You know you had a late spring when..

...you are paddling around 5ft thick unshaded ice shelves in the middle of May.

Warm spring days, icy spring water.

As always, sliding my kayak into the freezing river for the first time after winter was like being freed from a non-paddling cage (I clearly always avoid hyperbole too). My stiff back and shoulders feel rewarding and a pleasant reminder of more river-dances to come this summer.

Here's a short video. They will get a little better as the summer progresses!

© Brian Joubert

Birthright...

“You can transcend. You can get to a place where you’re free,” he says. “Just to be what you were meant to be.”

Makes one re-evaluate opportunity and personal experience...



BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.

Deepdale Hella-Hella Revisited.

Note: This is an older post I included to test this new blog, enjoy!
The Deepdale Hella Hella Bridge section on the Umkomazi River in South Africa truly is member of what Celliers Kruger, in his book Run the Rivers of Southern Africa, calls the 'Old Classics Club`…and rightly so. The 38-odd kilometre paddle takes you through one of the most beautiful river valleys I have ever seen and the white water is a good class 3-4, depending on water levels. Most of the bigger rapids are awesome boulder gardens with umpteen chutes and boofs and great boat scouting 'boogy-water`.
Thirteen local paddlers (the largest group ever on this section to our knowledge) assembled for a 2 day over night trip in late November. It is doable in one day but then you must be floating by 8am and paddle hard! One of first drops is Deepdale Falls, a multi-line 12m beast with a reputation for hurting paddlers. We had some world class paddlers on this trip and only Luke Longridge had the cojones to giver 'er! He ran a good line but over-rotated and face planted a bit. His peaked helmet was a necklace when he surfaced….