Whitewater kayakers and rafters flock to Piers Gorge for spectacular scenery and intense excitement. Piers Gorge is a beautiful valley formed by the Menominee River, which serves as the border between Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. I have kayaked here a couple of times before. On a beautiful day in October […]
Category: video
“Public Trust” The Fight for America’s Public Lands
Instead of mind-numbing escapism featuring bachelors or masked singers, here’s a better TV viewing option. Invest 90 minutes in the new mind-expanding documentary “Public Trust: The Fight for America’s Public Lands” by Patagonia Films. If you have ever visited and appreciated any public lands, or if you ever plan to […]
Two Years After: Grand Canyon Kayaking with Team River Runner
(I wrote this yesterday but our internet was down so I’m posting a day late.) September 1 marks two years ago to the day that our Team River Runner crew, including five blind military veterans, set out on the mighty Colorado River for 12 days of adrenaline-pumping kayaking through the […]
Paddling the Wolf River at 1800 CFS
Wisconsin’s Wolf River ran last Sunday, July 27, at an incredible flow rate of nearly 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), which was the all-time high since USGS record-keeping began there. Normal flow for the Wolf ranges from 300 to about 1,000 cfs. Brian T., Derrick W. and I decided […]
Chasing Wisconsin Waterfalls
Earlier this week, before holiday crowds stormed the campgrounds, we headed north for a two-day camping trip to Wisconsin’s Marinette County (plus a brief hop over the border into Upper Michigan). Our goal: hike to as many waterfalls as we could see, which turned out to be 12. Most of […]
Brace Yourself
The Red River near Gresham, WI was running at a hefty 430 CFS Tuesday evening. In this video, kayakers in order of appearance, first at Monastery Falls: me (orange helmet and orange kayak), Matt, Justin, Mike, Cliff. And later at Zeimers: me, Justin. There was a glitch with the video […]
Advantages of an auto lock carabiner
Whether you’re whitewater boating or sea kayaking, there are definite advantages to using an auto lock carabiner. In whitewater kayaking, non-locking carabiners are a no-no. There’s too much risk of getting your PFD or a throw rope caught in the open gate of a non-locking carabiner. This could cause entanglement […]
Announcing the Paddling Films
UPDATE MARCH 15, 2020 — UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE MOST PUBLIC EVENTS, WE HAVE TO POSTPONE THE PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL. IT WILL NOT BE HELD MARCH 20 & 21 AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED. STAY TUNED FOR A RESCHEDULED DATE. Most of the films I watch are on a TV or computer. Maybe it’s […]
One Year After: Team River Runner in Grand Canyon
One year ago today I set out on a 12-day Team River Runner kayak trip on the mighty Colorado River through 226 miles of Grand Canyon. I had a feeling it would be special but I didn’t know at the time how profoundly this remarkable journey through the canyon would […]
First-time paddlers try whitewater
Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers’ (NEWP) annual student whitewater outing on the Red River took place this past Saturday. Each year this event gives students from NEWP-led kayaking classes in Appleton, Green Bay and Fond Du Lac the opportunity to practice skills they learned during indoor pool classes. For some it was […]