Costa Rican Winter

Over winter vacation this year my family traveled to Costa Rica for some quality kayaking and tropical relaxation. Spending most of our time in Turrialba, Costa Rica we spent multiple days on the Rio Pacuare. The Pacuare is separated into 3 main sections: the lower (class III-IV where the raft trips take place), the upper (class IV-V), and the upper-upper (class II-III which requires a two hour hike with horses to the put-in). Early in the trip we took a couple trips down the beautiful lower Pacuare, my mom in a commercial raft, my dad in his NRS Bandit inflatable kayak, and my brother in me rental playboats. The rapids on the lower section of the Pacuare were pretty minor, but the amazing waterfalls cascading into the river and beautiful hikes along the way made the run entirely worth it.

In one of the gorges of the lower Pacuare

After time paddling the lower Pacuare and exploring different parts of Costa Rica, we returned to Turrialba to get ready for a trip on the Upper Upper Pacuare. My dad had paddled this section years before, and had a good relation with the Venegas family who has helped pack boats and gear to the put-in for a few other parties as well. So with some extra time on our hands we drove to the small town of Vereh a day before our trip and spent the afternoon playing soccer with the

locals. The game was more intense than one would think, and with rubber farm boots these guys killed.

A soccer game with the locals

Early the next morning we loaded our boats and gear on a few horses and began the two hour hike to the put-in. From the muddy trail were views of some of the most pristine jungles I'd ever seen. Before too long we reached the put-in and prepared to part from our helpful friends. The run was full of continuous class II-III rapids and again was surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery I'd ever seen. Paddling a run like this that gets run at most once a year by any private group was very special, and I look forward to doing it again.

On our way to the put-in

Brendan looking down towards the put-in

The Venegas family and our group at the put-in

One of the Venegas brothers and his nephew enjoying the ducky

Paddling one of the class III rapids of the run

My dad styling another one of the class IIIs

Repelling a waterfall in Turrialba with ExplorNatura

The mountains surrounding Turrialba

Costa Rica hosts some of the most beautiful whitewater rivers, genuine wilderness, and diverse wildlife in the world and is worthy of a vacation for any type of person. If your interested in paddling in Costa Rica I'd highly recommend staying in Turrialba and contacting ExplorNatura for help with boat rentals, guided river trips, or whatever other kind of adventure you hope to take.

Here's a slideshow of some of wildlife we saw along the way. Pura Vida.

Mexico Part 3: The Tomatas

Coming to the end of our trip we decided to focus our efforts on running the Tomatas on the Rio Alseseca. On the first day, Iker, my brother and I all fired up 65ft. First Tomata. Iker went first and had a super clean line. Despite Iker cleaning it, I was a still intimidated by the stairstep style of First Tomata. When I paddled off the lip I thought everything was going well, but as soon as I tucked I felt myself go sideways, and when I hit with a powerful angle my skirt imploded making for a 'not-so-clean' line. My brother was next and styled the drop with steez. A few hundred feet downstream we arrived at the take out directly above Second Tomata. The take-out wasn't easy but after a while we had our boats back up to the road. As we were hauling our boats up we all spent some time scouting Second Tomata, a seldom run a 60-70ft. waterfall with a very narrow and technical lead in rapid. After analyzing the drop Iker and I decided that if we were feeling good the next day, we'd both fire it up.

Scouting First Tomata

My 'not-so-clean' line the first day

We woke up the next morning, spirits high, and drove back to the Tomatas. I wanted to redeam myself from the previous day so I joined Nate and Heather on First Tomata. I had a better line than the previous day and this time paddled out from the bottom. Nate and Heather went next and unfortunately both had imploded skirts. Before I knew it I was standing at the lip of Second Tomata with Iker ready to paddle one of the most technical and consequential drops I'd ever seen. Iker went first. He dropped into the entrance rapid, maintained good speed and angle until he hit one of the final waves which pushed him sideways and flipped him over. Iker rolled up just feet before the lip and slid backwards off the waterfall. Luckily he resurfaced at the bottom un-scathed. I was much more nervous after watching Iker's line, but I was still confident that I could safely paddle the drop. As I paddled through the entrance rapid, I was able to maintain forward momentum and keep my nose strait. At the lip I took a few adjustment strokes then fell into the boily pools below. Running Second Tomata clean, for possibly the first time, was the perfect ending to an amazing kayaking trip in one of the most beautiful parts of Mexico.

