Archery, Projectiles, and Canoeing

Book excerpt: In this fourth volume of the “Secrets of the Forest” series, outdoor educator Mark Warren describes the details of how to make and operate the tools that hurl projectiles toward a target including: · “firing” techniques of a sling, spear, atl-atl, bow and arrow, throwing knife, tomahawk, and blowgun. · a comprehensive lesson in the art of archery that includes the direct, lob, and clout shots, as well as shooting at a moving target. · primitive precision methods of creating your own Cherokee self-bow and rivercane arrows. · cementing projectile skills through a gamut of games and challenges. The second half of the book provides lessons on tandem canoeing, beginning on a lake or pond and evolving to whitewater. The pre-education of paddling starts on a creek with a self-made model boat to understand the dynamics of moving water. On the lake, using a full-sized canoe, paddlers learn how to take control of their craft. Once on current, paddlers are introduced to the never-relenting march of moving water, a phenomenon that must figure into every river maneuver, from planning routes by “reading” the water, eddy turns, lateral ferry maneuvers, peel-outs, hovering in place, and running rapids “dry,” to river-rescue of capsized boats and “swimmers,” and the joy and instruction of slalom. This volume contains more than two hundred original adventures.