I was back with the kayakers yesterday for a run on the Pemi in Woodstock, NH. The Pemigewasset arises in the White Mountains near Franconia Notch and flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River. There are several sections of the Pemi that are popular for whitewater boating, including some really big stuff up at the top. We paddled the class II section in Woodstock - 4.5-miles of quickwater and class II rapids. We had 9 boats – 8... Read more ..read more

I don’t know if this post should go in the Poling section, the Solo section, or the Tandem section, so I’ll put it here. We had nine canoes (1 tandem, 3 solos and 5 polers) running the 11-mile section of the White River from Stockbridge to Bethel in VT. The river was a little low for the paddlers, but at a perfect level for the polers. Rock-dodging was the order of the day and we had to pick our lines carefully to avoid the shallows. There were also two class II(+) rapids to keep things... Read more ..read more

Including solo canoes, tandem canoes, home-made decked canoes, and rolling ..read more

Perhaps not a big audience for class 5 whitewater here or anywhere, but most of the tips can apply whitewater paddling in general. Open Canoe Class V Tips Open Canoe Whitewater Outfitting www.open-canoe.de ..read more

"It’s not until they get to shore we notice the gash clean through the Royalex, from skid plate to gunwale. Two hours later, we’ve sewn it back up with wire and sealed it with gorilla tape, and we’re on our way again. There’s a lot of pride about the repair, but I feel a collective sense of dread—there are still 100 rapids to come in the next 17 days." Self-Supported Tandem Canoe Mission Down The Grand Canyon I grimace, hold my breath and force the barrel to close. “crapter is full!” I call to the group. It’s day 10 of our 26-day Grand Canyon tandem canoe trip. paddlingmag.com Our own U ..read more

I picked up a used, like-new Millbrook Outrage this week. When I say like new, I mean no scratches or signs of use on the hull and has not even had kneepads glued down. It has the “factory equipped” foam saddle, hip pads, double thigh straps and air bag lacings, but it looks like the previous owner went no further. He said it had only been on water 3 or 4 times, and from the looks of the hull, it must have been flatwater. It even had a set of older Voyageur bags that hold air just fine. The... Read more ..read more

I was back with the kayakers yesterday to paddle a short, fun river in north central CT – the Scantic. The Scantic arises near Springfield, MA and flows southwest into CT to join the Connecticut River. We would be running the 5-mile section from Somers to Hazardville that is the site of the annual Scantic Spring Splash downriver race. With all the rain this week the river was at a nice level - Jo-Ann described it as “sporty”. We had 9 boats – 8 kayaks and 1 canoe – what else... Read more ..read more

"Opened in July 2023, Montgomery Whitewater Park is a world-class recreational attraction offering adventure sports and lifestyle experiences for residents and tourists of all ages and skill levels." Montgomery Whitewater Park Receives Project of the Year Award from Business Alabama Montgomery, Ala. – Mar 4, 2024 – Montgomery Whitewater Park, Alabama’s newest and most technologically advanced outdoor adventure destination, was honored paddlingmag.com ..read more

I did a couple of trips on Saturday up in NH with a local club. Saturday morning on the Sugar River - 21 boats, 20 kayaks and one canoe (me). Saturday afternoon on Croyden Brook - 9 boats, 8 kayaks and one canoe (me). The sad thing is it is not unusual for me to be the only open boat in a group of kayakers. The kayakers seem fine with it, and I am pretty careful about what I run - I don't want to be the guy who swims all the time. Don't get me wrong, there is a small but... Read more ..read more

Those familiar with the Ocoee River in eastern Tennessee (which includes pretty much every whitewater paddler in the Southeast US as well as many others) might find this 20 minute film on the very early history of whitewater paddling on the Ocoee back in the 1970s. Gary Harper filmed and edited this video and posted a link to it on his FB page so he intends it to be shared ..read more