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 […]
Tag: whitewater kayaking
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 […]
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 […]
Foggy River Breakdown
A few photos from Tuesday evening “golf league” on the Red River. The air temperature was nearly 80⁰F and the water was 63⁰F, which produced dramatic scenes as the evening sun shone through the fog during quieter moments on the river. Boaters: Mike, Matt, Cliff and me. A blue heron […]
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 […]
My Version of Tuesday “Golf League”
Some people like to golf, and that’s okay. But instead of joining a golf league, here’s how our informal group of whitewater kayakers (numbering anywhere from 4 to 14) enjoys spending every Tuesday evening at our local whitewater venue, the Red River near Gresham, WI, flowing tonight at about 400 […]
How to Saturday: Kayak the Wolf at 1250 CFS
Here’s video of a beautiful Saturday morning and a nice high CFS on Wisconsin’s Wolf River today. Derick spins at Hansen’s. We rinse and repeat at Gilmore’s.
Pesh Fest 2019
With the Peshtigo River running at a high level of 28 inches (about 1700 cfs), paddlers enjoyed excellent conditions this past weekend for the 4th annual Peshtigo River Festival, AKA “Pesh Fest.” Hosted by Kosir’s Rapid Rafts, the event is a mashup of paddling, music, food and partying with various […]
Finding Flow in SE Wisconsin
Early season whitewater kayaking has turned into a birthday tradition for me these past few years. However, the rivers in northern Wisconsin are still iced in (up?) so on Wednesday I drove down to the Grafton and Cedarburg area to meet up with my O.W.K.M. (Original Whitewater Kayak Mentor) Rob […]