eNRG Kayaking

Artist Spotlight: Brenna Larsen

Sam Drevo — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:16:00 +0000

Brenna Larsen is an aspiring singer-songwriter and manager based out of Portland Oregon. Graduating from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Business Management in 2020, Brenna has continued to win the hearts of Portland locals through her captivating performances. She began writing music at the age of 12 when she first picked up an acoustic guitar, then quickly graduated to playing at local restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the Portland- metro area. Citing influences such as Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, The Roches, songwriting is at the forefront of her music. She loves to involve the audience with catchy lyrics and melodies and creates music that everyone can relate and groove to. She writes songs to bring people together and as a raw reminder that things will be ok! Her music is available on all streaming services and has even been featured on the radio from stations in Nashville to the Netherlands.

Discovery more of her music on social media. See her play at live music on the water!

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An Argentine Experience of a Lifetime

Brock Browning — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 20:07:57 +0000

The snow is falling in Oregon and we had just gotten back from a day on the mountain, skiing, the furthest thing from reality was sunny weather. However, it was time to switch gears and pack for what was sure to be one the most incredible two weeks of whitewater I could have hoped for. After wrapping my brain around the idea of warm weather, and digging out my boardshorts and sun shirts from the bag they had been stashed in for the winter season, the next step was to bug proof our clothing and equipment. We had been warned by our local contacts that the tabanos (biting deer flies) were out in force on the Rio Grande-Colorado, and the last thing we wanted was to be eaten alive while trying to row through rapids. So with all our clothing sprayed with Permethrin (a natural insecticide) and drying, we headed for bed with eager anticipation for what was to come. Next stop Santiago, Chile.

Our flights thankfully went smoothly, yet we were still on the west side of the Andes, so it was off to the bus station to venture east into Argentina with our gear in tow. After lugging an inflatable SUP, drybags, and backpacks through more than enough airports, bus stations, and the occasional coffee shop to recaffeinate, we had finally arrived in San Rafael, Argentina, the starting point for our two week wilderness adventure.Iip

After connecting with the rest of the crew at our hotel, checking with our local guides Luciano (Lucho) and Ariel to load our gear, all that was left was the pre-trip meeting and the van ride to the put-in. However, it was the day of the World Cup final between France and Argentina, and given that we were in Argentina, we decided that the meeting could wait a few hours. So we all headed out to watch the game at a nearby bar.

Surrounded by locals all there to bet their heart and soul on the game, we settled in at a table as play began. By halftime, Argentina was up two to zero, and everyone was feeling pretty confident about the outcome. The locals we were watching with were all enjoying the game, laughing, and appreciating each other’s company. The feeling and energy was contagious, and we fell into casual conversation, bouncing between the game and our upcoming adventure. Out of nowhere, France scored two back to back in the second half, the bar fell silent with an intense concern for what might come next.

Tie by then end of the second half, same results after double overtime, the shootout comes next. The tension in the bar was electric, people had stopped talking, eating, drinking, I think some might have even stopped breathing. All focus was directed at the nearest tv or projector, you could feel the anxiety building in each and every person there as France’s Mbape took his place in front of Argentina’s goal. He takes his shot and scores, as a wave of worry washes over fans across the country. Messi is next to shoot. He places the ball, takes his shot, and scores! Relief is the next of many emotions to flood through the bar as they tie the shootout. The next player lines up and shoots, and Argentina saves it! The opportunity is there to pull ahead as Argentina takes their next shot, and scores! As France lines up again, they force another save by the Argentine goalie! Back and forth they go for another round and it’s back to Argentina for the next shot, if they make this one they win! Goooooaaaaaallll, Argentina!

Next thing we know the bar is on its feet, and the streets are flooding with flags, trucks, bicycles, with people waving jerseys above their heads. A passionate display of celebration began nationwide the moment the ball crossed the goal line. People were climbing street signs, blowing horns, honking, yelling, and some even crying out of pure joy for the triumph of Argentina. As the streets filled with what could only be described as the most enthusiastic parade I have ever witnessed, we joined the crowd and proceeded to the main square where everyone was congregating to enjoy this victory as an entire country. As the festivities continued well into the next morning it became time for us to think towards the river. We packed our drybags, discussed the plan for the next morning, and prepared ourselves for our morning departure by van to the put-in.

