{"id":38213,"date":"2026-02-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=38213"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T21:15:11","slug":"the-perks-of-paddling-uphill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2026\/02\/15\/the-perks-of-paddling-uphill\/","title":{"rendered":"The Perks of Paddling Uphill"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, on the way home from paddling the Alberton Gorge outside of Missoula, I mentioned to my friends that it was maybe time to start thinking about flatwater kayaking. One friend said he could probably tolerate getting out in his long boat sometime soon\u2014but not too soon. Another friend (who\u2019s also my husband) was flatly disinterested. A third friend, Charlie, asked, confused, \u201cWhy would you <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> that?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie was earnest; his situation is a common one. He\u2019s been paddling for several years, considers himself \u201con the inside\u201d of the whitewater community, and yet he\u2019d never heard of anyone paddling upstream for fun\u2014or for any other reason. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to write off uphill kayaking\u2014and its slightly sportier cousin, <\/span>attaining<\/span><\/i>\u2014because it\u2019s generally less enjoyable than running rapids or floating downstream <\/span>with<\/span><\/i> the current. Yet this type of training can prepare us for some of the harder parts of kayaking, like mental fortitude and early-season fitness. We can go upstream paddling with friends or (in many cases) alone. It gets us outside when we\u2019d rather stay cozy on the couch. And it doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be miserable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On our drive, we mused over how upstream paddling might be nice at night, perhaps under a big moon. \u201cIt may be best to do our flatwater paddling under cover of darkness,\u201d someone joked. But, actually: it\u2019s best for your friends to know you\u2019re doing it, and to invite them to do it, too. The more people that train over the winter, the more fun we\u2019ll have when the rivers start to run in the spring. And the more connected that people feel to rivers, the more they\u2019ll do to protect and advocate for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

On a chilly November weeknight not long after that conversation, I happened to find three heavy-hitters of the Missoula uphill paddling community about to head out on the water: Jason Shreder (dad), Ben Stookesberry (cat dad), and Jude Franczek (not a dad). I asked them to share their thoughts about and tips for flatwater paddling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n