A Canoeist’s Eureka Moment | Knowledge & Wisdom
The secret of the North Woods stroke for canoe-paddling is that the lower hand on the paddle shaft functions as a nearly stationary fulcrum.
With each passing year, the list of things that I wish I had learned and done earlier than I did grows. Why, for example, did I have to hit 50 before I ever learned the North Woods stroke for canoe-paddling?
The secret of this stroke is that the lower hand on the paddle shaft functions as a nearly stationary fulcrum, while the power is supplied at the top grip by pushing forward with the whole weight of the body. With the North Woods stroke you gain the mechanical advantage of an oar-and-oarlock arrangement, but, because the paddle shaft is not attached to the gunwale, you also retain the versatility of the paddle: When flat water turns into white water, your paddle is ready as ever to perform the pries, draws, and braces you need in the foamy stuff.
If you don’t know anyone who can teach you the North Woods stroke, find somebody. It’s not just an improvement, not just a little bit better, not just another quaint little gimmick to add to your paddling repertoire. It’s more like the invention of the wheel. It is to traditional “arm paddling” what Einstein is to Newton.
—Adapted from “A Stroke of Genius,” by Robert Kimber, July 1991
