Bren Orton reflects on his affinity for the White Nile in Uganda, sharing the highlights of his numerous trips. He describes the thrills of running Hypoxia, living affordably in a nearby village, dealing with crocodile threats, and surfing the Cuban and Nile Special waves. He expresses concern over the potential loss of these experiences due to a downstream dam project.
Category Archive: Trip Reports
17
Jan
2016, A Year in Review
2016 has been one of epic proportions. This year I went to 12 states and 2 provinces, which is a lot for me. I started off January in Rock Island, TN and Columbus, GA. Back in January there was a lot of rain, like to the point to where is was flooding all over the …
16
Jan
Racing Round the Indian Sub-Continent
I have recently returned home after spending 6 months travelling the Indian sub-continent; the trip was one of the best I’ve been on and was full of awesome rivers, people, food, and cultural experiences. One of the highlights was competing in three events – the Malabar River Festival, MeghaKayakFest, and the Himalayan Whitewater Challenge. All …
04
Jan
A big day out in the Pyranha Octane
In 2015 Michael Harper and I paddled 120Km on the river Dee from Bala to Chester in one push, taking advantage of high water levels and (questionable) enthusiasm. It took over 11 hours, It broke me, it was hard, my hands had blisters and I said I’d probably never do it again. We also chose …
21
Dec
Meghalaya 2016
It’s been an absolutely awesome season out here in Meghalaya. A few of us headed out in July, a month or two before the conventional season kicked off, to see what gems were hiding in the monsoon months. During the rainiest part of this year’s relatively weak monsoon we headed to the Jantia Hills, home …
24
Oct
Maniflowba and the Dream Wave
The tip-off came from a friend who had recently flown over a river with enormous rapids in Manitoba. Joel had originally planned this trip for the fall of 2015, however a severe weather system forced the team to delay their mission until the following year. In August 2016, an eleven strong team of some of …
20
Oct
Keeners 2016
What are Keeners? Keeners are young people between the age of 12 and 17 who are “keen” about kayaking and have a positive attitude about life. The Keener Program focuses on the following: Personal Demeanor, Attitude, Work Ethic, Conduct, Youth and Character Development Leadership Public speaking – ice breaker speeches on Sunday night and formal speeches …
22
Sep
Pit 5 Race
September 10 marked the second year of the Pit 5 race, a fun grassroots race in northern California on a really fantastic section of III/IV. Section 5 of the Pit River sits right outside the town of Big Bend, which is about 45 minutes east of Redding. It’s about a 4.5 mile stretch starting just below …
02
Aug
Anglesey’s Stacks and Skerries in the Pyranha Octane
After paddling the Octane on Llyn Padarn I wanted to try it out at sea in wind, waves and moving water. My kayaking buddies for this trip were Ed and Abi Loffil. The Pyranha Octane with the Flat Earth Sail fitted Ed and Abi had a head start on the outward leg so I followed them 20 minutes …
18
Jul
Middle Fork of the Salmon
This year has been all about new rivers and new adventures, in turn, I jumped at the opportunity to go on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. I had never even been to Idaho before – this was truly a first for me. The Middle Fork Salmon features over 100 miles of Class III-IV rapids …






