With the summer of 2014 slowly waning, I decided to get out on some of the classic runs of the Arkansas River before the AHRA turned off the spigot. And to shake things up a bit, I invited a group of friends of Kelly’s and mine who wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to paddle Brown’s […]
Arkansas River, rafting
“Take the oars!”, I shouted to Kelly just moments before leaping from our raft onto the blue ghost ship that was careening out of control down the river toward Split Rock Rapid. Thirty seconds prior, a monstrous, ten foot high wave capsized the leader of our trip along with his crew of three and dog […]
Main Salmon River, rafting
Every once in a great while, the Colorado mountains accumulate snowpack much greater than the annual average and when the snow begins to melt, the creeks, streams, and rivers swell to peak run off heights piquing my hopes for a very special whitewater phenomenon. As each creek and river feeds into the next, the volume […]
Big Sur, kayak
The repeated beeping penetrated the cloudy, inner depths of my slumber, and I instinctually reached to the side to turn off the alarm. Fumbling in the darkness, I couldn’t understand why the alarm persisted despite numerous attempts to silence the device. Slowly, my mind and eyes adapted to the situation around me, and I came […]
Grand Canyon, self-support
Early on February 16, 2014, six whitewater kayaks will cast off from the shores of Lee’s Ferry onto the Colorado River. Each 10 foot long Jackson Rogue will carry a paddler, food, and equipment deep into the bowels of the earth for 13 days and 280 miles. The experiences of this small band of adventurers […]
Grand Canyon
In the 15 days I had been traveling through Wyoming and Idaho, one thing had remained constant—it had not rained a drop. Not only that, but I can barely recall even seeing any clouds during those two weeks. So when the concussive thunder clapped at 4am near Lolo Pass, my sudden awakening could not have […]
kayak, road trip 2013
The following day, I bid adieu to the Holcombe’s and motored north through a pastoral landscape that was more reminiscent of Upstate New York than the Rocky Mountain West. In contrast to the massive ranches of Colorado, the green, rolling, Idahoan fields were parceled into manageable family homesteads and punctuated by the archetypical wooden barn. […]
kayak, road trip 2013
Kelly’s, as it is colloquially known, is a flagship example of a whitewater kayaking park. It is named for the benefactor’s sister who died in a car crash at a young age. I am not certain why they chose to create a whitewater park in her honor, but I am certain that it is a […]
kayak, road trip 2013
One of River’s dog bowls was riding shotgun in the van with an old black sock draped over its edge dripping water onto the carpet. Just moments prior, I dipped the sock into the bowl’s water and used it as a makeshift washcloth to soak my shirtless body with moisture that evaporated in just a […]
kayak, road trip 2013
After a week and 1000 miles of driving, I was still only one state away from home. And despite my skin being fully covered in sweat, dirt, and dog hair, I was definitely living the dream. The road trip began inconspicuously with a Sunday trip to the Poudre River near Ft Collins, CO. But after […]
Wyoming