Kayak Huasteca

Our KY home is filled with fantastic places to explore by SUP or Stand Up Paddling.

sandstone cliffs sup

you can find us on facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/supky/

and online at  www.supkentucky.com

in the meanwhile enjoy the photos and let us know if you’d like to visit any of these amazing places!

Paddle boarding KY

A few months ago i found myself on the Rio Actopan in Mexico.  We run a 22 foot near vertical slide at the put in for this wild and beautiful river.  The two rapids below the falls are in a constant state of change.  Some years they are class 3+, other times class 4.  the entrance rapid is full of rocks, shallow pushy water and a big boulder in the center.  There is a short pool after this rapid.  The second rapid has a nasty sieve pile on the right and a beautiful curving drop on the left.  It goes without saying, DO NOT GO RIGHT.  This sieve has claimed lives in the past.

This particular day ended up river left and my Sawyer WW Venom paddle went right.  I never drop my paddle but in this case it was wrenched from my grip along with a good amount of skin from my knuckles.  The paddle went into the sieve pile and disappeared.   An hour later our search ended.  Memo said” Bro we will find it, sooner or later!”

Well hear it is.

This incredible paddle survived 3 months in the river.  Constant battering by water, and rocks.  24/7.  This is the toughest most durable paddle I have ever seen!

Imagine the years of normal use and abuse this paddle can endure?  It is quite possibly the only paddle you will ever need for whitewater.

Sawyer Paddles will always get my business, they have earned my respect.  The WW Venom has passed the ultimate durability test.   Congratulations Sawyer Paddles.  Incredible job.

This is a short video of our time in Mexico. We at SUP Kentucky believe that its necessary to paddle all year long. We strive to stay on top of the SUP world by competing and running hard rapids. All of this experience transfers to our student through Knowledge and FUN!

Lets go paddle

WWW.SUPKENTUCKY.COM

The state of Kentucky has more navigable waterways than you can imagine.  What better way to explore this wonderful state than through its watery roads?  SUP Kentucky is here to help get people out on these incredible scenic waterways.

Surf Kentucky

Lately I have found that SUP or Stand Up Paddling allows me to explore and enjoy these waters with minimal eqipment.  Your point of view is unique because you are literally walking on water.

First time SUP Kentucky

Paddle Boarding is a new sport that offers exercise, fun and outdoor activity.  Anyone can learn within just a few minutes.  Adults and children alike love the SUP boards!

kids sup kentucky

What better way to get the whole family out of the house this summer!  Come join us at WWW.SUPKENTUCKY.COM  or find us on facebook.

In my relentless search for places to escape the cold, I found Mexico!  A refuge from the polar vortexes of the U.S. and also a paddlers paradise.  There is so much diversity of whitewater that you need multiple river craft to enjoy it all!

We recently did the most upper stretch of Santa Maria on SUP boards.  Its a 12 mile scenic canyon float with one class 4 rapid.  Our plan was to put on in the afternoon and camp beside the class-4.  Put ins in Mexico are sometimes an adventure in itself.  This particular part of the river is a favorite watering hole for local cattle!

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Heather and I used the Czar 6 and Baron 6 SUPs.  The extra flotation comes in handy when carrying camping gear and food.  I carried mosquito net, hammock, rain fly, jet boil stove and K-pump.  Heather took the extra clothes, water filter and head lamps.

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First day of paddling was a little more than an hour.  We found a nice spot on an island just beside the portage.  One of the amazing things about inflatable paddleboards is how comfortable they are to sleep on.  Let out half the air and you have a huge therma-rest bed.  The Baron 6 sleeps two people if they are friendly!

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We decided to avoid any bug encounters in the night, so i strung our hammock loosely over the Baron 6.  This hammock has mosquito netting built in and also comes with a nice rain-fly.  it looked like rain so we used the fly as well.

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After a good night sleep, re-inflate the board, take a nice river shower and we launched for the next 8.5 miles of class 2.  There are huge Sabino trees over 500 years old, a portion of the old Spanish silver train runs along the river right side.

