KENNETH AND THE CLEARWATER The first full desent of BC's legendary Clearwater River

The Clearwater River is a Canadian national treasure. Crystal-clear water cuts hundreds of kilometers through the Wells Gray Provincial Wilderness of British Columbia, feeding first the Fraser, and then the Thompson. Upstream of Hobson Lake, it is all but inaccessible. Unless, of course, you know the right helicopter pilot. Downstream, exciting rapids and pristine waters feed a healthy rafting industry set among a stunning mountain landscape. In September 2024, Ben Stookesberry and Sandy MacEwan joined Clearwater legend Kenneth McKay, along with Pierce Huser and Jared Day, adding another chapter to Clearwater lore and becoming the first to paddle the river in (almost) its entirety.

Ben Stookesberry

Paddling into the walled-in abyss of the Hobson Gorge of British Columbia’s Clearwater River under other circumstances would have been the opposite of a good idea. And even now, with this record low flow and this veteran crew, P my extreme kayaker brain is timid and quiet while my now overly developed survival instinct keeps looking for the way out and around this conundrum. We are 60 km and four and a half days downstream of the most remote heli-drop possible in the 6000 square km of rugged Wells Gray wilderness. A steep tributary and 2000-meter-tall mountains block our passage on river left, and a sheer volcanic wall to vertical forest guards river right. Our team leader, Kenneth McKay, advances downstream to the point of no return. Returning from the…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2024

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