Review by Garrett Conover

Stan Bradshaw's slim volume, River Safety, a Floater's Guide, is a marvelous addition to the safety literature now available to river enthusiasts. It is clear, succinct, and targeted to the beginner and would-be river traveler. As such it starts where it should, at the beginning. It steers the reader to the basics quickly and in a manner that is not intimidating and overwhelming.

Brevity and clarity are its hallmarks, yet it respects the reader enough to convey the best aspects of common sense and forethought through carefully chosen anecdotes of real events, then follows each with a highlighting of the how and why and sensible prevention of similar mishaps and tragedy.

I suspected things would be good right from the get-go. Bradshaw breaks convention sensibly by putting the glossary first, to introduce terminology in advance of needing it; much the way any instructor leads a student to better accomplishment. He refrains from being preachy with abstractions via a good blend of case studies, and he refrains from showing off what he really knows by staying honed to the target audience. He comfortably knows that anyone who advances beyond this introduction will get there with appropriate timing, and the bibliography mentions the best of the more detailed and technical material awaiting anyone needing to pursue additional expertise.

The person-to-person heat sharing might be held in reserve for a desperate pinch, but remember, this procedure violates the first rule of backcountry first aid-never create secondary victim. The potential for making two chilled victims is high, and the potential for warming the first chilled victim is limited. Besides, already warm people have other jobs to do, and can attend to them while the hot water bottles perform in their absence, such as preparing hot food to boost and maintain the metabolic furnace that simultaneously needs tending.

The second surprise was that the appendices that listed various courses and teaching options did not include the best backcountry aid and rescue programs in the States: SOLO (RFD 1, Box 163, Conway, NH 03818; 603-447-6711) and Wilderness Medical Institute (P.O. Box 9, Pitkin, CO 81241; 303-641-3572). All in all, a fine job, and a real asset to any new river runners skill kit. The cover blurb that says, "A copy of this book should come with every new river boat that's sold" is no understatement.

Longtime WCHA member and frequent contributor to Wooden Canoe Garrett Conover and his wife, Alexandra Brown Conover, own and operate North Woods Ways, a classic wilderness guiding service in Guilford Maine.