Canoeing Mississippi

Offering lively currents, big woods, abundant wildlife, and plenty of solitude, the great number and variety of Mississippi's waterways debunk the stereotype of muddy, stagnant sloughs harboring clouds of mosquitoes and swarms of snakes.

Outsiders-and even some native Mississippi paddlers-may not be acquainted with the pleasurable surprises of the Delta's lazy, slow-moving rivers or with the sandy streams of southwest Mississippi, the rock-walled creeks in the northeast, the blackwater brooks of the southeast, the gem-clear streams of the Gulf Coast, or central Mississippi's lustrous, meandering Pearl River and its sparkling tributaries and ox-bow lakes.

This handy, instructive book showcasing them all is for armchair travelers as well as for paddlers planning an excursion. It includes history, folklore, geology, wildlife, ecology, fishing techniques, plus some rousing adventure stories. Focused on the Mississippi environment, it provides information on boats, paddle strokes, gear, camping, and navigation. Streams are described and charted, and at the end of each description quick references of essential facts are provided for those planning a float.

Mississippi boasts well over 2000 miles of waterways, which range from tiny creeks and bayous to the mighty Mississippi River itself, not to mention vast swamps and countless lakes, many of which are profiled in this book.

Although these waters are relished by those who bond with the out-of-doors, the ominous problems of erosion, litter, pollution, channelization, crowds, and lawsuits are of great significance. Canoeing Mississippi helps awaken the public to sensible use and preservation of this wonderful natural resource.

Ernest Herndon is a staff writer and outdoors editor of the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He has written several books and has been published in such anthologies as The Magnolia Club: Fine Times with Nature's Finest and From Behind the Magnolia Curtain: Voices of Mississippi. See the author's Web site at www.ernestherndon.com.