Last spring, I found myself completely lost in the maze-like channels of the Potholes at Indian River Bay. My GPS showed I was maybe 200 yards from my launch point, but with the winding waterways and identical-looking marsh grass, I might as well have been on another planet. Then a great blue heron lifted off […]

Last Saturday morning, I found myself standing knee-deep in the crystal-clear waters of the San Marcos River, watching my kayak drift lazily in the 72-degree current while a great blue heron eyed me suspiciously from a cypress branch. After 20 years of paddling Texas waters - from the muddy Brazos to the pristine Devils River […]

I'll never forget the morning I paddled through Three Sisters Swamp on the Black River. The ancient bald cypress trees, some over 2,000 years old, stood like sentinels in the tannic water. A great blue heron lifted off just 20 feet away, and for a moment, I felt like I'd paddled back in time. That's […]

Last summer, I paddled through a section of the Green River where the canyon walls rose 500 feet on either side, and the only sounds were my paddle strokes and the occasional cry of a golden eagle overhead. That's when I realized Wyoming had completely transformed my idea of what kayaking could be. From the […]

Last summer, I watched a family of otters playing in the crystal-clear waters of the Blue River while paddling through Southern Indiana's limestone country. That magical moment reminded me why Indiana's waterways are such hidden gems for kayakers. After spending the past decade exploring every navigable stream from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River, I've […]

Last summer, I found myself perched on a limestone cliff above the Snake River, watching the morning mist rise from Blue Heart Springs. My kayak bobbed gently below, tied to a weathered juniper branch. That's when it hit me – Idaho had ruined me for paddling anywhere else. After spending the last five years exploring […]

The morning mist was still clinging to Lake Winnipesaukee when I pushed my kayak off from Weirs Beach last July. As my paddle broke the glass-calm surface, a loon's haunting call echoed across the water – that's when I knew I'd fallen hard for kayaking in New Hampshire. After 12 years of paddling everything from […]

Last April, I watched the sun rise over the ACE Basin while paddling through glass-calm waters, surrounded by nothing but cypress trees and the occasional gator eyeing me from the banks. That moment – coffee still warm in my thermos, mist rising off the water – reminded me why South Carolina has become my favorite […]

Last August, I was paddling through the morning mist near Bar Harbor when a seal popped up right next to my kayak. We locked eyes for maybe three seconds before it disappeared beneath the glassy water. That moment - just me, the seal, and the silence broken only by water dripping off my paddle - […]

Last spring at the Cuyahoga River boat ramp, I watched a game warden write three tickets in 20 minutes - all for unregistered kayaks. The paddlers had no idea Ohio requires kayak registration, and their perfect morning turned into $150 fines and a ruined trip. After helping dozens of confused paddlers navigate Ohio's registration process […]