PATIENCE AND REDEMPTION IN HAWA II

HAWAII HAS LONG BEEN A WORLD-CLASS DESTINATION FOR WATER LOVERS. SURFING, KITE-BOARDING, SNORKELING, SCUBA DIVING, AND MORE RECENTLY, STAND UP PADDLING, HAVE MADE THIS PACIFIC ISLAND CHAIN A FAVORITE AMONG ADVENTURE LOVING TOURISTS AND LOCALS ALIKE. HOWEVER, DESPITE FAVORABLE GEOLOGY, A PLETHORA OF RIVERS, AND HIGH ANNUAL RAINFALL, HAWAII HAS NEVER BECOME A POPULAR DESTINATION FOR WHITEWATER KAYAKING. THIS WINTER, AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF PADDLERS DECIDED TO GO SEE WHY.

WORDS: NICK TROUTMAN - PHOTOGRAPHY: THOMAS FAHRUN, NICK TROUTMAN

"ON MAUI, WHEN A BIT OF RAIN CAME, WE RAN AROUND LIKE A CAT CHASING TEN MICE AND ENDED UP WITHOUT A SINGLE ONE."RAFA ORTIZ If I were to tell you to visualize a kayaking paradise, what would you wish for? Clear streams? Clean waterfalls? Tropical rivers? What about easy access to good burgers and beer and first-class beaches and ocean waves at the take out? Now imagine all of that in one location, and you’ve just imagined Hawaii. But we all know Hawaii isn’t attracting paddlers like Chile or Norway, so what’s the catch? In the ad promoting Hawaii as a kayaking destination, below the endless lines of blue on the maps, the Google Earth images of volcanic riverbeds and steep columnar basalt canyons, and the descriptions of stunning jungle waterfalls,…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2016

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