​ The Sabino tree has one of the most impressive root sytems I have ever seen.  these old trees actually from the river back, their roots intertwine and become an unbreakable shoreline, incredible erosion protection!

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As we moved farther into the canyon the riverbed starts to become very sandy.  It makes for nice soft fall if you’re just beginning to learn SUP.  There are numerous springs that enter the river as waterfalls on river left. I counted at least 5 and all were quite a bit warmer than the actual river water.  As you can imagine they are also full of incredible vegetation.

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This section of the Santa Maria passes through the historic town of Conca, Queretaro.  A Franciscan mision was built here in the 1700′s.  There are 4 more, nearly identical throughout the region.  At one point the river banks to the right and you can turn and see the Mision.  Its just visible in front of Heather above the first row of trees.

If you are looking for new ways to enjoy and explore using a paddle board, I highly recommend the over night trip.  SUPs are a true SUV of paddle sports.  With the right board and dry equipment the experience is stress free and much easier than I ever thought possible.  Its your own personal watercraft and bed rolled into one.  Make sure the run isn’t too difficult because the weight of your gear does affect how the board handles.  I found that by moving back towards the tail balances things out and makes for a great workout too!

Words by Aaron  Photos by Heather and Aaron

WWW.KAYAKHUASTECA.COM is back online! All new trips and new format! Check it out!

It’s hard to tell if the sport of whitewater SUP is growing or not.  I spend half the year in Mexico and for the past five years there have only been a handful of us paddling SUP.  Lately we have been exploring new runs with new equipment.  Brands like NRS, Glide SUP, Hala Gear and Corran SUP have been helping us pave the way for new and exciting warm water paddling.

Mexico has deep water Class 3, shallow sand bottom class 2 and even runnable waterfalls for those who want the most adrenaline.

We still spend a lot of time in our kayaks exploring class 4-5 stretches of the Santa Maria.  With the season coming to an end and water levels dropping, we are continuing the search for adventure in any type of watercraft we can find!

This season we have seen rain when its usually dry for months.  The rivers have been full much longer than usual.

Spring is here and the water is flowing in the U.S.  Soon it will be time to head home.  when the weather turns cold it will be time for the warm spring waters of mexico again.  More exploration and adventure.  Join us anytime!  Contact me:  Aaron@kayakhuasteca.com

See you on the river soon!

aaron

Great time of year for whitewater, the annual rains pump up the aquifer and brings out new lines on our favorite runs!

I’ve seen a lot of SUP products over the last few years, some good, some bad.  Recently I had the chance to paddle some Glide SUP boards, traditional surfboard design with a bombproof GSS coating.   My Glide boards have fallen from the roof rack to the cement, t-boned other surfboards in the ocean and been ridden across thousands of rocks without any damage.

If you are looking for a lightweight board with durability for the river, Glide has the perfect ride.

Board sizes range from 12 foot 6 inches to the 7 foot long Sesh, all have the GSS and are river surfing machines.

One of my personal favorites is the 9 foot Mongo.  This board is stable enough for the river, and loose on the ocean.  360′s and awesome nose rides are waiting if you can just find some swell!

I spend  a lot of time on inflatable SUP’s because they are durable enough for the river,  however inflatables will NEVER surf as well as a rigid board.  Glide gives you a legitimate surfing board without the flex of inflatable and a ding-proof skin!

I hear rumors that Glide SUP will have a river running board that surfs and crushes rapids for 2013.  Stay tuned for more reports on this board when it becomes available, in the meantime check out the crew at WWW.GLIDESUP.COM  made in the U.S.A  and some of the best boards you can find!

SYOTR

Aaron

We’ve been making the rounds here in Mexico this year.  Water levels are on the low side so we have been using the SUP,s a lot this year.  After the Alseseca Race we went to the Rio Filobobos then down to Rio Actopan…and later everybodies favorite whitewater paradise  Rio Micos.

Boards we are using are the:  NRS Czar, Glide SUP Mongo and the Satrboard Converse 9.0

great times…enjoy the video and find us at        http://standupmexico.weebly.com/

Aaron