Firing Off Second Tomata

Mexico Part 2: Rio Alseseca

Because Nate's foot still wasn't a 100% Iker, my brother and I spent the day after his injury paddling the Big Banana section of the Rio Alseseca. This section of whitewater was one of the best I had ever paddled and rates up there with the Little White. After a half mile hike down a lifestock trail we bounced our way down a manky creek and finaly arrived at Big Banana. Big Banana is an awing 100ft. waterfall that cascades out of the side of a mountain and marks the start of the run. After paddling through a couple manky boulder gardens we dropped into the first canyon. Right off the bat we followed Iker off a clean 25ft. waterfall and then strait into a fast 30ft. slide, each drop bringing us deeper into the canyon. Eventually the canyon walls were so tight that the river was about a boat length wide and no sunlight could reach the water. In and out of more similar canyons we paddled more class IV and V rapids until about halfway through the run we came up to a 45 footer. We spent a long time contemplating this drop, but the rapid above the drop and caves below were enough to turn us all away. We decided instead to throw and go off the 50ft. cliff below the drop. After this we paddled more class IV and V drops, including Meat Locker a fun double drop, until we reached the the take-out.

Throw n' go

Brendan on Meat Locker

Another drop on the Big Banana

The next morning, after a night of heavy rain, we woke up to high water levels. We knew this would be perfect for Truchas falls, a 60 footer on the Rio Alseseca that we had scouted a few days earlier. The difficulty in this waterfall wasn't so much running it, but rather getting to it. We spent a good three hours macheteing through thick jungle until we reached the cliff walls above Truchas. We then spent another hour repelling beside a huge waterfall 90 feet down to the river. Once we were all down at the river bank with our boats we portaged a manky slide and finally prepared to run the waterfall. Iker was first to paddle the 25ft. slide-to-boof that led directly into the 60ft. freefall. He had a sick line, and my brother and I were quick to run it after him. Truchas was a super fun drop especially at such high flows, and getting to the drop was equally exciting.

Scouting Truchas before the rain...

...And again after the rain

Photos by Sheer Madness Productions

Mexico Part 1: Opening Days

International travel and whitewater kayaking are possibly the two most important aspects of my life, but until this trip I had never combined the two. Over our extended Thanksgiving vacation my brother and I joined Iker Dusen and Nate and Heather Herbeck for a kayaking vacation in Mexico. Upon arrival in Tlapacoyan, Mexico my brother and I met Iker, but found that Nate and Heather were paddling the Filobobos, a nearby class III-IV river. After some tacos and later realizing that it was getting dark the three of us met up with our driver Israel and drove to the take-out. We hiked as far as we safely could up the river, about three kilometers, with no sign of Nate or Heather. Unsuccessful, we drove back to Tlapacoyan to get some rest. Early the next morning Iker my brother and I put in on the Fliobobos to look for Nate and Heather. Again we were unsuccessful and went back to Tlapacoyan to form further plans. Luckily when we arrived in Tlapacoyan we found Israel, Nate and Heather alive and well. Hearing their story we found Nate and Heather took out in a small town halfway down the run because it was too dark. Apparently Nate and Heather had met a very kind family that housed, fed, and even clothed them for the night.

Our team and our truck

The next day our team went on a park n' huck mission. Our first stop was at a 30ft. waterfall on the Jalacingo River. With easy access we ran this clean drop each about four times before packing up and moving on.

Boofin a 30 footer on the Jalacingo

Our next stop was at San Pedro, a recently discovered 50ft. waterfall that had only been run by one team. A fast and narrow slide didn't allow for many strokes before the lip, but launched each of us through the air and into the pool below.

Paddle toss and tuck on San Pedro

After we all fired off San Pedro we had a quick, but action packed paddle to the take-out. The rapids between San Pedro and the take-out were all a little manky and we only ran a few of them, but as we learned the portages weren't much better. On one portage Nate seal launched in and pitoned his boat, injuring both of his ankles. As we were close to the take-out we decided to continue on. Nate had a tough time on the portages but we were able to get him safely to the take out and home to heal for a while. Our first few days in Mexico were sick and the rest of the trip only gets better...

