AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE [OCTOBER 2019]W
ith each stroke of the
paddle, I moved the
kayak smoothly down
the Homosassa River,
in western Florida. It is
early morning, it’s about 40 degrees (F) and
the only other activity on the water was a few
other kayakers. If it wasn’t for the houses that
line this section of the river, I could almost
believe that I was in a time long gone by.
Spanish moss draped the branches of the
live oaks standing sentinel along the banks,
giving it an almost “Jurassic Park” feel. As I
continued my journey, I glided silently past
a heron sitting on a palmetto, undisturbed
by my passing. I was alone with my thoughts
when a manatee came up for air and then
swam beneath my kayak.
Waterways like this were our highways long
before pavement crisscrossed the landscape.
Traversing the rivers was how people traveled
and transported goods. Rafts, canoes and
kayaks were used in the backcountry as a
means of transportation and a way to ferry
supplies to out-of-the-way homesteads.
Light, non-motorized watercraft gave access
to new lands, opening up new hunting and
fishing areas.
Today these watercraft are used mainly for
sport, but they do have their place in a self-re-
liant lifestyle or a survival situation as well.
When you have to move quickly and silently
or when you have more gear to transport
than you can reasonably carry on your back,
traveling by water is a viable option.
I grew up paddling a canoe. I have done
whitewater rafting, and about three years ago
I started kayaking, using this craft to get into
areas even my canoe couldn’t really get into.
As a kid I would spend endless hours fishing
or exploring hidden coves using the canoe. My
first fly fishing lesson was while I was in a ca-
noe. When I grew older, it was the canoe that
transported me to remote areas to hunt ducks
and geese. The canoe could hold two people,
the shotguns and other gear needed for the
hunt and get us into position quickly and
silently. For me, the canoe was an invaluable
piece of gear.NOT ALL CRAFT ARE THE SAME
There are still areas of the country that are
not easily accessible by land. There is a saying
in Maine that goes, “You can’t there from
here.” In some cases, that may be true. In a
backcountry setting, your travel from Point
A to Point B may be blocked by a river, lake30