River Trips: Canoe, Kayak, Raft

4 thoughts on “River Trips: Canoe, Kayak, Raft”

• Hello. I paddled a canoe from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in the summer of 1973. Everything was sort of primitive back then. The wind in my face day after day caused me to do a lot of paddling at night. This was not a great idea due to the barge traffic. I had all sorts of wild adventures, including a guy trying to shove me off a cliff somewhere in Kentucky. Then he tried to shoot me. Bad aim. But the big problem was hurricanes in the lower Mississippi in September. To make time, I ended up ditching most of my equipment and sleeping in the rain. Used a kayak paddle, which I still have. My wife went with me part way. Still have her, too. Sterling Brown, Atlantic City, NJ

  Reply

  • Hi Sterling,

    That was quite an adventure. I agree that paddling at night on rivers like this is a bad idea. That kayak paddle is quite a souvenir of your trip, I’m sure.

    Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

    Buck

• Howdy. I normally don’t “reach out”, but I keep running across your blog/website/trip information.

  I am planning a trip this summer, Gardner to the Missouri as you have done, then on down the Missouri to St. Louis, then on down the Mississippi to the Gulf. I have enough experience, that I am not intimidated. Your information has helped me a lot and will “tap into your sources of information at the appropriate time”, plan on leave 1st of June to Mid June, all depending on the snow pack/weather/spring run off/etc.

  Last year I did the Snake River from Flagg Ranch, just S. of the Yellowstone Park Border all the way to the Columbia. On the water 42 days, and wish now that I would have taken twice as long. Did it in a good cataraft/kayak.

  I have also kayaked all of the shoreline of Lake Meade in NV when the lake was at it’s highest level, ever. Done numerous rivers here in Oregon, Montana and Idaho, to include the Deschutes, the John Day, the Middle Fork of the John Day, the Owyhee, the Grande Rhonde, the Smith, the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, the Black Foot, Kayaked the shoreline of Flathead Lake in MT, and did from the base of Hoover Dam down the Colorado thru Lake Havasu/Lake Mohave to Parker Dam. Some of the rivers I have done numerous times.

  Next year I plan on doing the Yukon, as far up river from Whitehorse/Dawson City to where it is safe in a kayak , all the way to the Bearing Sea. I did do years ago about 900 miles from Clear, AK with my Dad on the Tannana into the Yukon down to Ruby and back in a flat bottom boat/motor/gas.

  I haven’t done a lot of long distance hiking but enough 100 mile plus to know I would like to do more. It is my understanding from researching on the internet that the “oldest person to traverse the PCT in one season was 69”, can you shed any light on that statistic. I am contemplating attempting it, health holding up/hoping for a mild winter in 2018 making me 72.

  Perhaps in the near future, if there is anything you can “enlighten” me on that my experiences have missed on the trip down the Yellowstone/Missouri/Mississippi.

  Hope your travels are safe.

  Dave Scott

  Reply

  • Hi Dave,

    Thanks for the message. I think I visited your site before to read up on your trip down the Snake. You’ve done a lot of awesome, epic trips. Congratulations!

    When I left Stehekin, headed to the Canadian border on the PCT, an older couple left just a few hours of me. He was 70 and she was in her 60s. They were fast. They beat me to the border. They thru-hiked the whole thing, so I don’t know who the very oldest thru-hiker is. The PCTA will likely know. That would be a good goal, to set the record.

    Doing the Yellowstone/Missouri/Mississippi sounds like a great plan.

    With your experience you should be fine on your trip if you use good judgment. Yankee Jim on the Yellowstone has some serious rapids but you already know that.

    I plan to travel the Lewis and Clark route next summer so there’s a good chance I’ll see you on the river headed upstream. That would be fun to have a talk if we run across each other.

    Enjoy your adventure!

    Buck