Look around any city long enough and you will find a Glue Up: climbing holds attached to an urban surface with industrial-strength epoxy. To know how they got there is to understand the local climbing scene.
A Film by Andrew Kornylak / Presented by Whitewater
The Ferryman chronicles the tale of the man charged with transporting hikers of the Appalachian Trail across the most dangerous water crossing on the 2,200 mile trek: the Kennebec River.
The fisherman, dressed in rubber waters with a collared shirt rolled up to the elbows, stood bent over in the arctic waters of the North West River. This is the literal end of the road on the eastern seaboard of North America, and the scene was about exactly what you’d expect. A soft rain fell in about 45 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures, signifying a great day for outdoor activity in Labrador. The fisherman had a halo of bloody water floating around his ankles as he skillfully dissected one of the larger fish I’d ever seen in my life.
We had spent the better part of the previous day asking every boat owner in town if we could get picked up at the mouth of the Cape Caribou River in about 3-4 days, so as I approached the man, I tried to play it cool. I didn’t want to seem too desperate. We wanted to paddle this unknown stretch of river, without battling coastal headwinds for the 20-30+ miles back to town.
“Wow, heck of a catch” I said as calmly and conversational as possible.
“Yeah, not too bad.” he said in the unassuming and understated manner you come to expect from some of the toughest cultures left in our growingly “squishy” global culture.
“What kind of fish is that?” I asked, still perplexed by its behemoth size.
“Oh mate, this is a baby seal. Where you from?”
I’d blown my cover, and my jaw dropped. Before I knew it, I got a history lesson in the history of hunting seals, the placement of an embargo, and a lecture on a rather predictable opinion of the organization Greenpeace.
We’d found our man.
Follow the experiences of a whitewater kayaker and an Alaskan bush pilot during a whitewater expedition in Southern Alaska, as similarities in their respective passions emerge in pursuit of exploring three unrun rivers.