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
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
UPDATE 7/31/2013: I didn’t win the contest, but I had a lot of fun trying and really appreciate all the publicity I got for the video! Please help me win a video contest being put on by DJI, the makers of my Phantom quadcopter! Just click on the link below and press the Thumbs Up/Like […]
kayak, Phantom
The Upper Animas River is considered by many kayakers to be the most scenic and worthy stretch of whitewater in the state of Colorado. After its beginnings at 9300 feet in the historic mining town of Silverton, the river gains speed as it descends 2800 feet on it course to Durango. The mountain river is […]
kayak, Upper Animas River
On June 3, 2012, Jon “JB” Boling died while rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. Among the many facets of JB’s life, he had a particularly strong love for whitewater rafting and his friends in the whitewater community. On the weekend of September 22, 2012, many of his closest river friends […]
kayak, photos, stories
It has been a year since my first foray into Gore Canyon which also marked my 100th day of kayaking last season, and on Saturday, 9/15/2012, I had my second opportunity to paddle the majestic canyon. An abysmal snowpack and extreme drought resulted in the worst kayaking season in a decade, so when we began […]
GoPro, kayak, outdoors, stories, videoWe all knew that 2011 would be a year for the record books in the Colorado kayaking world, but none of use knew exactly how it would turn out. After an absolute whirlwind the past several months, I finally have a few moments to recap some of the most memorable trips from this exciting kayaking […]
kayak, outdoors, photos, video