The log jam beatdown! | Epic spring kayaking adventure

Spring is a great time to go kayaking! The rivers are flowing, the excitement is high, the days are long, and the temperatures are fresh. But, spring kayaking has its challenges, which I'm reminded of on this kayaking adventure down the Indian River near my home in the Ottawa Valley.
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Dry suit: bit.ly/3A6RdUj
Footwear: in4adventure.c...
Layers: in4adventure.c...
Gearlab Deckpod 2: gearlaboutdoor...
Paddles:
Aqua Bound Recreational Kayak Paddle - in4adventure.c...
Aqua Bound Durable Touring Kayak Paddle - in4adventure.c...
Aqua Bound Performance Touring Kayak Paddle - in4adventure.c...
Aqua Bound Whitewater Kayak Paddle - in4adventure.c...
PFDs:
Recreational Kayak PFD - in4adventure.c...
Touring Kayak PFD - in4adventure.c...
Fishing Kayak PFD - in4adventure.c...
River Kayaking PFD - in4adventure.c...
Dry Wear:
Dry Suit - in4adventure.c...
Dry Top - in4adventure.c...
Semi Dry Top - in4adventure.c...
Paddling Jacket - in4adventure.c...
Shorty Jacket - in4adventure.c...
Paddling Pant - in4adventure.c...
Base Layers:
Lightweight Shirt - in4adventure.c...
Expedition Weight Shirt - in4adventure.c...
Lightweight Pant - in4adventure.c...
Expedition Weight Pant - in4adventure.c...
HydroSkin Shorts - in4adventure.c...
HydroSkin Pants - in4adventure.c...
Warm Weather:
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Footwear:
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Wetsuit Bootie - in4adventure.c...
Wetsuit Shoe - in4adventure.c...
Water Shoe - in4adventure.c...
Other Paddling Gear
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NRS Drylander Shock Cord Sprayskirt - in4adventure.c...
Surf Ears Ear Plugs - in4adventure.c...
GoPro Hero 11 Black - in4adventure.c...
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[@PaddleTV]

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[@WildEddieProductions]

Maybe it’s time to build a smaller river kayak with camera mounts! 64lb/29kg touring kayak seems a bit too heavy for that river anyway. A smaller lighter kayak would’ve made it a different story…

[@mattmccallum2879]

I just got that same PFD!! Now I can more accurately channel my “inner Ken”

[@axydlbaaxr]

I started watching this channel for the basic instructional--which are GREAT. Now I'm starting to watch the adventures, and thinking of you as "The Mr. Rogers of Kayaking"--always a positive lesson to be learned & shared.

[@rwhite11534]

I love watching your KZbin channel! You so effortlessly get in and out of so many types of kayaks. Would love to see a video of your tips and tricks for in/out in different kayaks, situations, etc. Envious...I'm one foot in and fall into the seat, and hope I don't get wet! Keep floating!

[@Nevis75]

I keep eyeing a river close to where I live that I am pretty sure will be very similar to your trip. Thanks for the motivation to make this trip happen this season😀

[@PaddleTV]

My pleasure! Sounds like you're a probe too. :) Keep in mind - it's much safer to explore a new river in lower conditions, when the current isn't as strong and their are lots of eddies along the shore. This would have been a scary trip in high water - in fact - I wouldn't have done it.

[@TheWhiskeyCowboyLife]

It's great seeing folks get out on the water.... I have been meaning to but scheduling has not lined up. It's happening VERY soon though. Cheers!

[@escapewithed3995]

Great video! I absolutely loved watching it. I love these sorts of paddle adventures because they are close to the way I go paddling. For what it's worth, a few years ago your review of the Bonafide EX123 inspired me to buy one for this exact type of trip. Getting in and out of a kayak as a newbie is perilous enough, the Bonafide made it a heck of a lot easier. The local river near me is narrow and has a tendency to get blocked up like the one you did in the video. The hard plastic integrated handles on the EX123 and the catamaran style hull made portaging around the blockages a lot easier. Another good thing for blocked creeks and rivers like this is a 10 foot horse lead. It's a lot easier to scramble up down the banks with a 10 foot rope to keep the kayak from drifting away in the sketchy spots. So Yes! Please keep doing these little off paddle adventures as well as your unbiased reviews! 90% of my gear is based on your recommendations!

[@Billcameratech]

wow! All about the excitement of something new and different, right? I'm going to think about that handle and Very nice work and thanks for sharing, Ken!

[@PaddleTV]

Cheers!

[@jasonvanderhoek8398]

Great little gem in the valley. The Indian River runs in my backyard, and I paddle it 4 or 5 times a year. I'm happy to see you found it. I always see people tubing it, too. Just finished watching your video see the clusters of tree still in the same spot. Always good paddle after sandy beach rd have not had clusters of tree's on that part of the river. Happy paddling

[@PaddleTV]

Awesome to know. That was a LOT of wood in that one small section. I've never seen that much back to back.

