Russell Fork 2020

The annual October migration to the Russell Fork was one of the only things that has felt normal in 2020. I ended up getting nine runs over the course of two different weekends, including a run at low flows on a Friday when there was not a scheduled release. So, rather than an edit that just showed all of the rapids in order, it seemed a lot more fun to just mix everything up into a short, booftastic, highlight reel that showed various lines at various levels with almost none of them in sequential order. Check it out!

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Colorado Quickie 2020

With our original summer plans upended, it was beginning to look like western paddling just wasn’t going to happen in 2020. However, after an uncertain May came and went, Mikel Carr and I starting kicking around the idea of a short to CO in late June. It all came together at the last minute and our mutual friend Edgar Peck was able to join us as well. The three of us enjoyed 8 days of quality boating bookended by two, 24-hour straight drives. 

Being in CO well past the early peak flows this year meant we did a lot less driving around the state than many years and ultimately decided to basecamp just outside of Buena Vista and day-trip out from there to hit a variety of different runs within a two-hour radius of our campsite. Not moving camp resulted in the whole trip having a much more relaxed pace and really feeling more like a vacation than some years, with plenty of time to enjoy beers and hang out together.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Daddy-Daughter Fusion Duo - Part II: Hiwassee River, TN

Lulu and my second time out in the Pyranha Kayaks Fusion Duo was a fun day on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee. I continue to be impressed by how easy to paddle this boat is. Even with Lulu being so much lighter than me it handles great and we're becoming more and more comfortable with trying more difficult ferries, surfs, and even a few spins in a hole.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Pyranha Ozone Review

A quick review of the Pyranha Kayaks Ozone Large after my first 7 days paddling it.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

NorAL Spring Wrap-Up 2020

Call it extras, bonus, or b-roll, but I ended up with lots of additional footage from various video projects in the Spring of 2020 and decided some of these clips needed their own edit.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Upper-Middle Johnnies Creek, AL

After a plentiful rain event in May of 2020, several friends and I decided to check out the rarely run Upper and Middle sections of Johnnies Creek. The painted gauge at the put in for the Lower was reading about +3.5" when we headed up for our run and was about +2.5" afterwards, which seemed around a minimum flow for the Upper section.

Until Next Time,

-adam

kayak session

Daddy-Daughter Fusion Duo: Little River, AL

This was Lulu's first time in a tandem kayak and both of our first times in the Pyranha Kayaks Fusion Duo. We paddled from Billy’s Ford to Blue hole on the Little River in Alabama at a moderate water level. The Pyranha Fusion Duo was incredibly stable and easy to paddle, despite the unbalanced weight distribution of my 265 lbs in the back and my daughter’s 45 lbs in the front. Now that I know how easy it is to paddle, I would certainly feel confidant taking her on any stretch of whitewater up to class III and even doing a multiday run out of it. Its great and perfect for us! We’re both already looking forward to the next opportunity to paddle it together.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Little River, Long Boats: The Pyranha 12R on Little River Canyon

I had a lot of really great laps down Little River Canyon in the Pyranha 12R in the spring of 2020. A boat with this much hull speed offers a lot of different ways to mix it up on my home run. Check it out!

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

The West Fork of the Little River, AL

In an area packed with so much great whitewater, it is no surprise that the relatively tame West Fork of the Little River is often overlooked. There is a handful of local paddlers who frequent this run during the winter and spring, but beyond those in close proximity, it is largely unknown. What people are overlooking is a fun play run that offers up miles of class III with endless surfing, spinning, and splatting in a beautiful gorge full of waterfalls formed by the numerous tributaries entering the river. The run is best when the LRC gauge is between 1500-2500 CFS and the compilation of footage in this run from Spring 2020 is in that range.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Lulu's First River

A family float from Billy's Ford to Blue Hole on Little River in Alabama April 25, 2020.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Big Boat, Little Creek: The Pyranha 12R on Johnnies

Long boats aren't just for racing! One of the ways I like to keep the local runs fresh and fun is paddling them in a variety of different boats. Here I am threading the Pyranha 12R down the tight little Class IV classic, Johnnies Creek on Lookout Mountain in Alabama.

Until Next Time...

-adam