Paddle to Haiti

My eyes have been bugging out from computer screens. I've stopped waiting on hold for more than thirty seconds of elevator music. The planning is essentially done. I'm too damn excited to be inside anymore. Sure, the River will be flowing in a week, but all I can think about is that the River is flowing right now.

The barn is clean and ready for the crew to arrive. Zach is here. Amanda is on her way. Louis and Brett head out from Steamboat tomorrow. Matt is negotiating a journey up here. I'll pick up Little Dipper and Dave in the next couple days from the Milwaukee airport. Warm days and chilled nights are in the forecast for the next week. Perfect for building the oar rigs and scrambling for last minute details during the day. Also perfect for sharing a few evening beers around the fire pit in the corral.

We have a week before loading up the Mohawk canoes and heading north to Lake Itasca, Minnesota. Along the way, we'll pick up seven paddles from Bending Branches in Osceola, Wisconsin. We'll camp the night up at the lake and undoubtedly get that guttural feeling of insecure madness and nerves, all of which will be eased in the next few days as we take the first few paddle strokes. We'll get to Minneapolis/ St. Paul within a couple weeks, and, ultimately, the Gulf. But, along the way, we will be thinking of Haiti. For now, the River flows just as it will in a week and we have some more work to do.

HG6 // MEET THE JUDGES

If you have ever attended Homegrown, you know how the awards work. Each winner gets a kick ass prize package, a shot of Jager and a can of ice-cold PBR. In the past, Nick takes a shot with each winner so you can imagine how things could spiral downhill after 4 or 5 shots. . .10-12 shots . . .20 shots!! Actually, I'm surprised that he has been able to finish the show at all. Last year there was some confusion about the crowd decision for 1st place General Video, a camera got smashed, the jumbotron got knocked down, the Pabst brothers were found passed out spooning in a van, etc etc. But thats how we do it here at teamscum, so this isnt an apology, more of a disclaimer.

So . . . . In response to allegations that we just give away all the Homegrown prizes to our friends, we invite you to meet the judges. The entries are evaluated by 3 unbiased celebrity judges who get together behind closed doors the Thursday before the show and diligently work through all the entries to decide 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2 honorable mentions for 2 photo and 2 video categories (thats a grand total of 20 awards). This, I assure you, is no easy task. So who are these people?

Nolan Davis

Principle sales rep and co-owner of Outdoor Sports Marketing, this is Nolan's 4th year as a Homegrown judge. He loves the punishment, (or maybe just the free beer) and keeps coming back. He likes long walks on the beach and his favorite color is rainbows. Bribes? Officially good to go.




Jared Curtioff

He's weird, he's wild, he designed the Drop Zone helmet for Grateful Heads. This is Jared's 2nd year helping us sort this mess out and we appreciate the time he takes out of his busy schedule at Astral Buoyancy to lend a hand. I suggest bribing him.





Barbara Westbrook

If you have spent any time around the Chattooga River you have probably been chewed out at least once by Barbara Westbrook (and you probably deserved it). With extensive photography experience, Barbara brings a sharp eye to the table. In accordance with a longstanding Chattooga River tradition, bribing is most definitely encouraged.




So we have a ton of great prizes to give away, including a new Pyranha kayak, and you have about a week left to get your entries in so don't delay.

Thanks to our generous sponsors: Pyranha, Osprey, Shred Ready, Snapdragon, Robinson Knives, Astral, MSR, Pothole paddles, Prana, Solgear, Thermarest, Lunatic Apparel, NRS, Smartwool, Aquabound paddles, Immersion Research, Element Expeditions, The River Gypsies, Outdoor Research, LVM, Stonyboater, Nattyshred, Cottonmouth Noseplugs, Endless River Adventures, Rapid Transit Video, and of course teamscum.

See you at the show!!

Photos from the great north . . .

With the fall approaching, colors beginning to change, rafting season slowing down, and free time starting to peak her little head around the corner, I've managed to collect a few images worth sharing from the luxurious Denali Park and surrounding areas.


An alaskan summer night-time is more like a perpetual sunrise, never quite getting dark but full of colors.
The fireweed flower blooms from the bottom up, then looses its petals in the same fashion. When the petals are all gone, fall is here and the fireweed turns fire red.
Can you skin a griz cowboy???
Sometimes even us raft guides try to blend in with the waddies, hanging out in fancy hotel porch's pretending like we're supposed to be there, drinking some of that brown drink, overlooking the nenana river and thousands of miles pristine wilderness.


p.s.--where the hell is talkeetna???