[@inglesd90]

You took your kayak for a nice hike! 😂

[@NightHawk59]

I heard a quote (can't recall the origin) "An adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered and an inconvenience is and adventure wrongly considered." I think you considered very correctly!

[@PaddleTV]

Ha! That's a good one.

[@Onelesstraveledby]

Good fun, thank you for sharing!

[@ThePenguinViking]

I love these types of river runs

[@iowaadventures4701]

I’m looking forward to seeing your upcoming adventures. I have been where you are in this video. It might be hard but I would not trade it for anything. Great video!!!

[@PaddleTV]

I couldn't agree more... wouldn't trade it for anything! :)

[@jeannine7002]

Hallelujah ❤

[@itomba]

Did what I believe is our 24th annual two day canoe trip down the Shenandoah last year in extremely low water. Being gentlemen in our late sixties and early seventies the constant dragging of the boats over rock ledges for 26 miles was incredibly demanding but we are planning this years trip as I write this hopeful with all the early spring rain.

[@PaddleTV]

Nice! There's something about Type 2 fun that keeps us going back for more...

[@CRICRICTH]

I have one of those. I really love it in open water. It’s perfect to paddle in Puerto Rico. This past Saturday I did 21.5 miles without stopping on shore.

[@BushKayakersCampingAustralia]

wow some brutal log jams there . good effort getting around them !

[@davedave8677]

awesome! enjoyed watching this! great to see some good hearty adversity as well as all the good bits!

[@THE-RIVER-RAT]

I bet you were glad you brought a sit on top for this trip... Awesome location, looks like a great paddle spot even with the logs. Great video Ken. You looked like you really enjoyed it even with the issues. Sounds like we have a great year of adventures to look forward to this year. Looking forward to watching.

[@PaddleTV]

Yup. I brought the sit on top in part because I thought I might need a kayak that I could quickly hop into and out of. Wasn't expecting such long drags. :)

[@nueloblack]

Awesome!

[@lysan1445]

Somehow, it reminded me of the paddling adventure you had with one of the Melker kayaks when you encountered one beaver dam after the other. 😂The PFD looks like the new NRS ninja. I have ordered it, but it will not be available in my area until May. Great adventure! I am looking forward to all your planned adventures! It's always a good day when there is a video from you.

[@raymondsmith2194]

Thank you ...just awesome to watch...still way too cold home..another week will be doing the same👍

[@ivanoutdoors]

Dude I'm with you I haven't found a paddling type I haven't wanted to do more of! That boat your paddling in this vid though...... looks like the wrong tool for the river you were on. Nice effort!

[@samstephens9643]

Looking forward to seeing your trips & I'm starting to plan some of my own weekend long paddling trips

[@Thomas-h4n5h]

Good video title! 😂 I enjoyed it. Appreciate what you do for the sport of kayaking, Ken. 😊

[@PaddleTV]

Thanks!

[@petertamasboda511]

Don’t give up. It’s cool. Good luck!

[@muleskinner3224]

I enjoy your river adventures. One question...why not pack a small collapsible portage cart on trips where logjams and portages are likely to confront you? Also, you may or may not have already done the upper sections of the French Broad River near Brevard/Rosman North Carolina. If not, I highly suggest doing it. Although it runs thru farmland area, down on the river you get the true wilderness experience. Very few homes close...river full of beaver and river otter. So, if you travel southward, it would be an ideal kayak trip (not on holidays or weekends- too many tubers in the upper reaches) to give a section a try. Thanks

[@PaddleTV]

Good question! I find that portage carts don't work well on anything but relatively smooth trails. When things are rough, I find they hinder a lot more than help, and it's one more substantial piece of gear to manage.

[@BoomVang]

Maybe carry a plb. I paddled down a similar unknown river in the days before cell phones or Google maps. The problem wasn't trees but moose. I would round a bend and find myself blocking The escape of a panicking huge moose.

[@PaddleTV]

I carry a Zoleo with me. It's great for emergency communication wherever you are.

[@billpitkin3259]

Bravoi!

[@qaannat]

At the MOALJ: I bet you wish you had a lightweight pack canoe or even a skin kayak now. That's why they call them "pop" rivets.

[@BushKayakersCampingAustralia]

haha dow i understand . pop rivet . pretty big and obvious design flaw .of course they were not going to last long

[@georgesmith7356]

Oh, you haven't seen logjams until you have paddled the Bonaventure River on the Gaspe ...

[@PaddleTV]

Ha! You've piqued my interest. I have actually paddled a small section of the Bonaventure, but I know there's much more to explore there. Beautiful clear water!

