Kayak Session Issue 87 - Digital Edition

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TOC KS 87, Fall 2023

MISSION: THE ROAD TO HUMLA – TRAVELING OVERLAND TO NEPAL’S LAST FREE-FLOWING RIVER    

A road to a river is a good thing, right? Normally, yes. A road means access, and access means easier boating. Unless that road is the first step to a dam that would destroy an expedition kayaking classic.

DESTINATION: CANYON CREEK – THE SIREN STREAM OF SOUTHERN WASHINGTON

In the northwest corner of the United States, there is whitewater aplenty. Every year, while paddlers travel to Washington and Oregon to experience the big-name bucket listers, the locals head to Canyon Creek for quality fun with some spice, aka PNW pool/drop perfection.

ZOOM IN: AUSTARI JÖKULSÁ – ICELAND’S BEAST OF THE EAST

In Northern Iceland, the Austari Jökulsá River carves a path through deep canyons, capturing eons of time in a unique geologic landscape. Not marked on the walls but just as reliant on this same free-flowing lifeline is a decades-old whitewater community, newly vulnerable to development.  

INTERVIEW: RATA LOVELL-SMITH 

Maybe it’s the humbling nature of New Zealand’s West Coast. Maybe it’s the years spent teaching others how to operate in wild places. But wherever she’s chasing the hard, Rata Lovell-Smith does it with humor, without ego, and in the best way possible for those on the water with her. 

PORTFOLIO