Chicago serving up WALLACE at work It’s an amazing thing. I never would have conjured up this situation in my wildest dreams two years ago… There we were, camping and paddling the Youghiogheny River in PA, just three good buddies sharing a summer weekend far away from the responsibilities of raft guiding, out for a […]
Category: Archive
Co-Editor F. Wes Breitenbach out for a wintery rip… […]
Adrian Ortiz charging to victory in the boater cross race. Photo by M.Toughill Illinois may not rank on any paddler’s bucket list of destinations, largely hindered by lack of gradient and deep agrarian history that harnessed all available power from the rivers through low-head dams that still impact our waterways. However, there is a thriving […]
Jason scouting part of the Octopus while an anonymous boater runs it I arrived at “The Outpost” near the put in for the lower St. Louis River on Friday evening before the 4th annual Paddlemania, arriving around 5PM to meet my friend Jon “Sizzler” Sisley for a lap at “fish flow” (read: no release). I […]
I have had my Personal Flotation Device, or PFD, since I got my first kayak. Its old and dependable and fits like a glove. My front zip Extrasport Eddy with quad-hinged front foam and retracted shoulder adjustments has made almost every kayaking trip I have taken since I bought it in 2010. It’s once bright […]
{EDITOR’S NOTE: After months of doing this series as a feature about PEOPLE who helped shape our community, this month we’ve elected to focus on a BOAT, the Canoe. We’ve invited a different guest to write each chapter, each person coming from a vastly different perspective on this boat and it’s history and future. We […]
The churning waters, crushing currents, swirling whirlpools, and magnificent waterfalls are typically one’s horror, but for me, it’s my home. I find myself in these turbulent situations almost every day. However, instead of panicking in sheer terror, I am in bliss. On the other hand, I have not always felt this comfort. When I […]
Born and raised in Tauranga, NZ, Luuka Jones had her first introduction to kayaking at the age of 10 when her parents moved next door to a kayaking adventure park on the banks of the Wairoa River. Before long she was hooked on the sport, helping out at the adventure park in exchange for kayaking […]
I opened the Dirt Bag Paddlers mailbox to find this message accompanying a video link from our homie Jr Duggins: “This is a video of the video at the bar after our rafting trip of Me and some friends getting eaten by the rapid Surprise on the Lower New River in West Virginia. #dbp!” This […]
This year a few lucky teams from around the world were invited to travel to China to race in two R2 competitions. The competitions were held on the same rivers as last year, but this time they were separated into two events instead of just one. Teams – Stop 2 I was fortunate to be […]