River Crawl in Costa Rica! (Like a pub crawl but with kayaks and whitewater!)

River Crawl in Costa Rica!
(Like a pub crawl but with kayaks and whitewater!)

By Jennifer Kellerman

In November I was lucky enough to help Liquid Sills Kayak School with their
Paddle Costa Rica Trip. Liquid Skills is a well-known school up here on the
Ottawa River; owned and operated by local boys Chad and Joey Hitchins. They
run clinics for all paddling skill levels and many multi-day trips.

This particular trip to Costa Rica was an extremely fun one. Every adventure
is what you make it and this was no exception! What incredible group cohesion
we had! Our clients came from all over: Cam and Linda from Utah, Brian from
Oklahoma, Dave from New York, Andrew from North Bay Ontario, and Bill from
Colorado Springs, who coincidentally is Tony Lunt’s cousin. How cool is that?!

Our staff included myself, Marzella, Jackson paddler Jose Rodriguez, his
lovely girlfriend Jen, Chad and Joey, and their mom, Fran (who even attempted
duckying with Chad down the Rio Balsa!).

What a great time, we were able to paddle 6 rivers: Rios Balsa, Reventazon,
Pacuare, General, Division, and Savegre (the last two at high water!). We
also got a change to try kayak surfing in the Pacific ocean, a catamaran tour
with snorkeling and dolphins and a canopy tour on ziplines along the top of
the rainforest!

For information on Liquid Skills group and custom trips in Costa Rica, go to
http://www.paddlecostarica.com

Liquid Skills are building a nice sized fleet of Jackson Boats for their
clients. After teaching roll clinics and experiencing this trip, I’m
convinced that our boats are some of the best boats for schools and
outfitters. Not only because they are comfy and forgiving, but how easy it is
to adjust outfitting for various clients and ensure that they all fit
perfectly in their boats. Gone are the days of chopping foam every morning at
the put-in!

What a great chance to travel and experience whitewater elsewhere in the
world! Enjoy the pictures!

Just back from a week lying on the beach in Cuba. Happy New Year!

Jen