NEVER TURN BACK is the gripping and compelling life story of Dr. Walt Blackadar, a physician from a small town in Idaho. At the age of 49, he shocked the outdoor world when he made a solo kayak journey down the treacherous rapids of Turnback Canyon on the remote and wild Alsek River in Canada and Alaska. 
Blackadar's accomplishment on Turnback Canyon was the river equivalent of the first ascent of Everest, and when excerpts from his Alsek journal were published in Sports Illustrated, he became an instant sensation. He was at the top of his sport at an age when most athletes are long retired.
Then suddenly, his spectacular rise veered wildly off course when a young woman tragically died on one of his kayaking expeditions. Heartbroken over her death and plagued with mounting physical problems, his kayaking technique began to deteriorate.
Yet he had a spirit that was irrepressible, and pitting himself in a race against his body's clock, he sought out and faced off against the world's most formidable whitewater.
"A work of Art!" --Barb Wright, World Whitewater Champion
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"Magnificent. Told with sparkling clarity. Truly inspiritional."
--Willian Bushnell, Eclectic Book Review
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More Information on Never Turn Back
This is what Books In Print (the book world's main reference work) has to say about Never Turn Back:
This fascinating and masterfully written book is considered one of the outdoor world's finest works. The Los Angeles Daily News awarded Never Turn Back their highest rating for a book: "It's the best thing to come across this reviewer's desk in recent memory," wrote Brett Pauly of the News.
"Bully for Watters!" said the San Francisco Chronicle about author Ron Watters' wonderfully told story. William Bushnell of the Library Research Associates called it: "Magnificent...told with sparkling clarity...truly inspirational."
Never Turn Back is the unforgettable biography of whitewater sport's most famous personality Dr. Walt Blackadar. Blackadar stunned the outdoor world when he ran the treacherous rapids of Turnback Canyon on the remote and wild Alsek River in Canada and Alaska. What made his solo journey through Turnback Canyon even more remarkable was the fact that he was 49 years old, an age when most athletes are long retired.
Blackadar's story is powerful and uplifting. It is the story of the human spirit facing and overcoming great odds. Joining book reviewers in praise for the book are outdoor authorities such as World Whitewater Champion Barb Wright: "A work of art!" Other reviews: "A triumph! I couldn't put it down." "Uncommonly well-written and well-edited." "An inspiring book."
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"Watters has created a book that reads more like a novel than a biography." --Eugene Buchanan, Editor, Paddler Magazine
"This is a rare book, intelligently and honestly written, an entertaining and thought-provoking biography of a hero."
--Liam Guilar, Out There, Australia's Outdoor Magazine.
"The story is told brilliantly." --Rocky Barker, Letters from the West
"I found the book riveting." --John Gastineau, North Carolina
"Watters captures a surprising tenderness and depth to Blackadar. I guarantee you'll come away from reading this book with a lot of smiles and laughter and a contagious feeling that life is worth living to the fullest."
--Doug Ammons, American Whitewater
"It's the best thing to come across this reviewer's desk in recent memory,"
--Los Angeles Daily News
"Bully for Watters!" --San Francisco Chronicle
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Sample Chapters from the book, Never Turn Back:
The beginning chapter of Never Turn Back is called "The Portal" and it sets the stage for the rest of the book. Click the following link to read it: The Portal
The chapter "Through the Night" occurs later in Blackadar's life, and it's a haunting story of a long night, a small boat, and the capricious sea: Through the Night
Cover and Back Cover
Table of Contents (Never Turn Back)
Prologue: The Portal
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Chapter 1 Salmon City
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Chapter 2 The Middle and the Main
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Chapter 3 Esquimautage
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Chapter 4 Emergency Call from North Fork
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Chapter 5 A Look in the Mirror
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Chapter 6 "In the Gorge and Stranded"
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Chapter 7 The Big Su
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Chapter 8 Tragedy on the West Fork
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Chapter 9 The Biggest Ride
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Chapter 10 On the Edge
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Chapter 11 I'll Be Back
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Chapter 12 Through the Night
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Chapter 13 River of No Return
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Epilogue
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Acknowledgments
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Source Notes
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Index
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Details: 296 pages • 6" x 9"
ISBN # 1-877625-03-5 (Paper)
ISBN # 1-877625-02-7 (Hard)
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Never Turn Back is published by:
The Great Rift Press 
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