[@georgesmith7356]

@@PaddleTV Oh, there is one logjam in there that requires about a 1/4 mile portage, or pulling canoes over stacked wood taller than you are. You also have to be very careful when getting pushed by the river into outside bends where there are large stacks of fallen trees. You won’t think your guide is very shy, or retiring, if you do it more than once. No football coach that I ever had gave me a more complete ‘dressing down.’ All in the name of keeping me alive so I appreciated his concern … That said, the Bonaventure is a magical river. Magnificent stretches of wilderness paddling. Water as clear as ice cold gin. And day after day of more continuous Class II rapids than I could imagine (with a few nice Class III rapids thrown in there. You obviously paddle a great deal (I throughly enjoy your U-tube clips.) But I have to say that even you would find the Bonaventure a rare and memorable experience that would stay with you for a lifetime. Happy paddling … George Smith Stowe, VT

[@TomKledecki]

Most of rivers in Northern Poland are like this. Well, maybe not as extreme but there are lots of spots where you need to portage or just carry the kayak over a fallen tree etc. 😅 If you like this type of adventures then Northern Poland is your next destination. 😉 Just bring something lighter to paddle. 😅

[@canajian]

Mornin 🖐😎👍

[@PaddleTV]

Morning! :)

[@parnold-mora8924]

Thanks for taking the time to film this trip, including the portages, log jams and strainers. I was exhausted just watching you. Do you carry your ZOLEO on every trip?

[@PaddleTV]

Yes, I carry my Zoleo on every trip I do alone, and any trip where I'm not sure if I'll have cell coverage.

[@heptigon]

Do you have some sort of emergency kit incase you couldn’t call anyone? If so, what’s in it? Great video as always!

[@PaddleTV]

I had a basic emergency kit with some warm gear, first aid kit, and a Zoleo communication device - for emergency communication. The Zoleo uses a satellite network, and so it works anywhere.

[@paultyson9070]

Ha ha, I knew exactly where you were before you even told us. We normally put in farther up at Stencells Road. And take out where you put in at. The guy that I canoe with has gone down a bit farther. But we've never run into log jams like you did. That's the better section to run, in my opinion. Unless you like suffering. Lol

[@CRICRICTH]

I changed those handles for aluminum ones.

[@JasonCone]

I just bought a new Scupper 14, and it came with the aluminum handles stock.

[@genelamb4427]

I have the same problem with the handle on my Scupper 14. They have upgraded that handle to a metal handle now so you shouldn't have that problem on a new one. I ordered and installed them on mine.

[@PaddleTV]

Great to know!!

[@cieljek]

I want to do some rivers, but i don't have a pick up or drop off person yet 😆

[@GH0ST369]

For the climat alarmists, No this is not man made climate change it is a natural notably named by one of its rediscoverers Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles. I love how you Americanized Port(age).

[@best0fffabrika275]

We definitely need “drone kayak” that can fly through this log jam area 😂

[@PaddleTV]

Oooooo. I like the sounds of that.

[@jshooper7819]

Who is filming all those drone shots? 😮

[@slighwentwalking2024]

That was a lot of in and outs 🤨 My biggest worry here in Florida is getting stuck in mud or under a down tree. We have so much deep mud its not a good idea to keep getting in and out of your kayak.... but you gotta do...what ya gotta do 🤨

[@PaddleTV]

You gotta do what ya gotta do! :)

[@danareed1656]

great video! lol

[@Big_Renfrew]

Where did you put in? I've crossed this river many times as well.

[@jerrys576]

So they dont have a river company that opens the rivers up? They just let them flood the whole area needlessly??

[@jayburne6825]

Was that a chair.....lol

[@jayburne6825]

HEY Ken what's your set up for camera behind you river king pete does something like that...

[@PaddleTV]

I used a GoPro on top of a YakAttack BoomStick Pro, which I mounted with a YakAttack Mighty Mount.

[@jayburne6825]

@@PaddleTV thanks ken

[@nunyabidness3075]

I see I’ve been derelict in my duties of continuously posting about the superiority of the pack canoe in the comments section. I bet a 20 pound boat would have been a better craft for that trip, eh?

[@paddlekc]

You'll certainly remember that river trip! 😆

[@PaddleTV]

Yup! Is this Christy?

[@VictorElGreco]

That trip elevates you to kayaking martyrdom. 🛶🙏🏻😂

[@georgewilliamssr5230]

Should have stopped and made some wood milk. You got some big beavers 🦫 in that part of the country.

[@PaddleTV]

Ha! I didn't have time to stop for anything else. I made it to the takeout with no time to spare. :)

[@georgewilliamssr5230]

@@PaddleTV Is your pack raft trip, possibly going to be in California?