also spends a chapter talking about “soloing”, taking on its “taboo” status and what soloing has meant for him.

Risk in kayaking is what piqued my interest in the book and he does a good job in two chapters of breaking down how to view risk and how to deal with risk and fear. He spends a chapter talking about death in the sport as well. These chapters were especially helpful for me when I was trying to understand how to reconcile a sport that had just caused a tremendous tragedy in my life and for many in the CCC and larger community.

I thought this book was a great and insightful read for people who want to dive a little deeper into how we think and feel about the sport. I was really grateful for opportunity to meet the author.