In Spring 2013 I took my Stilleto inflatable kayak down Oregon's Eagle Creek near Cascade Locks. Things were going well, I had a successful run of Skoonichuck Falls, a 40 foot falls directly into a 15 footer. We had a good time negotiating the class IV rapids in the gorge below. Before long we came to Punchbowl Falls, a tricky 30 foot drop notorious for being hard to style. I was determined to have a good line and after getting high up onto the river left pillow at the top, took a big stroke at the lip. Midway I leaned forward and dropped the bow close to 45 degrees, I had a powerful, but favorable impact at the bottom. I resurfaced upright and stoked, however, I was sitting low in the IK and realized the floor had split, creating a large tear down the length of the craft. I turned the boat over to show the onlookers the tear. I hiked out and started looking for a way to get my boat fixed. My friend Josh told me about his friend Victor who I was told was the man for being able to fix inflatable boats so I sent him my IK, hoping for the best.
Read the full article in Canoe & Kayak Magazine!