Nine o’clock came early, as we piled the last of our gear into the van, picked up a few snacks for the road, and clambered in for our five hour drive to the put-in. Most of our equipment had departed the afternoon before, and would be meeting us there at the river. The scenery on our journey was incredible. Stopping once or twice for food and bathroom breaks, we had arrived at a ski resort Las Leñas, the last of civilization we would be seeing for a bit. From there we still had a 9,000 vertical foot pass to drive over to reach our final destination, Valle Hermosa, where we were to embark on our on-water adventure. As the road faded from pavement, to gravel, to what could barely be considered a road, we reached the top of the pass looking out onto the river valley we were about to explore. I had never seen anything like it. Feeling as if we were standing in a NatGeo cover photo, we gazed out over beautiful high alpine wildflowers spotting the mountainsides, steep jagged peaks reaching up towards the clouds, glaciers suspended in the shadowy couloirs, and far below, our multicolored rafts sitting on the banks of the braided headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Once we finally arrived at the river’s edge, the next task was to rig and load our three 18 foot gear boats and 16 foot cataraft with our supplies for the coming weeks. Rigging went smoothly as our guide Lucho prepared dinner. Sunset came and touched the mountain peaks with a spectacular show of color, followed by an even more impressive display of stars complete with Orion, the Southern Cross, and a great deal of other constellations I couldn’t name. Little did we know that nature was planning on putting on an equally incredible show for us almost every night.

Morning came, and Ariel and Lucho sent us out to explore the valley a bit before we put on, since the day was scheduled to be relatively short on the water. With vague directions and whispers of a hot spring guiding us, we waded across three icy rivers in search of geothermal activity. After some time wandering through the pastures in the valley, with the resident horses keeping a close eye on us, we found the hotspring and climbed in for a morning soak. After some time of chatting, enjoying the view, and most of all appreciating the hot water we were sitting in, it was time to venture back to camp. From there we loaded the last of the supplies, piled in our respective boats, and shoved off leaving the magical Valle Hermosa behind.

All was well through our first few rapids, despite the narrow and shallow headwaters we were squeaking our huge 18 foot rafts down. We would soon enter El Cajon de los Oscuros, one of the deepest canyons I myself have rafted through. Our guide Lucho told us that in the native culture, it is said the Apu, or gods of the mountains, lived on the peaks of the mountains rimming the canyon.

As we descended, the waters from the mountains joined us on our journey downstream. Tributaries poured in and added to the churning waters that we floated on, making rocks fewer but rapids far more substantial. El Cajon de los Oscuros began as a technical, rocky, and sharp descent from the high mountains where we began, but the waters were not the only thing impacting our experience. The many layers of geology we traveled through altered the flow of water time and time again, from sandstones to volcanic basalt, to fossils and rolling river rock, we would travel through every layer in the rich history of the Argentine Andes.

After exiting our first canyon section, the winds began to howl. With many miles ahead of us, and many windblown miles behind, weary from the gale we stopped at a small farmhouse near the river to rest and have lunch. It was Christmas day, and the family living here welcomed us to their home. They brought us fresh bread, hot water, and provided space in the shade where we could hide from the abusive gusts blowing up into the mountains where we had begun. With further distance between our current location and the campsite that night, and the wind continuing to grow stronger, we opted to change plans slightly.

Our next camp was intended to be just above our first major obstacle, a portage around volcanic lava flows (Pasarella), where the river routed underground and through slots too narrow for our rafts. Graciously, our hosts at the farmhouse offered to assist in our portage mission, so we derigged in the evening, and set to drive the portage the next morning, saving our energy instead of sacrificing it in the face of the wind.

A long hot drive consumed a large portion of the following day, with a truck constantly overheating and a stop in town to resupply, we arrived at the next camp mid afternoon. Until this point the tabanos (biting flies) we had been warned about were all but non-existent. This location however, was a different story. Unless pants, long sleeves, socks, and a heavy layer of bug-proofing was worn, you were lunch. Even those that were taking all the necessary precautions were being eaten alive as we rerigged our equipment in the afternoon sun. After the essentials had been set up we dove headlong into tents in search of a brief moment of peace from the carnivorous clouds swarming our camp. Upon finding sanctuary within the mesh walls of our tents, siestas came for many of the group, and by the time we had awoken the flies had graciously subsided as the sun sat low in the sky. We managed to finish our rigging and enjoy dinner without having to constantly defend ourselves.

Thankfully, the flies slept the next morning so we vacated our campsite relatively unscathed. After a short float we began to enter our second major canyon of the trip. Personally, this is where my favorite section began. We dove into incredible basalt canyon walls, where you could see the change between the sandstone floor of an ancient lake, and the more recent lava flows cutting through the desert and river valley. We floated past cliffsides, into eddies hidden in caves along the riverside, watched the condors circle high above or sit upon the canyon rim searching for their next meal, and did our best to avoid the fly infested beaches along the way.

This volcanic canyon also brought with it incredible whitewater. By this time the river’s flow had more than doubled in volume, making the rocks far fewer and the waves far greater, bringing us to the biggest runnable rapid of our trip, Magma. After investigating our line from shore and holding a quick safety discussion which included choosing the order of our runs, our kayakers descended Magma. The kayaks launched off of what appeared like a waterfall, and blasted through the holes and waves safely into the still water below. With our cleanup crew in place, it was the rafters’ turns next. Floating up to the right side of the drop, catching a crosswave that pushed into the main tongue of the rapid, the next step was to lift the oars to avoid the right shore, and blast down into the lower half of the rapid. Celebrations followed a successful run for all, and we continued downriver to our next camp. Dinner that evening was an Argentine special, “Chivo asado”, an entire goat roasted on an open fire.

