Happy summer solstice! How will you be celebrating the longest day of the year?
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When Salida was founded in 1880 as an outpost for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, people had a less than favorable attitude toward the Arkansas River. Its rushing water and narrow canyons above and below town were feared by residents and cursed by the railroad. Low-rent flophouses and brothels lined “undesirable” riverfront property. What a difference 130 years makes. Today, the river is the focal point of downtown and attracts outdoor enthusiasts of all sorts, including some 300,000 boaters who come to the area to paddle on the country’s sixth longest river.
Park-and-play originated in Salida in the 1960s with the construction of an enhanced site for the FIBArk Festival. Today, two play holes and a slalom course are the legacy of a late-‘80s transformation of a rundown section of river to a whitewater playground by visionary local boaters.
After sessioning Salida, drive 30 minutes upriver to Buena Vista, where you’ll find four play waves and holes (six after improvements scheduled for this year). Up- and downriver of Salida, the Arkansas River challenges beginners and experienced boaters alike. Among the most popular runs are Brown’s Canyon, serving up 16 miles of deep, playful class III, and Pine Creek, six miles of in-your-face class IV–V just north of Buena Vista.
Mountain biking: New for 2010, the Arkansas Hills trail system now starts just across the river from the F Street Bridge and whitewater park. This singletrack stacked loop system offers hours of meandering climbs, high-speed downhill and stunning vistas of the Collegiate Peaks.
Hiking: Just beyond Salida city limits, hundreds of miles of multi-use trails traverse and summit fifteen 14,000- foot peaks in the surrounding Sawatch Mountains.
Started in 1949, FIBArk is the oldest whitewater festival in North America and still boasts one of the toughest downriver races: 26 miles from Salida to Cotapaxi. In addition to downriver races, slalom and freestyle, FIBArk features live music and the popular Hooligan Race in which costumed locals pilot wacky homemade watercraft through the rapids.
This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine, Spring 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Man-made trails through forests and by riversides are walkways for all sorts of wild animals. Stop mistaking dog tracks for wolves and moose tracks for deer with the tips below.
DEER: Deer tracks, shaped like upside down hearts, are about three inches long and are often found on hiking trails. A doe’s back hooves usually fall on top of her front hooves or slightly outside of them. A buck has a wider chest than hindquarters, making his rear tracks fall to the inside. his rear tracks won’t reach the front ones.
WOLF: Many a camper has had their heart race when they found a wolf track, only to meet up with a dog further along the trail. Mature wolves have larger paws than pets; more than four inches long. Their front paws are larger than their rear, and elongated middle toes help distinguish their tracks from the rounder track of your furry best friend.
RIVER OTTER: Inspect the ground near muddy banks and look for an almost round track, two and a half inches wide. otter claws are close to the toes, giving the toes a pointed look. in soft soil you may see evidence of webbing between the five digits. Look for shellfish remains nearby…
Finish reading this article in the 2013 Spring issue of Canoeroots & Family Camping. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read the rest online for free, here.
This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine.
At 19 and 17, respectively, Todd and Brendan Wells may be short on years, but they have no shortage of time on the river.
Geography and genes have delt the trump card. Their hometown, the tiny community of Trout Lake, Washington, rests in the shadow of Mt. Adams, where meltwater from the Cascade Range’s glaciers and winter snows bring class V drops right to their backyard. The brothers’ father, James Wells, is a former Alaska raft guide and outfitter who brought the boys along on multi-day whitewater trips before they could walk.
“My first memory of water is the Kenai River,” recalls Brendan, “Bobbing up and down in a big yellow raft, looking down at hundreds of king salmon swimming up brilliant turquoise water.”
The brothers bought their first whitewater kayak together six years ago. “Since then we’ve been at each other’s sides pushing one another to become better paddlers,” Todd says. Seeing his kids embrace kayaking, James used his business savvy to help resurrect the World Class Kayak Academy (WCKA), a traveling high school now based in Trout Lake. The brothers each spent a semester with the school studying and kayaking abroad.
