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FOR THE LOVE OF WOOD ~ Jamie Cooper & Sigurd Canoe Co. by Mike Toughill

Dirtbags love their paddles. Both subjectively and objectively, they call to our hands to be held, to our eyes to be beheld. A true dirtbag will confess she or he loves paddles, especially the one(s) we depend on for safe passage down The River. It is the primary means for propulsion and direction, our tool, […]

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HOT TIMES, COLD RIVER ~ Cato Falls & The Manitowoc Hometown Throwdown.by Val Jean D. Marcoe, action photos by Lynn Fretchel Lennert.

It was a brisk last day of winter at Lower Cato Falls in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, the temps slowly recovering from a low of 23°F. The local weatherman forecast a high of 39°. Boaters from all along the west side of the state made the trip to compete in the 2nd ever Manitowoc Hometown Throwdown, […]

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RAFT RACE LIKE A GIRL ~ a conversation with veteran racer Julie Sutton

The Red Ladies Raft Racing Team is the current United States national women’s team, beating out their rivals by a hair at the 2015 National Championships, held at last years Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival in Cañon City, CO. DBP Admin Aaron Erdrich caught up with team founder Julie Sutton to get her views on rafting […]

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HIGHLIGHT PADDLING MEDIA ~ Barry Cole Photography and Ain’t Louie Fest2016.

Daddy always said, “Do what you love, love what you do.” As a child of the 70’s with no cell phones or game consoles my friends and I played outside – ball fields, creeks, tree houses, and bike trails. As I grew older, I didn’t grow up. My backyard wood led to mountain biking the […]

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PUTTING ACTION INTO THE DAY OF ACTION ~ DBP photo contest to supportInternational Rivers. by Mike Toughill

We are once again pleased to be officially involved with International Rivers’ “Day of Action For Rivers”, today Monday March 14. River lovers around the world are participating in various events to show support, spread awareness, and do good deeds. Scores of participants from dozens of countries have organized globally.  http://www.internationalrivers.org/international-day-of-action-for-rivers We thought, with our […]

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“TO DO SOMETHING EPIC” ~ Interviewing John Connelly of PaddleQuest1500. by Mike Toughill

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… I love my job. Being one of the original Dirt Bag Paddlers gives me access to very interesting people and stories. Our Facebook feed constantly brims over with amazing adventures from around the world. A few weeks back, I inadvertently stumbled across PaddleQuest 1500, and John Connelly. […]

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BLUE GRASS, WHITE WATER & BROWN LIQUOR ~ Coverage of the 2016 National PaddlingFilm Festival. by Mike Toughill

Very Old.  Barton, that is. The taste of bourbon on one’s lips, like the black smudge on the old buildings of Frankfort KY, never left once Associate Editor Wes Breitenbach and I arrived at this year’s National Paddling Film Festival a few weeks back. The classy plastic bottle was passed between us and the other […]

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CONVERSATION ON LOSS ~ from DBP. Photos by Mike Toughill

Once again our global community suffers a loss on the river. Sean Curtis of New Zealand died last week. We mourn his passing.  We thought it an appropriate time to share these thoughts that passed between members of our inner circle at Dirt Bag Paddlers after one of our friends was lost in a tragedy […]

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AROUND THE WORLD WITH DBP ADMIN SERKAN KONYA ~ 2015 Wrap Up. by Serkan Konya

Training laps on Eiskanal, Augsburg Well, the Earth did another loop around the Sun… Let’s have a look how it went for me in 2015. After some training sessions during the winter on Eiskanal (the Olympic slalom course in Augsburg, Germany), I once again headed home to Turkey in April for my commercial kayak trips […]

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MARCH 2016 ~ COVER PHOTO “Michelle & Tommy” by Brent Fraken. Stories byMichelle Terrell and Tommy Hammit

March for the paddling community here in America means a return to regular boating, albeit cold water and melt flows. Spring begins in March, the season of renewal, of fresh starts, of warmth, of love. I wished for a photo for this month’s cover photo that would somehow convey all of these separate but interconnected […]