Mighty Miss: A Mississippi River Experience Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
After hanging in mid-air for a split-second, our canoe drops hard. Immediate primal fears, heightened by expedition tensions and summer’s heat, grip us. We are descending out of control and into the core of a forty-foot whirlpool. The bow bends as if to be ripped asunder. Did we cheat death on Winnie’s six-foot waves in near freezing waters and survive terrifying games of chicken played by towboat operators only to go down in a peril equal to Dante’s inner circle? Mighty Miss’ edge-of-death experiences mingle with portraits of sandy beaches; a Robinson Crusoe island; magnificent sunrises; close-up encounters with loons making their evening call; slam dancing carp, lips pulsating to pass brethren mosh-pit style; and fishermen and faith filled river people sharing intimate and uplifting stories. The ecstasy of nature’s beauties and the excitement of survival make Mighty Miss a timeless and riveting Mississippi memoir.
Paperback: 294 pages
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 143925267X
ISBN-13: 978-1439252673
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #104 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Nature Travel > Adventure > Canoeing #459 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Canoeing #4134 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Water Sports
If you've ever thought about canoeing the Mississippi yourself, this is a book you'll want to add to your shelf. And if you never have, you still might enjoy it.On the plus side, Hoffman does a good job of describing the natural beauty of the river, the many challenges canoers face, and some of the nice people he meets up with along the way.On the negative side, you'll probably get tired of his constant relating of how he and his son don't get along. It's never resolved, it doesn't seem to make any sense, and it definitely gets in the way of his describing the great adventure the two were on.Another oddity (and oddities are not that unusual in self-published efforts) are some of the extremely negative reactions he has with boaters - in particular multiple tugs and one Corps of Engineers boat that basically try to swamp him or run him over. There's never any real denouement or explanation of what seemed at the time to be extremely aggressive and illegal behavior.
A friend referred me to "Mighty Miss", and I am eager to pass along the recommendation. This tale of a father-son canoeing adventure immediately captured my attention with an account of harrowing river currents. Danger is seemingly omnipresent and includes storms, malicious barge operators, infections, etc. There's a fascinating set of characters that inhabit the river ecosystem, each one more eccenctric than the last. After reading the book, I was motivated to attend a presentation by the author at my local REI store. A great adventure story!
A son and father canoe from the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota to Jackson Square Landing in New Orleans. Along the way, they encounter wildlife, eccentric river dwellers, extreme weather, insects, and terroristic tugboat captains. This well-written adventure makes you feel you were in the canoe with them and yet, thankful you were not.
Preparing for my own Mississippi Expedition this coming summer, Gary's Mighty Miss has been a beacon of light through my fog of worries and concerns. From the beginning of their trip, through the storm of Big Winnie and all their interpersonal battles, it was amazing that these two made it. Yet looking at the stories, I believe so many people can relate the battles on the river to battles in everyday life. I am very grateful for Gary to write this book, and hope many more people can learn something from it, as I have.
This is a great book that we all can enjoy and it is a true story, it shows the hardships that they went through in great detail and will make you want to pike up a paddle and go out and canoe.
So, don't wear a lifevest and don't get along with others. What a deranged plan!
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