Above the Monkey: Green Race 2015

November 09, 2015 by John Nestler in Photography, Kayaking

It's fast, challenging, and a rite of passage. It's the Green River in Western North Carolina. Every year crowds gather on the first Saturday each November to watch 150+ whitewater kayakers, each spaced 1 minute apart, lay it all out on a challenging set of rapids on the Green River Narrows. Navigating these rapids slowly is difficult, let alone charging through them while lactic.

This year I put on just before the racers and took out at Gorilla, the crux drop, to snap some photos. I wanted a different perspective from the classic downstream view of the pad, and decided to play around with angles on the river right side of the Monkey. Having a full view of racers coming over Flying Squirrel, through the Notch, over the pad, and through Speed Trap was special. The overhead view seemed to flatten Gorilla a bit, but some shots turned out pretty well!

Fall Colors Exploring Spruce Knob & Seneca Creek

October 28, 2015 by John Nestler in Photography, Backpacking, Camping

At 4,863 feet, Spruce Knob holds the title of West Virginia’s highest mountain as well as the highest point in the Alleghenies. It’s name popped up while looking for a quality weekend backpacking trip in the Virginia area, and it certainly stood out among other routes in the region. Not only is there a beautiful creek to camp along, but two high school friends and I lucked out with the beautiful fall colors in early October. Just off the trail are the remains of a Piper PA-23 crash from 1973, which adds a little sobering history to the hike as well.

The full loop is around 16 miles long, passing along the alpine ridge, through beautiful meadows, and then dropping down into Seneca Creek. Just off of one of the trail junctions is the 30-foot Upper Seneca Creek Falls. There’s a lot packed into this hike and it goes quickly. Be prepared for a little mud though as some seeping springs keep the trails saturated.

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October 24, 2015 by John Nestler

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Exploring the Tatshenshini & Alsek Rivers

June 28, 2015 by John Nestler in Kayaking, Camping, Videos

In May 2014 two recent Colorado College grads and I had the opportunity to take a 12-day inflatable kayak trip down the Tatshenshini, with the assistance of a school Ritt Kellogg grant. This river trip, starting at Dalton Post in the Yukon, and ending at Dry Bay, AK winds through an immensely beautiful landscape.

The Tatshenshini starts as a small stream, and the river reaches nearly a mile wide when it flows past the confluence with the Alsek River. Downstream of the confluence glaciers surround the river , icebergs choke a crucial lake crossing, and bald eagles fly high in the sky scanning for prey. Canoe & Kayak published a couple articles on the experience.