All kayakers are driven to find the perfect river, and in my own pursuit I sometimes wonder if it’s a fantasy i’ve built up or if that quintessential river really exists. From what I gathered about the Keldua, it was a great candidate. Only successfully paddled by one team, the Keldua held a reputation for …
Category Archive: Expeditions
24
Aug
Dark Canyon, Utah
If someone called you and asked if you wanted to go on a kayak trip to Hite, Utah you’d most likely have no idea where this town falls on a map. After a quick google search of the location and upon seeing the satellite imagery displaying a completely red and orange moonscape, any sane paddler …
15
May
Planning a Trip Somewhere a Bit Different
Fundamental ideas and things to consider to help budding explorers go out and plan their own adventure.
11
Feb
Below and Beyond, The Grand Canyon of the Andes or: Spike’s on the Source Again
Initially, the Rio Maranon falls in a series of desperately difficult or impossible cataracts, and by the time it reaches an altitude of around 2100m it has calmed down sufficiently for the mortal to consider getting afloat…
05
Feb
A Journey to the Headwaters of the Payette
“It sounded like a proper suffer fest that could potentially lead to sub-prime whitewater. However, we were bored, hot, and keen on an adventure we didn’t have to drive far to get into.”
02
Oct
Three weeks in the Canadian Arctic in the Fusion
The Barrenlands region in Arctic Canada is an amazing place. Big skies over green tundra, Canadian shield granite ledges, 24-hour daylight, amazing wildlife, and blue rivers. We paddled the Hood River in Nunavut, Canada for 21 days over 250 miles from the source to the mouth at Arctic Sound. The Hood is a classic Barrenlands …
25
Sep
A Boat That Can Hold Both Books AND Beer
Like plenty of stories, this one begins with winning a launch date for the Grand Canyon. Where this story maybe takes a sharp turn was finding a kayak that I could cram a bunch of books inside… Several years ago, I was sitting with friends on a rental cabin porch in the Appalachians of Tennessee …
06
Dec
Machno Adventuring in Montenegro
A kayak can be a lot of things: it can be a toy, for surfing and playing; it can be transportation, covering long distances by freshwater or saltwater; it can be a school, an opportunity for constant learning and development. A kayak is also an incredible tool for discovery. From the seat of a kayak, …
13
Nov
High Water Raven Forking
The Oconaluftee gauge is at 340cfs and +100cfs an hour when I checked it before my last class of the day. Excited, I messaged a few people who I knew would be interested in going. Some people for their first time. “It won’t be over 15 inches,” I thought. Throughout my class period, dreams of …
26
Sep
“Keeping it Public” in Colorado
Lately there has been a lot of talk about public lands in the US. Specifically, the debate is over the public ownership of our National Parks, Forests, and Monuments. A small but vocal number of people advocate transferring some of this land to state or private ownership. Some would love to sell this land to developers for …