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Editor's note: This excerpt first appeared in photographer and author Harold Davis' recent Focal Press book, Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Photography with Harold Davis.
The closer you...
Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak -- One Woman's Journey Through the
Northwest Passage
by Victoria Jason; Turnstone Press/ General Publishing 1996 (order from Amazon.com
)
7,500 km -- just the thought of travelling this distance by kayak is daunting.
For a novice to travel this distance, often alone, might be considered insane.
But this is what Victoria Jason did. She travelled the North extensively and her
story is beautifully shared in her first book, Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak.
After having read Don Starkell's account of his similar adventure ( Paddle to the Arctic
) I began Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak with eagerness. Jason and
Starkell actually began as travelling companions leaving Churchill, Manitoba in
the summer of l991 to explore the Arctic, travel through the Northwest Passage,
and complete their journey toTuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. This however was not to be.
Jason and Starkell parted company in Gjoa Haven on the second phase of the
journey because of health problems resulting from Jason's over-exertion. After a
winter of rest, Jason continued her adventure alone. Following a separate route
from that of Starkell she left Fort Providence in the west, headed north to
Tuktoyakutuk, then east through the Northwest Passage to Gjoa Haven. This marked
the end of the journey and the fulfillment of her dream.
In the book, Jason provides an exciting and candid account of her travels.
From the beginning it was evident that Starkell was not a team-player. Jason
portrays Starkell as driven, competitive, and task-oriented. In contrast, the
author wanted to observe the natural beauty of the land and get the most out of
this unique travel opportunity.
Because of their personality difference their relationship is characterized as
being a volitile one with frequent quarrels and differences of opinion.. Even
though Jason was physically fit, she found it emotionally draining to deal with
Starkell's self-centeredness and verbal abuse. Nevertheless, she succeeds in
putting a postive spin on their joint efforts, although it is clear that the solo
portion of her journey was the most rewarding.
What is most striking about the author's coverage of her journey is not so
much the feat in itself, but how she captures the various aspects of the journey.
Through her descriptive prose, Jason succeeds in introducing readers to the many
wonders of the arctic. Her superb narrative focuses on descriptions of everything
she observed and she provides an accurate account of her emotional state. The
element of excitement is also a dominant feature as Jason recounts her
experiences with polar bears, walruses, grizzily bears, and whales. The arctic
climate and terrain also presented significant logistical challenges -- icebergs,
rugged shorelines, inaccessible areas, and invisible shoals which make for
interesting travel coverage and enhance the story without dominating it..
Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak is a highly enjoyable book to read. From the
comforts of one's home we can travel to places not normally visited. Jason does a
superb job of making the Arctic come alive. A remarkable story by a remarkable
woman!
I just read your review of "Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak" by Victoria Jason and am wondering why Don Starkell's character was given such a rotten assessment. Was he really THAT BAD?! I heard that he did an arctic kayak trip with a woman which didn't turn out well, but I've yet to read either book.. His or Victoria Jason's.
When two people -in the middle of nowhere- disagree over how they should proceed on a shared journey, it seems a bit facile to characterize just one of them was being "self-centered". The other person, by default, must have been equally subjective. Under such extreme conditions, is there a human being alive who wouldn't, by nature, be "self centered"?
As an artist who is currently completing a detailed surrealistic pen and ink drawing inspired by the book, "Paddle to the Amazon", I am naturally disappointed to hear such a bad report of Don Starkell's behaviour and can't help but wonder about the degree of the author's bias..
The drawing, incidentally, is to be published as a 18" X 24" poster soon and will be posted on my web site: www.transientvisions.com in the near future. (The site is now under construction.) If you wish, I can send you a scan of it as an attatchment via e-mail.
Ian, look read Starkel's book if you want to know what a little shit he was. here are some examples of what he did:
1) he was going south instead of north and wouldn't listen to jason when she said he was going the wrong way. In his diary he writes, "Strangely the sun set in the East." Now instead of realizing he was wrong, he would rather disbelieve not only his travel companion but the sun itself rather than admit he was going the wrong direction. Oh and the next day he got up and forced her to continue going south for another 50 or so miles before he conceeded just maybe he was going the wrong way. he muses about how it is "tough being the leader."
2) when they were lost yet again later on, he went up to some motorboaters and said with assurance just where on the island are we? They answered you were nowhere near there you are right in the bay. Strarkel forbid jason to talk with them because he didn't want to get embarrassed that he was so lost. yet he writes about his stupidity in the diary and publishes it. it is ironic that he is so stupid he doesn't even understand it will be more humiliating to write it down in his diary than to just be humble and ask for directions on the spot. he also forbid her from shooting the flare gun (she did anyway, she didn't want to die lost in the artic).
3) he loaded up 2 kayaks with several hundred pounds and forced both her and him to pull them, until her body physically broke down and he tormented her trying to get her to pull further than she was physically possible (that's why she had to quit that one winter and rest).
It's a wonder, his "Paddle to the Artic". He comes off in his own book as a very selfish, ego-tistical and stupid man.
I mean he spends 3 months training to pull a sledge at home but NOT ONCE learns to eskimo roll, so naturally the first time he is out in the artic when he capsizes he nearly dies of hypothermia.
he doesn't bring a dry suit he only brings woolen mittens for his hands so when winter is a few weeks earlier than usual he is ill prepared.
I like reading his book, "Paddle to the Artic" it's a story of such doggedness persistence unto even death that it has a certain awe yet the man himself writes as if he were a nasty travelling companion.
If you compare the two books, kabloona and paddle to the artic I think you find the same tormented man in each one.
You have to be a little bit crazy to do something like paddle the Northwest Passage, and Starkell had plenty of that.
I've read Starkell's "Paddle to the Amazon" and "Paddle to the Arctic" and have just read Mason's "Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak." I've also done long kayak trips in the Arctic and elsewhere, though none approaching the epic voyages described in these books. I agree with the characterization of Mr. Starkell as an insufferable, inconsiderate and, ultimately, self-defeating, dictator, among other things. I think Virgina Mason's account shows that common sense, and sensitivity to the needs of one's companion's needs, will often triumph over nearly insurmountable obstacles, whereas sheer stubborness will lead to disaster. Mr. Starkell subjected his young sons to incredible danger and hardship during their trip to the Amazon; one of the young men quit on him. Each of his companions during the "Kabloona" trip did the same at one point or another. He ended up losing almost all of his fingers and toes to frostbite. On the other hand, Ms. Mason ultimately completed the voyage, and in one piece.
