On a recent trip to Tennessee and North Carolina with a Team River Runner crew we did some whitewater kayaking on two rivers: the Nolichucky and the French Broad. River levels were low but immense fun. Cohen (from the Minneapolis TRR chapter) and I traveled to Johnson City, TN where […]
Tag: whitewater kayaking
Scouts Learn Whitewater Kayaking
This past weekend I had a great time helping introduce about 40 Boy Scouts and adult leaders to the skills, thrills and joys of whitewater kayaking. Whitewater instruction was one part of the big BSA Bay-Lakes Council “Camporee” held at Gardner Dam Scout Camp on the Wolf River near White […]
Kayak Videos: Music or “Au Naturel”?
I regularly post kayaking videos on YouTube and occasionally on Vimeo, but in case you missed any or all, here are my 2021 videos to date. I’m also sharing videos created by Angela (AKA “ang gru” on YouTube), who recently joined our gang of enthusiastic Wisconsin whitewater kayakers. By the […]
The Challenge of Piers Gorge
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 […]
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 […]