A Decade of Whitewater

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someones soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”
                                        ~Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus~

   Dirt Bag Paddlers has obliged the worldwide masses of whitewater bums and rivah guides with a place to share their spirit of adventure in one forum. What makes DBP so special is that we are able to share those stories with the people who love and understand our lifestyle.  Everyday, all over the world, narratives are created on rivahs in the dark corners of our mountains and forests that forge memories for those who encounter adventure....................memories that last a lifetime.  Those memories are posted here through pictures, videos, and all forms of communication to our little whitewater utopia.  Many of my whitewater memories live in my past now, and just like all of you, I too have a rivah tale to tell.  

   My story is no different than any other Nomadic Dirt Bag living out their days being driven by the search for whitewater, adventure, natural beauty, and TRUTH.  Over the course of the last decade I traveled and lived throughout the Mid-Atlantic chasing my own whitewater dream, and experiencing the TRUTH that the lifestyle brings.  But my story has a twist..............I didn't do it alone.  Whitewater allowed me the chance to discover something else through these adventures.....................I discovered love.  My adventures were carried out with true love by my side, and it was the search for adventure that fueled every step of our story and our relationship.  I consider myself lucky to have had the ability to discover love and whitewater at the same time, and having the chance to do it while I was still young and truly free is a part of my life I will cherish forever.  

  The tragedy of our story is that although it was whitewater that brought us together, it was also the lifestyle that in the end tore us apart.  I have been slowly writing this story over the course of the past year, and during that time have presented it to a small portion of my friends and acquaintances.  However, this story is about whitewater and love, and it is a story that cannot only entertain, but can teach lessons to many Dirt Bags throughout the whitewater universe.  Lessons about how to hold on, how to let go, and how to keep the lifestyle close to your heart when the inevitability of the real world begins to creep in.  I hope you enjoy these tales, maybe take away some lessons for yourself, and in the end know that there are others out there who share, love, struggle, and live just like you...................with the love of whitewater deep within our soul.  

"There is no rushing a river. When you go there, you go at the pace of the water and that pace ties you into a flow that is older than life on this planet. Acceptance of that pace, even for a day, changes us, reminds us of other rhythms beyond the sound of our own heartbeats."
                                                                                   ~Jeff Rennicke~

To begin the adventure, simply click here....................... The Intro