The North Fork Payette has roughly 1600 ft. of vertical drop, so the rapids at the beginning of the section usually collect snow in the winter due to it's starting elevation. But what usually doesn't occur is 3 feet of snow on the banks and high, spring flows at the same time. When @nicktroutmankayak and crew descended the entire stretch (excluding Jacobs Ladder) they were practically running the stretch blind. Scouting was at a bare minimum, the usual scouting pullouts were blocked by snow. Luckily @alecvoorheeskayak, @smstoenner, and Sam Wells were there to show Nick the lines. "I can't express how much I feel that I'm about to drop into the unknown" -Nick Troutman.
The North Fork Payette has roughly 1600 ft. of vertical drop, so the rapids at the beginning of the section usually collect snow in the winter due to it's starting elevation. But what usually doesn't occur is 3 feet of snow on the banks and high, spring flows at the same time. When @nicktroutmankayak and crew descended the entire stretch (excluding Jacobs Ladder) they were practically running the stretch blind. Scouting was at a bare minimum, the usual scouting pullouts were blocked by snow. Luckily @alecvoorheeskayak, @smstoenner, and Sam Wells were there to show Nick the lines. "I can't express how much I feel that I'm about to drop into the unknown" -Nick Troutman.
Adventure photographer John Webster took over our Instagram recently, sharing images of his favorite lines from his favorite river, the North Fork of the Payette. “I’m loosely based out of my Subaru Outback,” he says. His work has been featured in international kayaking magazines and he even recently saw some of his images placed in the 2016 Red Bull Illume photo contest.
“My curiosity for characters in the outdoor industry continues to drive my work and inspires me to show new faces and places of the west.”
Here’s some of the work John shared with us for his #My5Lines, 24-hour takeover of The Inertia Mountain’s Instagram.
Editor’s Note: Follow The Inertia Mountain and The Inertia as more talented photographers and athletes take our Instagram pages hostage. See more of Webster’s excellent work, here.