Dying Out Here Is Not an Option: Paddlequest 1500: a 1500 Mile, 75 Day, Solo Canoe and Kayak Odyssey

by John Connelly

Overview

On June 25th, 2016, John Connelly became the first to both canoe the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and kayak the Maine Island Trail, but went a step further connecting them with the Saint John River and Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada; 1500 miles in 75 days. This solo expedition launched in the Adirondack Mountains on April 16th proved challenging, rewarding, eye-opening and was tracked in real-time by satellite and was followed by thousands online. Find out how he met the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and survived violent storms. Be inspired to seek out these water trails and experience portions of them for yourself.
Connelly’s 75-day trip took him through 2 countries, 4 states, 22 streams, 58 lakes and the North Atlantic. Check out his trip at paddlequest1500.com.
“—A physical and mental challenge; an epic adventure, living out of my boat—wild rivers, volatile ocean, unpredictable weather, unique people, backwoods towns and rugged working-waterfront villages—one extraordinary journey.” — John Connelly

“Dying Out Here is Not an Option is as wonderful a read as it is a wild ride. Connelly uses his luscious narrative style like a magic boat to transport readers effortlessly into his epic journey. With all the skills of an accomplished novelist, he vividly builds the universe he transects, detail by fascinating detail. You can feel the sun on your back and the cold water in your face as the struggle proceeds. It is a brilliant and engrossing tale of true grit and adventure, and the apotheosis that comes from an heroic effort. I’m so glad he survived to tell the shape of his waters.”
-Richard Bangs: Contributor, The New York Times, Slate, Huffington Post, Host of PBS Richard Bangs’ Quests and Richard Bangs’ Adventures with Purpose

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780578896038
Publisher:	John Connelly
Publication date:	11/15/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

John Connelly co-authored river guide book, Appalachian Whitewater: The Northern States. A contributing author for National Geographic Adventure Online, Cooking Light Magazine and in-flight magazines, he has had articles published about outdoor adventures, the health and wellness benefits of paddling, and the direct relationship between adventures in the wild and resource conservation and stewardship. John has been in the adventure tourism industry since the 1970s and has founded whitewater rafting operations in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states of the US and in Europe, including sea kayaking operations in Maine, North Carolina and Florida. As an athlete member of the United States Canoe and Kayak Team, John competed in whitewater world cup and world championships. After a decade of developing outdoor retailer LLBean, Inc.'s outdoor adventure, education and experiential retail business, he has been consulting in the outdoors space, primarily in the areas of safety, risk management, customer experience and operations. John volunteers as a monitor skipper, stewarding island sites, for the Maine Island Trail Association. John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and events providing entertaining insights about his expeditions and the lessons learned. John is working on his next book and resides in Yarmouth, Maine with his incredible wife, Nicole. Check out www.paddlequest1500.com for information about his books, speaking engagements and getting in touch with John.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments        xv
    CHAPTER ONE    Inland Seas         1
    CHAPTER TWO    The Making of the Thing         4
    CHAPTER THREE    First Strokes         10
    CHAPTER FOUR    Low Point         17
    CHAPTER FIVE    Against the Flow         29
    CHAPTER SIX    Over the Divide and Beyond         38
    CHAPTER SEVEN    Back Home for the First Time         52
    CHAPTER EIGHT    Wolastog: The Good and Beautiful River         68
    CHAPTER NINE    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police     76
    CHAPTER TEN    Ground Support         78
    CHAPTER ELEVEN    Lost and Found         91
    CHAPTER TWELVE    Friends         95
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN    River’s End         100
    CHAPTER FOURTEEN    Bay of Fundy         106
    CHAPTER FIFTEEN    Home for the Last Time         116
    CHAPTER SIXTEEN    The Coast of Maine         118
    CHAPTER SEVENTEEN    Fog, Lightning, Wind and the Whole Crazy Thing         126
    CHAPTER EIGHTEEN    Bar Harbor and Beyond —        134
    CHAPTER NINETEEN    Plastic, Whales and More Cheeseburgers         141
    CHAPTER TWENTY    Most Accidents Happen Within a Mile of Home         147
    CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE    What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger         151
    CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO    All Good Things        156
        About the Author        160

 

Editorial Reviews

“Dying Out Here is Not an Option is as wonderful a read as it is a wild ride. Connelly uses his luscious narrative style like a magic boat to transport readers effortlessly into his epic journey. With all the skills of an accomplished novelist, he vividly builds the universe he transects, detail by fascinating detail. You can feel the sun on your back and the cold water in your face as the struggle proceeds. It is a brilliant and engrossing tale of true grit and adventure, and the apotheosis that comes from an heroic effort. I’m so glad he survived to tell the shape of his waters.”

-Richard Bangs: Contributor, The New York Times, Slate, Huffington Post, Host of PBS Richard Bangs’ Quests and Richard Bangs’ Adventures with Purpose

“From the first page, Connelly puts you in the boat with him, feeling nature’s rough edge; testing his mettle. The telling of his 1500 mile 75 day solo adventure at age 60, with no ibuprofen, has highs and lows as well as laughs. Reading his account of 800 canoe and 700 kayak miles across such varying landscapes and seascapes is a grand adventure with many twists and turns. You will come away with appreciation and respect for our wild rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. Times of serenity and immense beauty to violent storms and high seas alone, dying out there was indeed possible many times. Glad he made it to tell the tale.”

-Kevin Fedarko: Contributor, Outside, Esquire, National Geographic Adventure, Time and author of The Emerald Mile

“I read scattered dispatches of John Connelly’s aquatic expedition on Facebook as it happened but now we have a full accounting of his remarkable voyage in both fresh and salt water. Amidst the rapids and tides, exertion and exhaustion, what jumps out is Connelly’s incredible drive, a purpose matched by impressive physical prowess. He reveals himself to be a paddler’s paddler in some of the most challenging waters of the Northeast. Let’s face it, a single day of such kayaking or canoeing and dealing with the elements would be the stuff of a story that other paddlers would retell for their rest of their lives. Connolly had 75 such days in a row, an unbelievable daily roll call of challenges, discomfort and triumphs. Thank goodness for beer, cheeseburgers and an extraordinary assortment of friends who seemed to emerge from the woods to help when help was needed. Not to mention the unflagging support of his wife, Nicole. Read it as diary of determination, even if your own paddling adventures are confined to the occasional afternoon in a canoe on a mill pond.”

-Everett Potter: Contributor, Forbes.com, Editor, Everett Potter’s Travel Report

“Few people can tell a story like John Connelly, and many fewer have stories to tell like this one! On tax day 2016 — just after ice-out — John launched his canoe on a punishing 1,500-mile, 75-day paddling odyssey. The trip included the entire Northern Forest Canoe Trail, St. John River, Bay of Fundy, and Maine Island Trail. (Picture a lasso from upstate New York looping around the state of Maine.) Through his real-time tracking device, fans were able to follow his virtual rooster tail… and wonder anxiously every time the dot on the chart stopped moving, though it rarely stopped for long.

Dying Out Here Is Not an Option gets in John’s head for 75 days of challenging on-water conditions and decisions – days of great inspiration and immense challenge even for an extraordinarily accomplished paddler. So pack your dry-bag and get ready!”

Doug Welch, Executive Director, Maine Island Trail Association

From the Publisher