OLYMPIC PENINSULA HIKING EXTRAVAGANZA, WASHINGTON, USA, JULY 2021
Chris Korbulic had been dreaming of paddling all 19 rivers of the Olympic Peninsula's Magic Mountain Range System from source to sea for years. However, to put the final piece of the puzzle together, he needed to find partners willing to join him in those ambitious plans. Last July, when world-renowned expedition kayaker Ben Stookesberry and young Argentinian Valentin Gutierrez heard about it, they jumped right in, surrendering into whatever challenge Chris came up with. But even for this strong team, the expectations set were beyond the limits. The numbers speak for themselves: back-to-back expeditions for a total of 100 miles hiked with fully loaded kayaks in 14 days, 1 First Descent, 6 rivers, and a hike-out of a hike-in. Carrying heavy boats for 9-10 hours for days at a time and then paddling Class V rapids canyons over 14 days would push any human body to the limit. But that is when the real game starts, where inner mental strength surpasses the body and the mind decides where the limits are. With Ben's famous phrase in mind— "if you don't think about quitting an expedition, then it's not a good expedition—" the team committed to making it happen.
The ordeal started with the first descent of Restler Creek. Then Graves Creek and the East Fork of the Quinault all the way from Enchanted Valley followed. After that, without a single day off, they hiked into the NF of the Quinault, paddled it, and kept hiking up over Low Divide Pass to head down to the other side of the mountain range into the Elwha Basin. Despite the challenging high river levels, after five days, they made it to the ocean. Right after, the team attempted to put in above Service Falls on the mighty Queets, but on day two of hiking, with at least two more days to go, they had to hike out of the hike-in. When asked, Vale said, "I have never put my body in such an effort in my whole life; I reached limits and overcame barriers I never thought possible, but the outcomes were so rewarding that I broke to tears many times during the trip."
Words and photography: Valentin Gutierrez
THORP CREEK, NEW YORK, AUGUST 2021
On August 23rd, 2021, the remnants of Hurricane Henri blasted the Catskill Region of New York with an impressive multi-inch storm. Mike Flynn, Jackson Conn, and Eric Adsit took advantage of the high water event, making a somewhat unintentional descent on Thorp Creek. Flynn and Conn, who live in the region, led the charge. Due to the complex web
