Considering the state of the world, and the fact that we’re planning a kayaking trip through the Gulf of California, I decided to reread Laurence Gonzales’ book, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why.

Brought back a whole lotta bittersweet memories of our insane canoe trip in The Boundary Waters. Made me realize all over again why that trip went the way it went, why it bordered on disaster. One must deal with reality, not what one wishes was reality. (This is a good philosophy whether yo...