Despite completing the largest runnable rapid of the trip, our challenges were far from completed. After exiting the canyon briefly, we encountered our next major portage. Our initial intent was to remove personal gear, and float our boats down through the class V rapids we were intent on avoiding. However, the river level had dropped enough that floating empty boats through this basalt corridor almost guaranteed major damage to the equipment. So it was time to think of a new plan. The rest of the afternoon was spent carrying rafts, frames, coolers, and all of our other gear up from the river to a small truck. Without the truck this would have been a difficult endeavor, but even with the truck it was not an easy mission. We moved our equipment downriver to an abandoned salt mine, investigated our options to return to the river the next morning, and settled in for the evening at an abandoned salt mine.

Morning came and after breakfast, we moved ourselves back towards the riverside. After some creative thinking we established a plan of attack. After anchors had been set, knots had been tied, and boats moved to the canyon’s edge, we began to belay the rafts one by one, over the cliff’s edge to the waters below. Once at the river, a raft captain would climb down the cliffside and into the raft, releasing it from the rope, and rowing around to the nearest beach where the rest of our lighter equipment was to be reloaded.

After a whole morning of lifting, carrying, belaying, packing, and repacking, we had made it back to the water. Only a few kilometers to go before our next camp, thank goodness. As we said goodbye to the last of the volcanic canyons, the cliffs opened into large sandstone expanses, painted skies at sunset, and beaches where fossils littered the ground. Hours were spent at camp wandering the shoreline, scouring the ground for remnants of the river’s rich ecological history. Many were found, mostly small fossil shells, some even whole, and others so large you’d be hard pressed moving them from their resting place.

In contrast to the incredible history left behind by the shells, the current life along the river, mainly consisting of birdlife, offered an incredible viewing experience. While still high in the mountains we saw ibis, andean gulls, and hosts of geese and ducks we had never seen before outside of picture books. Not to mention the incredible size of the condors we had seen circling above. Yet one of the most unique creatures we had witnessed was flamingos. Never before had I imagined seeing flamingos in the high mountains of the Andes, let alone encountering one standing along the side of the river only meters away from me. As we descended into the open lands of the lower river, the ibis remained, as well as many of the ducks and geese. As we approached a band of clay cliffs next to the river, another incredible species came into view en masse. Baranqueros, a species of cliff dwelling parrot, came squawking and diving towards our boats out of curiosity. I am sure brightly colored rafts were quite the sight for these birds, just as seeing black and green swarms of parrots was for us as we floated by.

New Year’s Eve was our final night before returning to civilization. With a large fire, malbec from Mendoza, and yet another incredible meal from our guide Lucho, we reminisced on the past two weeks. We laughed about misadventures, reflected on the incredible hikes from camp, and the beauty of all of the many different biomes we had traveled through. Feelings of gratitude overwhelmed the group as we thought back on all of the experiences we had shared and the team we had become. From a World Cup victory in one of the most passionate countries I have ever visited, to the beauty of the high mountains of the Andes, and the unparalleled diversity of birds, plants, and fossils we had discovered. Even the setbacks and brutal portage struggle fest we had overcome as a group were pleasant memories. On to new adventures as we parted ways in the new year, taking with us this special experience – Argentina would always hold a place in our hearts and minds.

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Gratitude on the Grand Canyon

Sam Drevo — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 18:46:15 +0000

eNRG Kayaking’s founders Sam Drevo and Justin Rae were able to run the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in September. This 226 mile, 18 day river trip was full of great weather (it only rained on day 1), and included lots of fun rapids. The group included local Portland paddler Julie Majer, and artists David Kinker and Molly Keen along with a big crew from Bend.

The trip was 25 years in the making (that’s how long it can take to get a permit), and included some of the best hiking available in the canyon.

Justin loved Grapevine camp in Marble Canyon the most, and all the beautiful side streams flowing into the canyon along the way. The water temperature was in the 60’s due to low water in the lake Powell which allowed for more swimming and floating in the river. Molly rode her Paco pad for over a mile one day- it was awesome!

This trip was a great warm up run for our 14 day river expedition on the Rio Grande River in Argentina in December. We will be making the most of this off season (both locally with our youth kayak team and internationally with our expeditions) and excited about bringing more local multi-day trips to eNRG Kayaking in 2023.

