Don Shelby, (Veteran Journalist, Award-winning Anchorman, and River Rat) says in the

book’s Foreword:

“Threading a Kayak down the Mississippi isn’t a travelogue, or an adventure novel. It

is the story of an average guy, with average skills, and unaverage determination. He

does face some harrowing encounters with an ever-changing river, monster barges and

4000 horsepower towboats that put up eight-foot wakes that can capsize a small kayak

in a heartbeat – and you can hear Dennis’s heart beating through his chest as he

describes these encounters.”

The book, Threading a Kayak down the Mississippi – a Journey through the River’s

Cultures and Characters, is part history, nature, travel, and memoir.

The author, Dennis Van Norman, started this 13-year adventure in his early 60’s and

finished in his mid-70’s, thirteen years, and 2,500 river miles later.