What happens when four lady paddlers are getting married in the same year? You have a Bachelorette Party on the River! Earlier this month, 9 ladies from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Montana, rallied for a 4-day wilderness self-support on the South Fork of the Salmon River, near McCall, Idaho.

The best weekend ever usually consists of a long day on my bike, a solid day on the river in my kayak, and a big ol' BBQ with some friends. This last weekend was exactly that... the best weekend ever.

The Northwest Creeking Competition is to paddlers what Sea Otter is to mountain bikers. A much smaller event, the creeking comp. is in it's 7th year, and as organizer Luke Spencer, puts it,"...the NWCC is a thriving 2 day event and one of the biggest races in the country! The event boasts 2 amazing race courses on both the East Fork of the Lewis River and Canyon Creek. The event headquarters is set at scenic Sunset Falls Campground where participants can enjoy a great view of racers negotiating beautiful Sunset Falls, enjoy a great BBQ, music, and share stories...

For whitewater paddlers in the Northwest, the Upper Wind River Festival kicks off the season as the first downriver race of the year. Paddlers, full of nervous energy, show up wondering where they will stack up, and if their winter-time training will pay off. A part of the Western Whitewater Championship Series, the festival features a 3 mile downriver race for all river-craft (kayak, raft and cataraft) through various class IV rapids: various boulder gardens, ledge drops, slides.

Floodlust: Hoping, longing for a flood. The moment rain begins to fall, paddlers across the Northwest get jittery. When the forecast calls for a solid week of rain, Facebook and Twitter updates roar alive, "Skiers and weather nerds start at the beginning; kayakers, skip to the last paragraph. Stoked!"

The Upper East Fork of the Hood is a continuous class IV river located on the Northern slopes of Mt. Hood. It takes a lot of rain or a fast snowmelt in the winter/spring months to bring the water level up. With no gauge to check the level, it's hard to catch when it's in, which is usually only once or twice a season. Earlier this year, it rained for 4 days straight, and we rallied south along highway 35 to see the river at a perfect flow. Enjoy the photos, however, apologize for the lack of on-water pictures...