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PiYaking with Holly Fidanzo

Holly Fidanzo — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 22:18:08 +0000

As a mom in my (ehem) early 40’s… there have been many birthdays and therefore, many birthday GIFTS. It’s a season that begins to look for TIME as gifts instead of something that comes on a shelf. My family had surprised me with a kayak tour with eNRG Kayaking in Oregon City. Since my family is full of the most AWESOME creatures on the face of this planet, I couldn’t wait to go on a new adventure with them. I received MUCH more than one blessing that day. The people we found in that hub of adventure were warm and inviting. We found ourselves in conversation afterward dreaming up new ways to share the joy WE had just experienced with more and more of our neighbors in the community. I had been teaching ballroom dancing for 26 years, and had been a fitness instructor for 8 of those, swapping my high heels for my Nike’s and then throwing those off to feel the mat under my bare feet. Adventure unending, my fire had been LIT, and I couldn’t wait to collaborate with eNRG. For the past two years, we’ve celebrated the summer with 30 minute PiYo or POUND classes on their dock, followed by a beautiful kayak tour to take in the wildlife, calm water, and even glimpse The Falls. There has never been even ONE morning out there, where I was not told, ‘I want to do this EVERY morning.’

And I couldn’t agree more. If you’d like to know more about the exercise formats, check out the descriptions below, and be sure to RSVP for your adventure as soon as you can. I can’t wait to see you, and YOU don’t want to miss out.

What is PiYo?

PiYo is a hybrid, athletic workout inspired by yoga and Pilates, which incorporates the principles of stretch, strength training, conditioning, and dynamic movement. We crank up the music, the speed, and the FUN to give you an intense yet low-impact workout.

What is POUND?

Instead of listening to music, you BECOME the music in this exhilarating full-body workout that combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training with yoga and pilates-inspired movements. Using RipStix, (Sanitized and provided for your use at class), POUND transforms drumming into an incredibly effective way of working out.

Designed for all fitness levels, POUND provides the perfect atmosphere for letting loose, getting energized, toning up and rockin’ out! The workout is easily modifiable and the alternative vibe and welcoming philosophy appeals to men and women of all ages and abilities.

Contact Holly Fidanzo:

www.facebook.com/groups/fitnesswithholly

fitnesswithhollyf@gmail.com

onpodio.com/fitnesswithholly

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Creating The Youth Kayak Team

Jacob Verhaegh — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 01:19:39 +0000

It began as an idea. It continued because of the kids. A chance to create a stimulating environment that builds hobbies and future employment opportunities. A goal to spread our love of paddling to children of all ages, while ultimately letting them do what they do best: have fun. This idea became the Youth Kayak Team. eNRG Kayaking led children all across Oregon to the Rogue, Umpqua, and Deshutes rivers. These Winter Warriors are now finding a home in Oregon City, paddling three times a week – rain or shine.

“In the program I learned about leadership and teamwork, I have been able to grow my skills and have so much fun in the process” says Hannah Langdon, a member of the Youth Kayak Team. The team provides a stepping stone for internships, giving them the tools to find a solid summer job once they become adults.

The frequency of practices allows for small, incremental improvements in paddling skill. While some kids have been paddling in our summer camps for up to six years, other’s used the team as a platform to get into the sport.

“I am fifteen and I’ve been paddling for almost a year,” says Bruce Juarez. “My favorite part of the kayak team is the river runs and I’ve learned that working hard in practice pays off.”

The video above shows the progression our students achieved during the very first season of the Youth Kayak Team. The students are excited to expand this supportive community with new beginners. As Hannah puts it, “I think parents should let their kids join the kayak team because it is a fun way to make new skills and friends.”

Follow the adventures of the Youth Kayak Team on Facebook and Youtube or let your kids become a part of the action today!

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Weathering the Pandemic

Lee Belowski — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 05:15:57 +0000

This time last year we were planning our 20th year anniversary season and how we were going to celebrate that with the paddling community. It was an exciting time reflecting on how far eNRG Kayaking has come over the last 20 years and thinking about what the next 20 years would bring. We could have never foreseen what the 2020 season would look like.

The beginning of March we were on route from 3000 miles across the country bringing a 35-foot-long by 5-foot-wide voyager canoe to Oregon City as part of our 20t h anniversary celebration for school groups, Full Moon Paddles, and music on the water events during the upcoming season. During the canoe’s trip across the country, along with multiple kayaks we had picked up on our way to add to our flatwater and white-water fleets, COVID-19 was sending this country into a rapid lock down situation.

With our new additions to our fleet arriving and the country shutting down we were not sure what to expect, at times it was a waiting game to when and if our season was going to even start. While waiting to find out when we would be able to start the season, we diligently prepared to make sure we were ready to follow the newly established social distancing and sanitizing requirements and making sure that the guest experience was still the best we could offer.

Changing the shop layout, adding sanitizing stations and limiting the number of people in the shop at a time posed a challenge, especially with more people taking up paddling sports for the first time as people started to look for social distancing activities. As we continued to evolve how we operate our business we also had to evolve to offer programming to meet the quickly growing interest.

With a soft launch of our program Music on the Water in the 2019 season we were excited to be able to offer this programming in 2020 with the use of our new Voyager Canoe. Watching a musician being paddled around while kayaking, canoeing or paddle boarding alongside, truly offers a unique concert experience, where the sounds of music and nature join in harmony.