“Our paddling skills progressed quickly and over the course of a year we went from nervously paddling class III–IV whitewater to charging some of the most difficult class V rivers in our area,” Todd says.
Back home, Brendan adds, “We paddled every day after school, convincing my parents that we were going to paddle much easier whitewater and waterfalls than we ended up doing.”
Last spring, Brendan skipped his math class to become the youngest person to run 70-foot Outlet Falls. It wasn’t his first big drop; he also holds the world record for tallest waterfall by youngest junior: 82 feet at age 15. But the Wells brothers’ accomplishments aren’t limited to dropping waterfalls. Todd is the youngest person to kayak the near mythical rapids of B.C.’s Grand Canyon of the Stikine.
Paddling the cutting edge is risky and the two have had more than a few close calls. Brendan remembers when a descent of the Little White, a backyard creek he has run dozens of times, went sour. Getting worked in a hole above a 10-foot ledge, he says, “I knew I was in a bad situation. Tao Berman pulled me out just before the lip as I watched my brother’s new Nomad go over the drop and into an undercut cave. Todd’s boat finally flushed several months later, in half.”
Two years ago, Todd broke his back on Money Drop, a 50-footer not far from his Washington home. He admits he was “lucky to walk away with only a light break and two to three months of recovery,” but says the experience gave him a hard-earned perspective that has helped him to keep charging.
His sons’ penchant for running huge drops has put James in a “tricky situation.” He explains, “[My wife] Sally and I are dedicated to supporting their individual passions while keeping balance. Lately, I’ve considered starting a crusade to bring more awareness to the dangers and long term physical, emotional and financial consequences of going big.”
Looking ahead, the brothers say they hope to explore Africa, the Pacific NW and Alaska, teach with the WCKA, compete in the Whitewater Grand Prix and keep learning from the river.
“On and off the water, things rarely go exactly as planned,” says Brendan, “Take a breath and try to make the most of the outcome.”
To see what the brothers are up to now, check out: brendanwellskayaking.blogspot.com, toddwellswhitewater.blogspot.com, www.youtube.com/user/WellsBrotherProds and www.worldclassacademy.com.
This article originally appeared in Rapid, Spring 2012. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
With hype building since the inaugural year of the North Fork Championships in 2012, the banks of the river were busy with athletes and spectators June 6 to 8 for the second installment of this already classic race. With fifteen miles of continuous class V whitewater, this section of the North Fork of the Payette in southwestern Idaho is one of the most challenging sets in the U.S.
“The North Fork Championship II really went off this year,” according to competitor Ben Marr. “Maybe due to the sunshine; there was way more energy and a higher level of paddling.”
The North Fork Championships (NFC) is known as one of the burliest downriver races and attracts the some of the best of the sport. With a large prize purse and a slew of big name sponsors including NRS, Sweet Protection, Teva, Smith Optics, The North Face and the local business Payette Brewing, the NFC is one of the more decorated kayak races in North America.
The NFC organizers emphasize a high level of competition but are equally focused on the level of camaraderie between competitors and safety. Swiftwater Rescue Certified Safety personnel line the race course and racers wait in the bottom eddy acting as a continual safety.
The women’s class made its debut this year and saw top female paddlers battling it out on the Lower Three section of the North Fork. Canadian Katrina Van Wijk took the win, followed by American Nicole Mansfield and Kiwi Lu Urwin.
A qualifying run on Thursday saw almost 50 competitors. Twenty elite kayakers were invited to the race and competitors fought for five wild card spots in the qualifiers. The top 35 finishers also qualified for the boatercross race, a mass start downriver race, a new event at the North Fork Championships.
“The North Fork is a complete full-on race from top to bottom,” says Marcos Gallegos who took one of the wild card spots. “(It’s a) super fast, continuous class V rapids with endless amount of holes.”