Photos by Sheer Madness Productions

The Grays River

The Grays River lies in the Coastal Range on the South- western tip of Washington. It's a seldom run river, but after paddling it this weekend I wonder why. On Sunday Nate and Heather Herbeck and I met up with some Portland paddlers to explore this amazing river. We arrived at the put-in with overcast weather, but the water levels were at a comfortable 700 cfs. Once on the river we paddled a couple class III rapids before dropping into the first gorge. The first gorge was filled with lots of thrilling class IV ledges, most of which we scouted but had no problem running.

Josh boofs the first ledge

Johnny navigating his way through the first gorge

As soon as the walls along the first gorge began to fade away we saw the first large horizon line. To scout Superbowl, the first class V rapid, we had to climb over a 30ft. tall log jam. Most of us decided to run this rapid and in the end we all ended up having relatively smooth lines.

Johnny on Superbowl

Nate Boofing Superbowl

Less than a quarter mile downstream we came to the second class V, picnic table. We spent much longer scouting this rapid, but after a while Justin Japs dropped into the rapid. After boofing his way through the first steep boulder garden and over the first significant drop Justin flipped over and rolled back up just before the final hole which led into a steep but short gorge. After Justin's line I dropped in and navigated my way through the tight rapid and into the deep gorge. From below Justin and I watched everyone else seal launch into the gorge, and paddle on to the next rapid.

Scouting the lower section of Picnic Table

Myself on the crux of Picnic Table

Heather in the Gorge after Picnic Table

Directly after the gorge the river banked to the left and we came across broken paddle. This rapid was similar to the ledges in the first gorge, and after it there were continuous read and run class III-IV rapids until the river finally leveled out. In the last part of the river we floated through a slow braided section, reminding me of Alaskan rivers, and took out on the river left bank. At the end of the run I was glad to have paddled a new and exciting river, and now I look forward to going back.

The Crew: Brian Youngs, Heather Herbeck, Me, Justin Japs, Nate Herbeck, Josh Armagost, and Johnny Ott

Photos by myself and Heather Herbeck

High Water Halloween

This year Halloween brought crazy costumes and high water to the White Salmon River. Over a dozen local paddlers met in costume at the Green Truss section of the White Salmon for a Halloween paddle. And though the weather was pleasant, the previous days of rain had brought the water levels up to nearly 3.5 which provided for some of the best autumn flows I've seen. Everyone enjoyed the high flows in costumes of all varieties. Erik Boomer and Christie Glissmeyer stood out in their Power Puff Girl costumes, while others of us followed the "scary mask" trend. At the end of the day Greg Hoskins as Elvis took home first place for best mens costume, and Kim Russell in her Miss America costume took home first place for best womens costume. The participation, enthusiasm, and water levels were all great for this years' Halloween Truss Paddle.

Power Puff Girl Christie Glissmeyer on May Tag

Myself on May Tag... After some aging








She Devil Heather Herbeck
Greg Hoskins: The King... of the White Salmon

Photos: Ethan Smith and Heather Herbeck

Green Truss Freestyle

No one likes to paddle the Truss when water levels fall below 2 feet, but switching your 80 gallon creekboat for a low volume playboat can really liven up the run. The majority of warm-up drops aren't too difficult, but in a playboat the class Vs offer a whole new challenge. Launching off 20ft. Big Brother in a 6ft. playboat is always thrilling and 10ft. Little Brother is a great waterfall to throw freewheels and kickflips. After a couple laps on Little Brother you'll paddle down a couple hundred yards and boof Double Drop (the second hole is stickier at low flows so be cautious in a playboat). After Double Drop the river flattens out for a while and the next class Vs you'll come up on are Upper and Lower Zig-Zag. If it's your first time in playboat on this run, or your first paddling the run at low flows the Zig-Zags are worth a quick scout (scout right for Upper Zig-Zag and left for Lower Zig-Zag). From here on out it's frothy class III and IV rapids with occasional play opportunities. A quarter mile before the take-out at BZ is BZ falls. Running this drop in a playboat at low flows is just of the dice. Get right and take a big boof stroke before you throw some ends in the hole below. Playboats can make the Truss much more exciting, but having a knowing the dynamics of each rapid is important before trading in your creekboat.

Freestylin' Little Brother
























The little brother on Little Brother