We continued to offer our discounted Ladies Night on Tuesdays and Family Night on Wednesdays. It was amazing to see how many new paddlers would join us for these nights, excited to try something new for the first time and enjoying themselves more than they thought they would.

Our youth camps brought along a unique set of challenges. Paddling sports lend to social distancing easily, but it is not the easiest thing to have children social distance. We limited the size of our camp groups and adapted the structure of the camps to adhere to social distancing protocols. With the introduction of more activities promoting social distancing and with the hard

work of all our camp staff we were ready for hosting multiple camp groups simultaneously, with up to 100 campers a day.

As the summer came to an end 2020 had another challenge for us. The wildfire we saw on HWY 22 along the Santiam River found eNRG Kayaking in another tumultuous situation, as our Whitewater location is in Mill City. With the unexpected loss and damage seen along HWY 22 we had to rely on our family of paddlers to come together and overcome.

It was not the 2020 season we had expected or had even planned for, but even amidst the chaos and loss we overcame the challenges put it front of us. Throughout the season the biggest lesson we have learned is that the unexpected happens- plan for it and be ready, but most importantly…

Paddle more, worry less.

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A Voyager Canoe’s Cross Country Epic on the Eve of the Pandemic

Jacob Verhaegh — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 05:01:32 +0000

My name is Andrew Hansen, and I am a “special agent” for eNRG Kayaking. What does that mean? Well after running class IV whitewater with Sam in a 2 person kayak and surviving, and then volunteering alongside him with Team River Runner (a kayak program for disabled vets), I have loaned my skills as an expert mechanic, fabricator, and problem solver to eNRG Kayaking quite a few times over the last few years in Oregon City.

A few months ago, director of eNRG Kayaking, Sam Drevo, spoke of a potential “special agent” trip to the east coast to pick up a new used Chevy van, and a 35-foot-long by 5-foot-wide voyager canoe as part of their 20th year anniversary celebration for school groups, Full Moon Paddles, and Music on the water events during the summer of 2020. As my day job had slowed down in the beginning of March, I found myself on a one way flight back east to a place I’d never been at the beginning of the Corona Virus outbreak (before it was being called a pandemic). I was flying from Portland, Oregon to Dulles international airport in Northern, Virginia.

When I landed at Dulles around 11:30 pm, Tuesday March 3rd, I was picked up by one of Sam’s paddling mentors, named Bruce, who was kind enough to put me up at his house for the night. The next day we strapped on pads and helmets at a quiet little park just outside Washington DC and Bruce pulled out his One Wheel boards from his sweet 80’s VW van. This was my first time ever being on a One Wheel. Never in my life had I been on rollerblades or a skateboard (Paddle boarding and motorcycles are the main activities I enjoy). After about 30 minutes of some not so graceful dismounts and maneuvers, off we went into DC for a 12 or so mile ride around the city.

Washington DC was AMAZING! From school and in many books I’ve read, I knew the area and monuments, but to see them in person and to touch them, was beyond anything I could have imagined. Since I grew up in Oregon, I started to realize that someone who had never been to the west coast might feel the same way about our “Wild West” (with the end of the Oregon Trail and many of the historical markers so easily overlooked). This was an experience I won’t ever forget and I hope to come back with my wife and daughter.

That evening Bruce dropped me off at an apartment that Calleva Outdoors kindly let us use while gathering the royalex canoes and voyager canoe eNRG Kayaking was purchasing. The next morning I was picked up by Matt Markoff (a childhood friend of Sam’s- & the ED of Calleva), and was given a tour of their facility which included a haunted forest, barns with horses, and a mechanics shop where I would be using some tools.

The Guys in the shop were welcoming and very helpful to eNRG Kayaking, and allowed me to get to work ASAP. Wasting no time in addressing the needs of the van, from putting on a new door, checking and changing every fluid, new tires, and a few body panels, I was prepared for the 3,000+ miles I would be covering on the way to Oregon. When the van was ready, I took the 2.5-hour test drive to acquire a trailer I had located on craigslist and was going to custom fabricate to fit the 35’ canoe.

Once I acquired the trailer I had to add length and metal. I ordered a new 12-foot tongue, cut off 8 ft’ from the tongue welded the remainder to the rear of the frame. I then built upper racks on the trailer to hold extra kayaks I was going to pick up in North Carolina and Tennessee on the way back to Oregon..

I picked up additional parts for the van Saturday, and Sunday I took a hike at a place called Sugarloaf mountain (strange that they call a 1,500 hill a mountain out there:). Curiosity had the best of me as I came across a small crew of guys with metal detectors on top of the “mountain”. As Sugarloaf is the high point for a majority of Maryland, and you can see for MILES and it naturally had huge military significance back in the civil war era. Learning this from the crew, who worked at a local museum, and that they had found bullets, buckles and other artifacts left behind from colonial times. This gave me a unique perspective about the area as I continued to hike around the 8.5 mile trail system.

