I had the opportunity to lead two whitewater kayakers down Section 4 of the Wolf River for their first run on this challenging stretch. With technical rapids, powerful currents, and plenty of opportunities to test skills, Section 4 delivered exactly the kind of adventure they were looking for. The day […]
Tag: whitewater video
Yellow Bridge Rapid on the Pike River
Just downstream of Barker Road near Amberg, WI, where a once-iconic yellow iron bridge gave this rapid its name, the Pike River gathers itself for one of its most action-packed drops. It begins with a quick rightward bend over a slanted, uneven ledge into a large eddy on river right. […]
Clean-up and Fun on the Wolf River
On a chilly 35°F day we spent about 4-1/2 hours on the river picking up bottles, cans, flipflops, and other trash on Section 4 of the Wolf in the Menominee Reservation in Northern Wisconsin. Here’s footage of the named rapids. In hindsight I should have shot more of the trash-gathering […]
3 Rivers Near Merrill
This past Saturday was my first whitewater kayak day of 2022. I joined paddlers from the River Touring Section of the Wisconsin Sierra Club led by Dave Hiller. We ran the Prairie, the Pine and the Trappe, all near Merrill, WI. Water 33⁰F. Air 40⁰F. Other paddlers were Mari Gasiorowicz, […]
Top 10 Paddle Days of 2021
The Internet loves lists so I’m capping off the year with my top 10 list of favorite kayaking days of 2021. First some stats… Each year I track the “who, what, when, and where” of my paddles, plus other info such as river levels, water and air temperature and so […]
TRR Tennessee and North Carolina kayaking
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 […]
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 […]
Recapping 2020: Numbers and Favorites
Well, 2020 was quite a year, wasn’t it? (Understatement of the decade, perhaps.) We know there was much sadness and anxiety locally and around the world but I hope you found many moments of joy and happiness as well. Here are some of my 2020 joyous highlights in list form, […]
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 […]
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 […]