Because I think Taylor Cavin is one of the funnier people I know (and his description so well put), I am going to let his boof.com post introduce this blog...

"At 4pm on Saturday, June 16th an intrepid group of swash-buckling crusaders, loaded their safety gear, fishing tackle, and ukuleles into their kayaks and embarked upon an episode of "Myth Busters" to de-bunk the fables of the South Kings. What they found (at 800 cfs at Roger's Crossing) was a terrific, spectacularly scenic boof stork sanctuary through a deep, tight canyon with all rapids scoutable, portageable, and runnable" - Taylor Cavin

Taylor and his breakfast catch
What Taylor is referring to here is our recent trip to the South Kings River and specifically a section commonly referred to as "Fear and Loathing."  The guide book makes it sound horrible with class six unportageable, unscoutable and potentially unrunnable rapids. The other very limited beta out there does not make it sound much better. And the name alone doesn't exactly make you expect good things.

Surprisingly, what we found deep in that canyon was quite the opposite of fear and loathing. What we found was joy and exuberance.

After making it through the canyon with good lines and high spirits, the walls opened up and we hit the confluence of the Middle Fork of the Kings. This meant it was time to lifestyle. We quickly found a camp spot and enjoyed the final moments of the day as the sun set in Sequoia National Park.

The next morning we paddled out on the Garlic Falls section of the Kings which at our flow was filled with great class rapids and epic granite scenery all the way to the takeout.

I'll wrap this up with another quote (and response to Taylor's comment on boof.com) from another one of my favorite burl chargers...

"Never stop exploring, questioning, and charging what you see as magnificent." -Will Pruett

Now, let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with paddling a short boat, but if you haven't taken the time to paddle the Dagger Green Boat yet, you really are missing out!

While this past winter has been a fairly dry one out here in California, I have still managed to get out on the water a decent bit and when possible and appropriate, took my green boat out with me.

A lot of people have the preconceived notion that paddling the Green Boat is going to be more difficult than their standard creek boat, but in most situations, I tend to disagree. I have actually come to feel more comfortable in the green boat on many of my local runs due to the speed and hole punching ability it provides me. It's true that you don't want to it sideways in a hole, but as long as you keep her straight she'll take you through almost anything! Remember, the Green Boat isn't just any long boat, its a long boat thats been specifically designed to be more comfortable, easier to paddle and paddle more like a creekboat than the long boats of the past.

It's hard to explain exactly why I think paddling the Green Boat is so much fun, but there is something about cruising through rapids with that little bit of extra speed that makes me addicted to the feeling. And don't think that that extra length will keep you from hitting those boofs, the Green Boat loves to boof!

So next time you're at your local kayak shop trying to decide which boat to take out for a demo, don't look past the Green Boat. I promise you won't regret it!

Check out all the specs here: http://dagger.com/products/whitewater/longboat/the-green-boat

Last month I was lucky enough to attend two awesome whitewater festivals, Gauley Fest on the East Coast and Feather Fest on the West Coast. As expected, both festivals delivered with amazing rivers, great friends and fun dose of debauchery. And as much as I love whitewater kayaking, I also love mountain biking and climbing too. So I decided to make the most of both weekends by turning them into multi-sport adventures, taking advantage of the beautiful mountain locations.

I had been to Gauley Fest many times before, and always had a good time so I was excited to be back east in time for the festival. This year, however, I changed up my normal routine by including a day of climbing and a day of biking in the weekend. I rode up with Dagger's very own Chris Gragtmans who was also keen on some multi-sport fun.

We deep water solo climbed at Summersville Lake, road downhill on our mountain bikes at Snowshoe Resort and finished up the weekend with two runs on the Upper Gauley. What an awesome weekend!

The following weekend was the Feather Festival, located in Chico California and tagged the "Gauley Fest of the West." I had never been to Feather Fest before but had heard many stories about what an awesome time it was. Now that I am officially living out in California, I was determined to make it to the festival this year. So after making it home from Gauley Fest, I hoped on a plane and headed west.

After arriving in Cali, but before heading up to the fest, David Maurier and I took a day to climb at Lover's Leap in the South Lake Tahoe area. It was a beautiful spot and I even got to lead my first trad climb, which was both exciting and nerve racking!

Saturday morning we drove up to the North Fork of the Feather, home to the Tobin section as well as the site of the festival.  We spent the morning lapping the Tobin section and trying to dial in lines for the race that afternoon. While I did not have the best race lines, it was still a super fun event that I was stoked to be a part of. After the race we headed downstream to Grizzly Dome, a local sport climbing spot and watched the sun go down high on the rock overlooking the river.

Following the climbing was the infamous Feather Fest party and race results announcement. I won't reveal exactly what takes place there but its definitely worth experiencing one day! The next morning I had to get up early to fly back to NC to start my EMT course, which I just finished and passed a couple days ago (hence the delay in getting this post written).

If you've never been to these festivals you should definitely make an effort to check them out! They're worthwhile for the people, the kayaking, the partying as well as the multi-sport potential!