Saturday, June 8 saw a stacked roster of paddlers take to the starting ramp. At the end of the day, Louis Geltman took the title of North Fork Champion, (1:57.81) and took home the $4,500 prize. Gerd Serrasolse, (1:59.81) and Rush Sturges, (01:59.84) rounded out the podium and Evan Garcia (2:00.88) and Andrew Holcombe (2:01.16) took fourth and fifth respectively.
With less than five seconds between first and fifth place, this race is a testament to the level of competition present in the kayak racing scene and on a river like this, clearly displays the talent of top kayakers today.
“The winning times were also quite a bit faster this year,” Marr commented. “All in all, as far as the event goes, I think number III will be a huge success, rain or shine.”
www.northforkchampionships.com
Adventure Kayak reader Bob Van Hise shared this photo of an evening paddle in Georgian Bay at this spring’s Paddlepalooza event. Read more about this fun new event here.
Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.
This skills article was originally published in Adventure Kayak magazine.
As the popularity of surf kayaking, surfing and SUP continues to grow, so too does the use of popular surf spots and the tensions between users. Some of this conflict is a carryover from old prejudices—think Dogtown and Z Boys—but a lot of it stems from the very real frustrations of sharing waves with those who don’t understand the rules of basic surf etiquette.
Etiquette starts with an understanding of the various zones in the surf break. The crucial zones are the green room, the take off zone, the impact zone and the transit zone.
The green room is where folks take a breather outside the surf break. If you are in the green room, you are not in the line-up. The take off zone is where folks wait in line to catch a ride. Kayakers generally catch waves further out, so their take off zone is different than board surfers. The impact zone is where folks actually surf. Unless you are surfing, stay out of this zone. The transit zone is the easiest and safest route back out to the take off zone or the green room. It is considered very rude to travel back out through the impact zone; instead, use the transit.
There are seven well-established rules for sharing waves.
1. The most important rule is to choose your break wisely. Not every break, or every wave, is for every surfer. If you can’t visualize the zones or don’t have the skills to control your boat as you move from zone to zone, then consider another break, especially if it’s crowded.
2. Don’t cut off other surfers if they have right of way. The surfer closest to the power pocket—the steepest, tallest, green part of the wave just before it breaks—has right of way. When in doubt, watch for a while to see where the line-up is forming and how the break is being used.
3. Give way when heading out; the person surfing has right of way. That said, if you are consistently out of control, broaching or careening through other line-ups while surfing, then reread rules one and two.
4. Take turns. Kayakers have an easier time catching waves than board surfers. With this advantage comes responsibility. Just because you can catch the wave doesn’t mean you should cut someone else off.
5. Help out if someone is in trouble. Period.
6. Take responsibility for your equipment and actions. If you cut someone off, apologize and try not to do it again. If you damage or lose someone’s gear, apologize and offer to fix or replace it.
7. Relax—watch the clouds, encourage others, smile and converse with your fellow surfers. In other words, be the surfer you want others to be.
Michael Pardy is based in Victoria, B.C., where he is the director of SKILS and is one of the nicest dudes you’ll find ripping a wave, bru.
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak, Early Summer 2012. Download our freeiPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
A look at the Nutcase Water Helmet from Adventure Kayak magazine.
Water Helmet
Designer Mike Morrow spent 10 years as a creative director at Nike before launching Nutcase helmets, so it’s no surprise these lids are as funky as they are functional. We love the magnetic chinstrap buckle, removable ear guards and hip designs like Watermelon, Tie Dye and Shark Attack.
$75 | www.nutcasehelmets.com
To read about more survival essentials in the Early Summer 2013 issue of Adventure Kayak, click here.
Adventure Kayak reader Ted Cordina shared this photo of a night paddle along the Toronto Waterfront with this note: “Here is a pic from one of our TorontoAdventures.ca ‘Paddle-In Concerts.'” Thanks Ted, illuminating—these look like very cool trips!
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“This pic was snapped on a week long canoe trip in Fontana Lake in 2011 along the southern border of the Smoky Mountain National Park,” says photog Leslie Ross Ferm.
Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.