We were using a wood mill at Calleva (and surrounding oak trees) to build the deck of the Voyager canoe trailer, but it broke when we fired it up so another 3-4 day break ensued. All the while the global pandemic media storm brewed. With the trailer work on pause, I took a trip up to Delaware to lend Sam a hand on some family matters there. Sam showed me some of where he grew up, Lewes DE, the first city in the first state in the USA. We checked out a boardwalk at Rehobeth MD, and I got put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. We also went to check out Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen state park- just outside of Lewes, DE. That was very neat, especially as I was able to compare the differences between it and Oregon’s own Fort Stevens in Astoria Oregon. Two forts built for the same purpose, but both very different in design. On my way back from Sam’s I took a short trip to check out Gettysburg Battlefield and museum, and much like Washington DC, there was so much to see and learn (words really can’t describe all the history there).

Once I got back to Calleva, they had their wood mill up and running. I finished the trailer with the planks they milled, loaded up the 35-foot canoe, along with a motorcycle, two 15 foot, and two 16 foot canoes and started driving south (the long way back to Oregon). Off to Asheville North Carolina where I picked up 3 new white water boats, then to Tennessee for 12 more kayaks. It was quite the task to get all the boats properly and safely loaded and tied down. Just after I left Tennessee a trailer bearing failed, luckily, I caught it before the tire separated from the trailer and caused significant damage. I removed both tires from that axle and limped it to a shop where they were able to locate a new bearing set, and get me back on the road.

Then, a large snowstorm was headed towards the central states and conditions that weren’t ideal for a 2wd van and a long trailer were forecasted for my route. Choosing to stay further south on interstate 40 brought its own challenges- 30+ mph side winds hitting the diesel hightop van, plus the 12-foot-tall loaded trailer. Basically I was driving a kite! There was about 450 miles that were borderline extreme with the wind, thankfully no Tornados which commonly occupy Oklahoma, Arkansas and Northern Texas! I most definitely had the radio on and eyes on the sky a few times driving through thunderstorms with crazy winds. Once I hit Arizona, the weather improved and turned quite pleasant.

At this point the pandemic was in full swing, and I was worried California would close their borders. I had a minor delay just shy of Amarillo Texas. I missed an exit while I had a ¼ tank of diesel, (oh it’s only 25 miles to town or so I told sleepy self) I’ll hit the next one in the next town. Well the next town only had gas and no diesel. Then, I found out the hard way that the gauge in the van was not accurate and ran out of fuel.

I ended up having to get the van and trailer towed 2 miles to town… that sucked. I had to Sleep in the van that night as the station/shop I got towed to was nowhere near a hotel. It was 28 degrees and blowing at about 25 mph- brrrr. The next morning I got fuel, and the shop got the system primed. I then faithfully filled at or just below a half tank the rest of the trip. I breathed some relief once I was passed the California border checkpoint with no issues. Crossing into Oregon and arriving home was a very welcome feeling after being gone nearly 3 weeks.

Food and supplies were certainly an issue. Several times early in the trip back (in N. Carolina/Tennessee area) I had stopped for fuel and walked up to the lobby to get a burger. Of course, the sign read- “lobby closed drive through open”. Ok no biggie, but when I tried to walk to the drive through staff said, “we are sorry you have to be in a vehicle”… That wasn’t going to work with a 35’ canoe in tow. After a few times of this, I relented and had to go to 3 different stores to get enough food supply that I felt I was in good shape. A road trip with only a couple packs of jerky, pop tarts, 2 cans of stew, trail mix, and some kippered snacks. I was so STOKED to pull into my driveway and be greeted by my lovely wife with a fresh cooked hot homemade lunch!!! Real food had never tasted sooo good! Sometimes it’s the simple things in life.

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Messages from Mexico

Sam Drevo — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 04:53:59 +0000

December 2019 was not only the close of the second decade of Northwest River Guides LLC and eNRG Kayaking business ventures in Oregon, but it was capped by one of the most fulfilling organized international river adventure in our 19 years of business (with 33 multiday international trips in 23 countries under our belt).

The idea was born out of a conversation with an old college friend (taking a year-long family sabbatical) about Europe, and quickly shifted to the best international “family oriented whitewater river expedition” in the world. The Rio Usumicinta has been on my hit list for years as it flows through a Grand Canyon on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. Containing class I-III+ whitewater, howler and spider monkeys in the trees, tropical birds, and reptiles on the banks and in the river, combined with Ancient Mayan ruins accessible only from the river made in my mind the ideal entry level “international family whitewater river expedition”.

Four families (7 children from ages 7-16), adventurous parents, a 73-year-old grandma, a safety kayak doctor, and a retired cop rounded out our group for our first trip down. Working with the local outfitter (our partners- Sierra Rios), the trip doc, x cop and I headed down to Chiapas early to do a 3-day river rescue certification course for local guides. Flying from Mexico City south and east 1.5 hours we landed in Villahermosa, and drove two hours east to the ancient Mayan town of Palenque. Our guide training took place with low water, and a large language gap and challenged my 200 level Spanish vocab. Thank goodness for our spectacular interpreters German & Rocky- the training turned out to be a great cultural exchange and a chance for us to experience the aquamarine waters and limestone geology in the area.

