I was at my girlfriend’s office Christmas party in Vancouver the other day talking about innovative solutions for real-time monitoring of scour in river beds and found myself saying, “Oh, Chris? Yeah, I met him in Mexico in 2007, we accidentally spent a cold and rainy night in the jungle together.” My conversation partner took... Continue Reading →
The Stikine
Author's note: this article was written after the 2014 season. Since then, the Tahltan people lost a major court case; Imperial Metals completed construction of the Red Chris mine. It began operating in 2015. That battle has been lost, but there will certainly be more in the Sacred Headwaters. Learn more about the ongoing fights the local First Nations face to... Continue Reading →
Upper Grand Canyon of the Rio Marañon
After a quick rally from Utah to Vermont in time to catch a few laps on my favorite river, the New Haven, and to catch up with friends on the Deerfield Dryway, Daphnee and I dropped Dog off at my parents' house and caught a direct flight from NY to Lima, Peru. The only advice... Continue Reading →
Earthquakes, SUPs, and Life as a Utah Boater
Back when we moved to Utah (just over a year ago), we thought we could continue to fashion ourselves "whitewater kayakers" while living in the desert. So, we drove. A lot. Around Utah, throughout Idaho and Wyoming, and even all the way to Montana. In the process, we discovered one of the best kept whitewater... Continue Reading →
The Year in Numbers and Some Favorite Photos
188 days on the water 82 sections of river 3 countries 11 US states 61 New Haven laps 13 Vermont Weekly Whitewater Beer Series Races 5 published pieces (for which I was paid -- a couple more pro bono in the Dirtbag's Guide to Whitewater) 1 swim Any year in which you kayak more days... Continue Reading →
The Middlebury Gorge
Outside Middlebury, VT tucked away just beyond the prying eyes of passing leef peepers lies one of the most dramatic bedrock river gorges in the state. Its sculpted corridor houses four back-to-back waterfalls, the final two hidden beneath overhanging walls poised to collapse any millennium now. The whitewater run is roughly two miles long with... Continue Reading →
Bourne Brook
I'm no stranger to the kind of kayak trip that people call a “mission.” Accidentally spending a night on the river in Mexico. Postholing tits deep in northern NH with a kayak strapped to my back. The list goes on; I've had my fair share of brutally long devil's club infested paddling outings. So when I say... Continue Reading →
Carbon Neutral Kayaking
So, you eat local. You're an AW member. You signed that online petition to save the polar bears from drowning - that one everyone shared on Facebook. You even sent a check for twenty bucks to that conservation group after your last pay day. But you flew 7,000 miles to Uganda last year for a... Continue Reading →
2013 Northeast Spring Video
I put together a short video from paddling in the Northeast this spring. Rivers are New Haven, Middlebury, Clarendon Gorge, Mettawee, Moose, Otter Creek.