Pictures (and a thousand words) from Kayak Diaries author Dan Simenc’s recent East Coast paddling trip.

 

 

Our trip east got off to a rough start when Tyler was bit by a poisonous snake in the night. Still in good spirits, Tyler enjoys one of the many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of our trip as he is transported to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

After our sojourn in Kentucky, we continued on to West Virginia to surf and spin down the famous Gauley River. A colorful “East Coast eddy” looks on as NRS ambassador Bryan Kirk sets up his next blunt on the Diagonal Ledges wave of the lower Gauley.

After two fun weeks of playboating, we left the Mountain State and headed to the big city where we pulled an all-nighter circumnavigating Manhattan in sea kayaks. I took this picture of Times Square lighting up the cloudy night sky from the seat of my kayak in the Hudson River.

Went to sleep in Brooklyn around 1:00 a.m., woke up at 6:30 and took two subways to Grand Central, caught a train out to Connecticut, then drove to Central Pennsylvania to run this waterfall (and three others). Paddler: Jesse Wilensky.

Tyler Allyn slides down a Pennsylvania classic in the Delaware Water Gap, the hidden home of many steep creeks.

The sharp rocks of the aptly named Poconos Mountains unleash their wrath on me as an unfortunate flip sends us back to the hospital. My broken nose required sixteen stitches and kept me off the water for two long weeks.

Getting back in a kayak in some dirty water. Here Jared Seiler surfs the man-made Scudders Hole on the Jersey shore of the Delaware River.

Storm chasing takes us to upstate New York where we enjoy beautiful fall colors, but get skunked on rain.

With a borrowed full-face I’m ready for action again, and the Moose River delivers.

Tyler on one of several laps down Agers Falls. This burly hole dished out many beatdowns to the flock of paddlers that flooded the river for a fun Moose Fest weekend.

As the leaves fell and the temperatures dropped in the North, we headed south to North Carolina to enjoy many beautiful days running the Green River’s classic drops.

Getting ready to race the Green. Here I run Gorilla the right way in a Dagger Green Boat. On race day, my line down this cascading flume was much less fashionable.

After two adventurous months of travelling, we headed back west. Tyler and I pose in front of the trusty minivan that got us through 25 states.

The sun sets on our excellent adventure, but the next trip is only just around the corner. In the meantime, it’s great to be home!