It happened. I think I fell in love with another kayak! Since I started paddling, I just bought whichever boat was the cheapest, never paddling them first. I never thought much about it until I had an opportunity to paddle a Dagger Nomad. I instantly fell in love with it! But… as most kayakers know, [...]
Condit Dam Removal slated for October 2011
It’s not often that you get to personally witness the nation’s tallest dam being removed. It’s even less often that you have the chance to watch a river reform after removal. Residents of White Salmon and Hood River will soon get to be in both unique positions as the Condit Dam on the White Salmon [...]
Chetco River – Trip Report
I’ve always considered the Illinois to be the big brother of the Rogue. Last month, I discovered their little sister – The Chetco. This gem of a river is definitely feminine – it’s deeply beautiful and graceful. Crystal clear, emerald green water slips slowly downstream and through a gorgeous environment filled with a plethora of [...]
Green Point Creek Trip Report
This last weekend we kayaked the seldom run Green Point Creek, a small tributary of the West Fork of the Hood River. We’ve been paddling the West Fork a couple times a week and each time we pass by Green Point Creek we look up at the final rapid and consider paddling it. This Memorial [...]
Review of Keen’s new Gorge Boot
About six months ago, I started to notice local kayakers sporting a new kayaking boot made by Keen. When I asked what it was, I was told it was the new “Gorge Boot” designed by a kayaker in the Columbia Gorge. They all seemed to love it and said that it worked great on wet [...]
The allure of South Carolina’s Chattooga River
It’s almost summer and I can’t wait. As I wrap up my spring in South Carolina, I’m excited to get back on the road and down to the Rogue River, but I’m still a little sad to be leaving. As the temperatures here start to hover near ninety degrees, I start to get nostalgic for [...]
Showdown on the Sandy River
Yesterday I participated in the Sandy River Showdown, an adventure race on Oregon’s Sandy River. The race was a 7 mile kayak/cataraft paddle race followed by a 4 mile trail run. Although it was grueling it was also beautiful and rewarding. After the adventure race, there was a demonstration Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) race through [...]
Upper Josephine Creek Trip Report
Spring time in the Kalmiopsis of Southern Oregon is a magical thing. These dynamic coastal mountains are teeming with unique flora and fauna and the pristine watersheds found within them have long been the focus of local boaters such as myself. With a warm spring rain starting to fall, I abandoned plans to run the [...]
Playing around Just 4Fun – a Review of the Jackson 4Fun kayak
Let me start off by saying that I love this boat. The Jackson 4Fun is one of those boats that fits me like a glove and feels like an extension of my body. I’ve been paddling it all winter on different sections of the Hood River and White Salmon River at a variety of flows. [...]
Life’s Good on the Hood
When I think of running the Hood River, I think of its cold waters, beautiful scenery and the challenging yet friendly collection of runs (ranging from easy class III to class IV/V playgrounds). The headwaters drain from the snowy and scenic north and east slopes of majestic Mount Hood. Because water levels depend on both [...]