The snow has officially started to melt out here in California and its not going to last long so get it while you can! Last weekend I took to the water and kicked off my Spring kayaking season on two local classics- South Silver and Golden Gate.

I had not been on South Silver since my inaugural California season back in 2009, so it was great to get a chance to get back out there. While it may be short, South Silver is filled with one fun drop after the next and set in such a beautiful location, its the perfect way to spend a warm spring day.

After a great day on South Silver, we decided to stay in the American drainage and spent the following day enjoying the wonderful rapids of Golden Gate. Golden Gate is another run I had not been on in a few years and was excited to revisit. My previous runs on Golden Gate had gone well with the exception of one rapid- AFU (I'll leave it to you to figure out what that stands for). The first time I ran it I got, well, AFU and that memory left me taking the dry line around the rapid on my subsequent visits. Last weekend I decided it was time to face my fears and give the rapid another go. I am happy to report it went great this time around. It felt so good to replace that bad memory with a good one!

What a great weekend with great friends to start off my California melt season. Time to start watching dreamflows and chasing that melt!

Yesterday during an address to the Nation in which he honored our Veterans, President Obama told the story of Taylor Morris, a member of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team who was seriously injured and almost died while serving in Afghanistan.Taylor, who kayaks with Team River Runner as part of his journey back to an active life, had been to the White House before and decided to decline this last invitation so he could participate in a kayaking trip with a group of great people. I give credit to the President and his speech writers for not feeling snubbed by Taylor choosing paddling over their event, and instead telling his amazing story as a tribute to his service and spirit, and because it made a powerful and inspiring statement. Here's the excerpt from President Obama's speech:

And it’s an obligation that we gladly accept for Americans like Petty Officer Taylor Morris. Six...
months ago, Taylor was serving our nation in Afghanistan. And as a member of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, his job was one of the most dangerous there is: to lead the way through territory littered with hidden explosives; to clear the way for his b rothers-in-arms.
On May 3rd, while out on patrol, Taylor stepped on an IED. The blast threw him into the air. And when he hit the ground, Taylor realized that both his legs were gone. And his left arm. And his right hand. But as Taylor lay there, fully conscious, bleeding to death, he cautioned the medics to wait before rushing his way. He feared another IED was nearby. Taylor’s concern wasn’t for his own life; it was for theirs.

Eventually, they cleared the area. They tended to Taylor’s wounds. They carried him off the battlefield. And days later, Taylor was carried into Walter Reed, where he became only the fifth American treated there to survive the amputation of all four limbs.
Now, Taylor’s recovery has been long. And it has been arduous. And it’s captivated the nation. A few months after the attack, with the help of prosthetics, the love and support of his family, and above all his girlfriend Danielle, who never left his side, Taylor wasn’t just walking again. In a video that went viral, the world watched he and Danielle dance again.
I’ve often said the most humbling part of my job is serving as Commander-in-Chief. And one of the reasons is that, every day, I get to meet heroes. I met Taylor at Walter Reed. And then in July, at the White House, I presented him with the Purple Heart. And right now, hanging on a wall in the West Wing is a photo of that day, a photo of Taylor Morris smiling wide and standing tall.
I should point out that Taylor couldn’t make it here today because he and Danielle are out kayaking. (Laughter and applause.) In Taylor we see the best of America -- a spirit that says, when we get knocked down, we rise again. When times are tough, we come together. When one of us falters, we lift them up. In this country we take care of our own –- especially our veterans who have served so bravely and sacrificed so selflessly in our name. And we carry on, knowing that our best days always lie ahead."      
 
There are some things kayakers should feel proud of when reading this piece. We should be proud of the fact that Taylor has chosen kayaking as one of his pathways back to health, and that our community was there to embrace him through the volunteers of Team River Runner. We should be proud that the qualities that the President described as being the best of America are particularly strong in the whitewater kayaking community. The image of Taylor not just surviving, but thriving after such a terrible trauma, and taking on the challenge of kayaking is the perfect embodiment of the spirit required by our country and many individuals, in order to recover and embrace new possibilites.
 
Jason Beakes
Team Dagger

After our 5 days in Galicia/Portugal we drove again all night to be at home in the morning of the saturday cause we where doing a freestyle kayak course with SBP together with my brother Gerd. The surprise was to find a flooded river! there where plenty of options to go kayak and we even had the opportunity to paddle the Boavi, with comes up once in a few years if you're lucky.

Enjoy some more pictures of this last days kayaking around!

I have jumped on his van and we are roadtripping all around norway, during this few days we have paddled over 9 rivers and competed in the norweigan cup at trøndelagsrunden where I took the first place with two good runs...The weather is cold but nobody really cares because the kayaking is just too good! enjoy some great pictures from my friend Mathias! loving it here more to come soon!

running the crazy slide of Norgasmo! luckily I had a good line and didn't flip but it was all out of control and super fast!

Last drop of what could be one of the steepest sections in Norway.

Another one of the many perfect waterfalls.