USAFK National Point-Series Free-style Kayak Championship

Eric Jackson took first place with huge tricks, and plenty of them, racking up over a thousand points per ride.
Crowd pleaser's like this monster loop after the buzzer, kept everyone on their toes for what he might do next.
Although I missed junior men's, women's, and everything else, it was announced as I arrived that Emily Jackson had won the women's division, and Dane Jackson won Junior Men's.
Bryan Kirk ended up in second place, hitting big air and great style points as always.


I went to the USAFK National Point-Series Free-style Kayak Championship at Kelly's whitewater park in Cascade Idaho yesterday. I wanted to attend the whole thing, but work had a different agenda for me. I did not think that I was going to be able to attend any of it, but Sunday was slow, and I left just in time to see the men's k2 finals.

Subway

Waterfalls cascade down while pools of bubbles below swirl.

And I thought that this was a desert.

I call the one above Fire and Ice.

Just before we arrived at the Subway, a thunderstorm blew dust into our eyes, then rocks started falling from 1000 feet above. The rain came shortly afterward, and I was disappointed because I was worried that the photography would be ruined. The swimming that we had been doing left me shivering and unable to hand hold the camera. As soon as we got down the waterfall area above the Subway, the rain and wind let up, and the cloud offered perfect lighting. The cold that I was feeling seemed to shy away when confronted with such beauty.

Swims were common, and unavoidable. The still blue pools showed you the hazards below, and offered even more to look at.

The Subway has to be one of my favorite hikes. The long and difficult day seems to melt away, and you are done before you know it. The photo's that I was able to take, are only the few spots that are small enough to fit through a lens. Most of the subway you would have to experience in order to grasp the full beauty.

Icebox Canyon

The trees give you a small amount of perspective on the scale of the place.
A 50+ foot waterfall and just below another of similar beauty.
It looked deep enough to jump in, but nobody wanted to risk it and be stranded that far in the bush.

Yes, the water was cold.

Icebox was named due to the fact that even in late spring the canyon is known to have snow and ice.

Chillin' on the ledge between the two 150' rappels.

Icebox is a rarely done canyon in the heart of Zion wilderness. The canyon says that it can be done in 6-8 hours and consists of two consecutive 150 foot rappels that drop into a scenic canyon. After route finding, photographing, and just plain enjoying the trip, our 8 hour day turned into a 14 hour slog. The trail was non-existent causing numerous cuts from branches and bush whacking. We finally arrived back at the car around 1am hungry and tired after hiking by the light of the stars. Numerous stream crossings caused us to lose the trail often, and our only light was that of the lcd of the GPS. I think that the 8 hour time does not apply to photographers.

Pine Creek

A great way to finish your day.

I found an alternate rappel to substitute the last one. I thought it was way better.




Reflections of the sandstone in the pool at the bottom of a triple arch.
This is one of the coldest areas in the canyon.
Tree's suspended seemingly in mid air above us remind of the dangers of flash floods.


A recent trip to Pine Creek in Zion was what I have been waiting for. A photographic trip. In a canyon that can be done in 30 minutes, we took 6 hours. The shots are great, but the canyon is way more scenic than I could possibly photograph.

Some Of my Favorite Kayaking pictures

Night practice in Gratz
Eric Jackson at worlds in Gratz Austria
Devon Barker at Bobs Hole
Eric Jackson on the Ottawa river. (front loop)
And my most favorite kayaking shot is this one of Dane Jackson. Dane Started Kayaking before the sport was ready for him. At only 50 pounds, he used a womens kayaking vest, a skateboarding helmet, a cut down paddle, a kids boat that was cut down, among many various items that would keep him having fun. This picture epitomizes the reason that Jackson Kayak was founded. The famous Eric Jackson created Jackson Kayak to help kids around the world paddle with their parents.

Snowshoeing

I went showshoeing this weekend. My friend David and I Hiked to the top of Pilot peak. When we reached the top we met with some snowmobilers who could not believe that we had hiked that far. One said that he could not have done it in the summertime. I had a great time though.

Canadian Rockies

This link takes you to YouTube. Please watch the video in HD, as you will get the full depth of it.

Butterfly Effect

We recently visited Pacific Grove California. The article that I read boasted butterfly's galore and showed a picture of butterfly's on top of each other creating a look of stained glass windows. Unfortunately the best that we could find was a few. It was still fun to get out of town.
The above was created for 5 pictures stitched together. The giant redwoods are amazing.