Title: Paddlin’ with Thoreau: Reflections from the Red Kayak

Author: Mary Anne Smrz

Reviewed by:  Rebecca Swanson

Genre/page length: Essays; inspirational, nature/313 pages

Date published/publisher: 2023/Published by the author

Paddlin’ with Thoreau: Reflections from the Red Kayak by Mary Anne Smrz is a rich and engaging chronicle detailing the author’s experiences hiking, kayaking, writing and reflecting with her silent, yet ever-present partner, Henry David Thoreau.

Consider this book an invitation to a space where nature dominates and where doors open, inviting the reader to follow a path of meditation and self-awareness. But don’t be put off by these aspects if that’s not your thing. There are plenty of detailed historical facts about Thoreau that will resonate with anyone who is called to spend time in nature. Moreover, the inspiring energy that the author puts forth on her quest to travel Thoreau’s pathways and waterways offers a challenge to the reader to explore his or her own place in the world, and to perhaps identify and conquer their own challenges or at least to start ticking down their bucket list of desired adventures or ways to positively impact the Earth before their inevitable leave taking.

I pondered the author’s thoughts as I read, and deeply felt her challenge to be accountable for how I spend my time. Her comment, “Wherever we go or stay, the journey is ours,” is a theme that runs throughout the book. That was enough for me to consider; I did not need the blank pages between chapters to journal, nor did I feel the need to answer questions posed at each chapter’s end. That is the reader’s choice and should be considered optional. I chose to embrace this volume as less of a workbook and more of a gentle guidebook that imparts how one can consider the offerings of nature and where one can imagine how to fit into that space.

What you will absolutely take away from this book are the positive effects of spending time in solitude and with nature. Before the term “eco-therapy” entered our vocabulary and long before the newer trend of forest bathing, Thoreau had it down, and Smrz gives him his due in Paddlin’. Even Thoreau aficionados are likely to learn new snippets about him and the environment where he chose to spend his time. The author whole-heartedly shares her experiences retracing Thoreau’s wanderings, and encourages readers to consider doing the same, in their own way, and reap the benefits of nature there for the taking.

Reviewer:  Rebecca Hallie Swanson worked for 30 years leading communications in the arenas of health care, insurance, higher education, the arts and membership associations in the Twin Cities and Chicago. She is a member of Wisconsin Writer’s Association, serving on its Board, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the American Academy of Poets. Rebecca and her partner live in Northwest Wisconsin, where she devotes time to writing across genres, volunteering for her lake association, taming culinary challenges and planning new adventures.