AMERICAN WHITEWATER

In this column, Ben reminds us that the freedom to run a river and take a risk isn’t free, and he’s talking about way more than injury.

By Ben Stookesberry

"THIS DESERT RIVER'S FREEDOM WAS TINGED WITH GUILT LIKE THE SILT IN THE COLORADO. IF I WAS HECTOR, I WOULD STILL BE IN JAIL." In 2002 the most tantalizing rumor in California kayaking was the Royal Gorge of the American. The name alone suggested an inherent grandeur bolstered by talk of big waterfalls and spectacular vertical canyons in perfect bedrock succession. But the landowners that surrounded the put-in had reportedly called the sheriff and promised the first team of paddlers that they would press trespassing charges for any subsequent attempts. Was this river really worth the risk of criminal prosecution? Initially, I wasn’t so sure. I was 19 in July of 1998 when I was stopped by the Greeley PD on the way home from a party. I badly failed…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2022

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