Shortly thereafter our group from Oregon arrived, and we started prepping for a visit to the Palenque Mayan Ruins (a UNESCO world heritage site) prior to a 7-day jungle camping river trip (with 5 rafts, 2 kayaks and a SUP), and a visit to the world-famous Agua Azul waterfalls afterward. It didn’t rain on us in any significant way the entire trip despite scheduling it at the tail end of the monsoon season. The river level was a low to medium, the white sand beaches plentiful (we lost half our beach the second night due to an up-river rain surge which surprised us and required us to move our tents and the kitchen in the dark). We fell asleep most nights to howler monkeys, and watched spider monkeys climb over our kitchen more than once. Toucans, tarantulas, American crocodiles, and iguanas were all sighted on the trip. The biting bugs weren’t too bad, and the San Jose Canyon was a highlight of the trip with walls towering 1800 feet off the river and “Devil’s whirlpool rapid” offered us our highest adventure moment with one of our intrepid inflatable kayakers doing some “downtime” in a large whirlpool (after getting knocked over by the safety kayaker- me (whoops)! Check out the video here.

The last days of our trip were reserved for a trip to the world renown Agua Azul waterfalls a short drive from Palenque, and mother nature unleashed a tropical deluge the night after our last riverside camp (when we were back at the hotel) that resulted in a flood never seen before by locals. The flood waters spilled over the banks of Agua Azul and into the adjacent streets. Our planned day of rafting and waterfall kayaking turned into experiencing cascading torrents of flood waterfalls hurtling at freight train speed down the steep riverbed. After purchasing some curios at the souvenir stands, and some local coffee and organic chocolate we agreed that indeed we will be back to Chiapas, and the Rio Usumicinta. We are currently planning our next trip to the “Sacred Monkey River” in March of 2021.

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Kayaking with Confidence

Eli Hiltebrand — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 04:48:20 +0000

Hi, I’m Elijah Hiltebrand, I’m a 16-year-old whitewater kayaker. Since my mother married my stepdad Steve Gass when I was 6, whitewater has been a staple in my life, with many whitewater rafting trips throughout the years. Steve is a 20+ year experienced kayaker, but despite this I really wasn’t interested in becoming a kayaker until I was 14.

Steve had tried to teach me to roll a few times over the course of the next 7 or 8 years, but being young, I always gave up after only a short while. The spring of 2018, when I was 14, I decided that I wanted to kayak, so that meant learning how to roll. I did this, but I was never very confident with it, I would frequently miss rolls, taking 2 or 3 tries to get up, and I was always afraid of not being able to make it. I wasn’t afraid of swimming though, I’m perfectly comfortable doing that, I was much more afraid of the embarrassment of people thinking I wasn’t good enough to be kayaking. This made me put kayaking down again until late winter of 2018, when I was 15. When I decided that I wasn’t going to allow the fear of other’s opinions get in my way; I decided to be motivated to be better than those judging me.

During Spring Break 2019 I met Sam Drevo at eNRG when I attended their Spring Break Kayak class. I learned a lot about myself and my abilities during that class, and while I had spent time in a kayak and thought I knew quite a bit I found out that I had much more to learn. The class was focused less on rolling your kayak and more on not flipping your kayak over in the first place, which though it seemed strange to me then, has helped me far more than I expected as I’ve started running bigger rivers. During the Spring Break class Sam offered me an opportunity to work with eNRG on a project for the West Linn Fair which was coming up in a few months. Seeming impressed with my commitment and follow through with this project, Sam offered me an internship at the eNRG shop for the rest of the Summer and into the Fall.

During the time between the class at eNRG and the West Linn Fair, kayaker Danny Wayte from the UK was staying at our house for a couple of weeks while he paddled around the Gorge. Danny graciously agreed to help me with my rolls and general paddling technique while he was staying with us. A few days of practicing in my mom’s pond I had gotten my onside and offside rolls nailed down, far better than they had ever been before. After Danny left, I continued to practice every day, getting my handroll and back deck rolls down in short time.

Late Summer after a few months working at eNRG, I headed on a trip to Africa to raft the Zambezi river. Being a preplanned trip, I was not intending on kayaking, but when we got there I asked if I could kayak instead of raft. The guides said that it would be ok, if I had a good roll and thanks to Danny and all my practice, I did. The Zambezi is one of the larger rivers run in the world, though getting smaller as bigger rivers are starting to be run, and I wanted to kayak it; I wanted to kayak it because not only would it be a great accomplishment to do so, but I wanted to prove to my mom that I could do more than just practice on small rivers and flat water.

