ESCAPE ON A WATERWAY MIGHT BE THE BEST OPTION.

BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

Early in this nation’s history, before we had the spiderweb of pavement we rely on now, waterways were the highways. The Great Lakes, rivers such as the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi, and the Erie Canal all served as transportation pathways-of-least-resistance. In critical times, waterways can still provide you with a viable, safe route to get to your sanctuary. And your best mode of transportation on those waterways when the situation forces you to “get outa Dodge” just might be a canoe or kayak.

“IN CRITICAL TIMES, WATERWAYS CAN STILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A VIABLE, SAFE ROUTE TO GET TO YOUR SANCTUARY. AND YOUR BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION ON THOSE WATERWAYS WHEN THE SITUATION FORCES YOU TO ‘GET OUTA DODGE’ JUST MIGHT BE A CANOE OR KAYAK.”

With a kayak or canoe, you can take everything you need to set up a camp without having to carry a heavy pack. (Photo: Koldunova/Dreamstime.com)

Sometimes, waterways, not roadways, are better for putting distance between yourself and trouble.

Photo: Old Town Canoe

“TRAVELING ALONG FRESHWATER ROUTES, YOU’LL HAVE A VIRTUALLY LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF WATER-AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO FILTER OR PURIFY IT.”

WHY BY BOAT?

Every time there’s a mass exodus from urban areas due to an impending disaster, the highways are clogged to the point at which traffic can be at a standstill for miles. In this age of letting rioters have their way, roads can be blocked too, sometimes by mobs actively burning and looting and at other times by groups passively lying down in the middle of roadways.

In troubled times, roadways can be hot spots for criminals waiting to prey on unsuspecting travelers who might stop for gas in unfamiliar surroundings or whose vehicles have become disabled out of cell phone range and miles from assistance.

A boat can keep you a safe distance from carjackers and thieves. You don’t have to worry about waterways being blocked by rioters, clogged with abandoned vehicles or otherwise impassable due to debris strewn across them or bridges being out after an earthquake. And wildfires can’t reach you out on the water.

A set of four foam blocks and some ratchet straps are all you need to secure a canoe to most cars.

At your journey’s end, you might have a safe haven in an area that’s impossible to reach by automobiles and hard to reach on foot. In many cases, you don’t need a water route that stretches for hundreds of miles. Maybe you only need to get to a small lake and paddle out to an island. Maybe the river winds to a secluded landing where roads don’t reach.