Held each spring to coincide with the start of the snow melt runoff, the Lester River Race marks the unofficial start to the whitewater kayak season along Minnesota’s North Shore, drawing expert kayakers from across the region. Uniquely situated within the city limits of Duluth on the Lester River as […]
Tag: kayak
Last Ice Paddle of the Season
Last evening (April 30) I paddled on Green Bay with kayaker friends Mike Stone and Jacob Tarlton. We wanted to paddle around the last big ice sheet remaining on the bay — right in front of my house — which required launching at Volks Landing down the street and paddling […]
The Myth of the “Experienced” Kayaker
We’re now in the most dangerous time of year for paddling. Air temperatures are rising. River and lake ice is breaking up. River levels are high. The desire to get on the water in marginal conditions — possibly without proper equipment and training — inevitably leads some people to the […]
Sesh on the Pesh: 3D Motion Capture with Video
I posted before about 3D motion capture using a Xensr device. Here’s my most recent demonstration, a kayaking session (or “sesh” as the cool kids say) recorded Sunday, Nov. 5 on the Peshtigo River in Wisconsin. To create these videos on my computer, I overlay Xensr moving map and motion […]
Camping with a TRAK Kayak
Can a TRAK folding kayak safely carry more than 60 pounds of camping gear? I was fairly certain it could but I had to check it out for myself. So that’s what I did this past Labor Day weekend while camping at Wisconsin’s Rock Island State Park. I organized this […]
Big Waves on the Big Pond
It was a wet and wild day for kayak surfing on Lake Michigan yesterday. Young whitewater playboater Jeremiah Kramasz and old me were out at Sheboygan’s Deland Park riding waves, some reaching 10 feet in height (see video). One of my Xensr tracks indicated my maximum speed was 18 mph. […]
Bird’s Eye View of Wausau Whitewater
I’ve posted video before showing Wausau Whitewater Park from ground/water level. Here’s another vantage point. This unique perspective shows what a gem this place is. The video was shot by Ryan Keihn of Aerial Pulse at the last open recreational release of the season on Sept. 17, 2016. If you’re […]
The Sisu: An impromptu review
I recently test paddled a new kayak that was not yet announced to the public, thanks to fellow kayak instructor and Current Designs sales person Mike Looman. The boat is called the Sisu and it’s the newest kayak from Current Designs. Last week the Sisu was publicly announced at the […]
Black River Narrows Trip Report
By guest blogger John Hart The temperature dipped little by little, hour by hour as I drew closer to the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With every drop in temperature my excitement ticked up a notch, knowing I was getting closer to the start of an amazing […]
Prairie Paddling: Whitewater Comes to Iowa
When it comes to having an eye on the future, three towns in Iowa have their stuff together. Charles City, Manchester and Elkader each have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to create whitewater parks. For someone who spent his first 30 years in Iowa, this is an amazing development […]