Not only did I do far better than my mom had expected me to, I did better than I had expected myself to do. I had proven to her and myself that I could do something bigger and better. Thanks to Sam and Danny I was confidently paddling class 3, 4 and 5 whitewater, hardly every flipping over and when I did, I was rolling with ease. Everything that I had been taught about kayaking all came together and worked incredibly. As soon as I got off the river, I messaged Danny over Instagram and emailed Sam, to tell them what I had been able to do, because without them it would not have been possible. The past four months I have been dealing with a broken ankle that has not been healing well and have tried to practice as much as possible, but it has been difficult. With all the confidence I gained last year I am excited to see what I can learn this spring, and I hope to keep improving as much as I have been so that I am able to help others in the same way that Sam and Danny and many others have helped me.

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Creating a Community

Jacob Verhaegh — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 04:41:52 +0000

I have been canoeing my entire life, a journey concluding at Junior World Championships in the Olympic sport of slalom which showed how multiple countries could come together under a common passion. That said, when I joined eNRG Kayaking four years ago, I realized I had stepped into an entirely new world. I had no experience kayaking, rafting, answering phone calls, or working with kids. However, I did have a dream; a dream that sought to answer the question – how many ways can you bring a community of paddlers together?

On my first day of whitewater rafting for eNRG Kayaking, the guides braved an adrenalin-pumping adventure under the blanket of night ripped wide open by a bright full moon. We startled the beavers as the rocks startled us, when in this darkness there came a spark, an idea for an event – The Full Moon Paddle. This idea flowed from the Santiam River and into the Willamette onwards until reaching our flatwater shop in Oregon City. Joining this idea were people of all ages, all abilities – sharing a guided glowstick paddle under city lights and celestial skies. The Full Moon Paddle gradually expanded to include potluck snacks, costumes, and live music – the event taking a life of its own, shaping the community as much as they have shaped it. However, the dream to find new ways to indulge the kayaking world continued to resurface, swirling in my mind like water behind a rock.

I remembered my past life training, sometimes six hours a day. I remembered being awakened by the exercise that is paddling. A coincidental conversation with the amazing Holly Fidanzo reintroduced this tranquil idea of workouts on the water. Holly started as one of our guests but became something so much more. She teaches PiYo, which infuses Pilates and yoga through powerful music to revitalize body and mind.

“When I think of kayaking or PiYo, my shoulders relax, and I find myself taking a deep breath…. The fact that I had happened into eNRG Kayaking for my birthday and fell into conversation with Jacob and other staff members about possible ways to bring the community together was perfectly serendipitous,” stated Holly.

Holly and I realized that while the night was filled with the Full Moon Paddle, the morning still had ventures yet to be offered. Holly was integral to the creation of Morning Kayak and Coffee through initially volunteering her time at the crack of dawn to let others appreciate PiYo and kayaking, or, as she calls it, Piyaking. When asked about her reasoning behind this commitment, Holly said she did this to “…carve out time without cell phones… as a way to bring health, vitality, and new experiences to people who may or may not know that what they are missing is just this kind of community. Thirty minutes of PiYo on the docks followed by a kayak adventure? It’s a recipe for bone deep, refreshing, JOY.” As the event grew, she went from a customer, to a staff member, to a friend. Every week, people would wake up with the wildlife to start the day their way. Whether it be for the PiYo, the kayaking, or the coffee – Holly summed up the motivations behind taking this class with the following words: “Working out on the DOCKS is an incredible experience unlike any other class I’ve ever taken or taught. Diving into a kayak and creating a deeper bond with those who are now becoming more friends than class participants? Even better. Topping it off with conversation and coffee? This is community.”

Music became a staple at our events with Holly’s daughter, Alaina, playing in the shop at our Full Moon Paddles. “The atmosphere was perfect, the staff were super helpful, and above all, the participants were always a great group,” stated Alaina, delighted in the sense of inclusivity the event offered. “It was refreshing to see a community come together quite like they did at the Full Moon Paddle.” Local musician Dustin Sciaraffo provided a means to move the music away from dry land and out into the open water. Sitting on the dock, I would hear his melodic country twang booming from his motorboat – sound waves like water rippling towards me. I was not only moved by the river, but by his music as well. It brought an image of a leisurely float, paddles up, back arched with face basking in the sun, cradled by the currents in a musical lullaby. After hearing him play on multiple occasions, I walked up to Dustin and asked him, stranger to stranger, if he wanted to play for us. He said yes to Live Music on the Water and brought his audience and friends with him to the river. We all listened to songs with the waterfall as our backdrop, its rumbling beat accompanying guitar and voice in natural harmony. Slowly we meandered back, riding the current with music in tow, daydreaming atop the riverbed while drifting off into the sunset. Although the light would disappear, the initial dream never left – always growing into something bigger than before. We, the community, are fulfilling this dream of finding as many ways as possible to bring people together. You can do all the planning in the world, but sometimes it is the people you meet in the moment that make all the difference. Coordination with these local figures such as Holly, Alaina, and Dustin provided new ways to let others expand their horizons and create not just a paddling community – but a Portland community.

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