New guidebook details 120-plus trips

Published this spring, “Paddling Washington,” (Mountaineers, $24.95) details more than 120 paddling trips in the region, from the scablands to the mountain wilderness areas.

The guide includes a special section on the entire Spokane River plus 12 trips geared to Class II-plus whitewater suitable for canoeists advancing their skill levels.

The fat new 437-page book is the most comprehensive guidebook available for this region, combining updated information previously covered by three separate guides published by The Mountaineers Books:

• “Paddle Routes of Western Washington,” by Verne Huser, who forgot more about paddling and poling techniques in his first 40 years as a professional river guide than most paddlers will learn in a lifetime.

• “Paddle Routes of the Inland Northwest,” by Rich Landers and Dan Hansen, two Spokane outdoorsmen and Spokesman-Review journalists who apply a reporter’s nose to chronicling their many field adventures in Eastern Washington, North Idaho, western Montana, southern British Columbia and Oregon.

• “Washington Whitewater,” by Doug North, a river-running veteran and Seattle judge who takes every whitewater river description as seriously as a life-or-death sentence.

The book is available in local paddling shops and bookstores.