@T-Billy suggested I share some articles I've written over the decades. Here's one, which was originally published in Canoe & Kayak magazine, but when it folded, Men's Journal preserved it:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/canoeing-the-thames

Here's another one that Men's Journal saved. I've interviewed professional explorers and risk-takers* and enjoyed those interviews, but I loved this one because the two paddlers were ordinary men in an extraordinary situation. Many of us wonder if we'd have the right stuff if we needed it. These two don't have to wonder:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/wrong-canoe-right-stuff

And here's a sample of a column I used to write about paddlers' favorite canoes or kayaks. I wrote scores of these:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/mike-whitlocks-mystery-canoe

I wrote travel articles too:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/the-10-best-places-to-paddle-in-michigan-2

*I've asked all the professional daredevils if they consider death when planning their next adventures. They said that thinking about dying can't be avoided because they all buried peers who'd been doing similar things.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

@T-Billy suggested I share some articles I've written over the decades. Here's one, which was originally published in Canoe & Kayak magazine, but when it folded, Men's Journal preserved it:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/canoeing-the-thames

Night soil. It’s the worst. That trip down the Thames was a trip back in time.

I was going to read the other article but then it disappeared.

This is a good one:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/worst-night-in-the-woods-camping-horror-stories

Here's another travel story for you Ohioans:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/the-best-lakes-and-rivers-to-paddle-in-ohio

Now, I wrote hundreds of stories for Canoe & Kayak alone and I also wrote for dozens of other magazines, but most of the articles are gone with the wind. Or dust in the wind, depending upon whether you lean toward Margaret Mitchell or Kansas.

Here's a fun one for dog lovers:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/essential-guide-to-canoeing-and-kayaking-with-dogs

And here's one for you vets:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/veteran-trio-find-healing-on-mississippi-source-to-sea-paddle

And here's a quirky one:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/dead-canoes-do-tell-tales-art-metal-aluminum-upcycle

I could share many more, but I suspect the cup runneth over.

Oops, one more for Russ and Bob and the rest of you Tennessee boys:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/paddler-and-dog-canoe-tennessee-river-mcky

One more:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/pristine-paddling-between-the-parks-crown-land-offers-royal-adventure-via-logging-roads-by-katie-mcky

Good stuff Katie. Those Crown Land lakes sound like some of the best places to fish this side of Heaven.

3 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Those Crown Land lakes sound like some of the best places to fish this side of Heaven.

They are, Tim. When you've fought your way to a lake and you first see it, well, you've earned what's there.

I wrote about this guy several times for several magazines:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/pluck-trumps-pain

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

I wrote about this guy several times for several magazines:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/pluck-trumps-pain

Those are some tough SOB’s.

9 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

two paddlers were ordinary men in an extraordinary situation

That was a cool story. I laughed at the man’s description of the quality of their canoe.

@Swamp Girl, I have several of Kim Trevathan’s books, all excellent reads. Padding the Tennessee River that you referenced, Coldhearted River, where he paddled the length of the Cumberland River and Liminal Zones. I truly enjoyed reading each book.

8 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

Those are some tough SOB’s.

I know, huh? I wrote a couple articles about this same guy when he paddled from Washington state to the Chilkoot Pass, down part of the Yukon River, cross-country to a cabin he'd built years back, and then out to the Bering Sea and down Alaska's coastline. Remember how they once talked of "wooden ships and iron men?" Well, this was the real man of steel, but in a plastic boat.

I've also written children's picture books, for the U.S. Army, for Fortune 500 CEOs, for M.I.T. physics professors, Harvard dissertations, etc., but also literature. Here's an example of my literary writing:

https://www.thimblelitmag.com/2019/06/23/some-writer/

Not under a tree!

@Swamp Girl Way back when I started my carpentry apprenticeship my first teacher was a true Journeyman carpenter who shared how he built his cabin on a Michigan island completely by hand with zero power tools. Keep in mind this man was in his late 60’s and built the cabin in his late 50’s with the only help being other teachers who volunteered their time and skills as they too enjoyed the challenge and experience, he/they built all the cabinets and hand milled all the trim and doors in the training center and hauled it to Michigan then ferried it to his cabin site. He was by far the true definition of a manly man yet the most gentle of gentleman I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and his stories had the majority of us eating lunch in the classroom so we could listen to his stories every day for the 3 month pre apprenticeship program. One such story was about him going on a yearly visit to an actual Indian reservation as he was 1/2 Cherokee and participating in a “vision quest” which involved being hung by your chest skin in a “sweat lodge” for 2-3 days. He also had a push-up challenge that would allow us to get out of our daily physical activity for the day and needless to say not one of us ever got out of our daily physical activities. The photos of Robert immediately made my mind flash back to him and those days bringing with it memories that were forgotten but never to be erased. Thank you for that.

9 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

The photos of Robert immediately made my mind flash back to him and those days bringing with it memories that were forgotten but never to be erased. Thank you for that.

You are so welcome, Eric!

Here's another travel story. I wrote a story about Roanoke, VA once and they liked it so much, they hired me to write a couple more. This is one of the three:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/roanoke-the-it-town

Yep ol’ Big Lick sounds like a hoot.

Cool photos with this one:

https://www.mensjournal.com/travel/rides-anders-thygesens-aleut-style-iqyax

For those who are interested in how you assemble an article, you have a chat with your subject, but nearly all subjects ramble, as people do in conversations. So, if I were to quote them exactly, it would be a wandering and challenging read. You can't change what they said, but I can move what they said to make it easier to read. So, as a writer, I have to determine what needs to be moved and where and then write some short segues to connect the parts.

I've had more than one person whom I profiled respond: "It's me, only better!"

So, an article is actually nearly all of them, but just shifted and I drop the parts that went nowhere or were repetitive.

I googled what a fjord is but still don’t understand why Anders was nervous about crossing them.

Do they typically have a strong current?

2 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

I googled what a fjord is but still don’t understand why Anders was nervous about crossing them.

Do they typically have a strong current?

Big tides, COLD and deep water, ocean winds, and quite wide.

I made the mistake of crossing a big lake in northern MN in October. I did it to save time, but halfway across, the wind kicked up and it was horrible. When I finally reached shore, the waves were crashing, so I stumbled out of the boat in the surf, was knocked to my knees, and literally crawled ashore.

4 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

For those who are interested in how you assemble an article, you have a chat with your subject, but nearly all subjects ramble, as people do in conversations. So, if I were to quote them exactly, it would be a wandering and challenging read. You can't change what they said, but I can move what they said to make it easier to read. So, as a writer, I have to determine what needs to be moved and where and then write some short segues to connect the parts.

I've had more than one person whom I profiled respond: "It's me, only better!"

So, an article is actually nearly all of them, but just shifted and I drop the parts that went nowhere or were repetitive.

I often edit myself this way when writing a longer post.