GO KAYAKING!
Intro to Whitewater
TEXT AND IMAGES BY BRYON DORR
People get into overland vehicle travel for a whole host of reasons. For me, it was specifically the freedom that living on the road allows and outdoor adventure that drew me into the lifestyle.
The ability to enjoy skiing/snowboarding, mountain biking, and kayaking from all the different landscapes was so appealing.
Whitewater Passion
My real passion is whitewater kayaking, which I was introduced to my sophomore year at Towson University. I’ve been hooked ever since, chasing flowing rivers around the globe and sharing my passion for kayaking along the way for over two decades now. I’ve been an instructor, guide, distributor, designer, sales rep, pro-paddler, athlete manager, manufacturer owner, retail manager/buyer, and, most recently, marketing consultant in the paddlesports industry-with a focus on whitewater kayaking.
Overland Passion I spent over seven years in the last decade living full time on the road pursing my outdoor adventure passions. In that time I’ve also lived and adventured out of an E350 Sportsmobile van, custom truck camper, and, most recently, in a Lexus GX 460. Each vehicle has had its pluses and minuses, but a comfortable indoor bed, lots of gear transport space, and a quality kayak rack have remained constants.
My vehicles are generally purpose-built to transport my friends and myself, along with our kayaks, to remote rivers around the continent. I rely on the 4WD capabilities of my vehicle to not only get me to remote interesting river access points, but also to handle intense rain, flooded roads, and snowy conditions.
Media Hype
The progression of whitewater in the last 20 years has been massive, as have image/ video capture devices and the mass accessibility of media. Because of these advancements and convergences, the first things that might come to mind when someone says they’re going “whitewater kayaking” are massive waterfalls, surfing giant river waves, or throwing massive front flips in big frothy river hydraulics.