“Boats, Bands, Beers” (the official slogan) is what one expects at the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival, but this year’s Fest, held June 26 & 27 in Canon City, CO was so much more than that. The DBP crew arrived as guests and paid the $5 entry fee (which is so dirt cheap! Definitely our style!) […]
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Boaters love running drops. And they usually couple that with loving PHOTOS of them running said drops. We are a vain bunch, whether cognizant or not. Even with the age of GoPros fully dominant, there’s just no replacing a pro shot from the banks. We love our photos almost as much as the running of […]
Everyone who’s been at it a while has their own Mother River. Not necessarily the first river or the biggest. It could be the one in your back yard, or the one that inspired the breaking of that plateau that meant there was no turning back from the sport you had chosen. Maybe it’s not […]
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MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE. by Clinton Begley
Top Drop of Shipherd Falls on the Lower Wind River, Washington (Photo By Clinton Begley) I’ve spent enough time near the water to witness the accumulation of hundreds of beer cans and bottles forgotten in the twilight near favorite fishing spots or swimming holes. I can’t recall how many Nalgene bottles I’ve recovered from slackwater […]
Gnar Lee. Photo by Dan Stoffle We’ve all had that one swim. The one that shakes our very foundations and forces us to question our sanity. It becomes one of the greatest obstacles to overcome as a paddler. One moment we are perfectly in tune with water, the next we are simply its plaything as we […]
Finding a singular trip report that provides directive and up to date information about the Upper Sultan is as about as elusive as the run itself. Oregon Kayaking has a write-up from their trip in 2005 and American Whitewater provides a brief summary of the run and the river including information regarding the logistics of […]
The Dirt Bag Paddlers Wisconsin Chapter is hosting a raft and kayak surf and race competition, and a huge barn party with DJ Pocket Fuzz, raft rastlin’, and free camping, on the Piers Gorge section of the Menominee River near Niagra, WI the last weekend of July. In honor of one of our close buddies […]
We caught up with Shawn Alexander, fabricator and proprietor of Fall Line Canoes of Richmond, VA, and a skilled open boater in his own right, recently and asked him a few questions about flotation bags, boating, and LIFE… DBP: Shawn, you’re legendary in the East Coast open boat scene. Please take a moment and tell […]
I knew just who to hit up for a selection of photographs to choose from in the changing of cover photos when June began to wind down. We were planning on running a theme for the month of July – the Canoe. We lined up a few interviews, some personal stories, some gear, and a […]
FIBArk, the official name of First In Boating on the Arkansas River, is the oldest whitewater festival in America. It’s been up and going strong for 67 years. DBP officially participated for the first time this year, arriving at the perfect time – HIGH water!! The Arkansas was running higher than it has since 1995. […]