Stevie's World Class River Running Resume Grows

Stevie's river running resume is ridiculously impressive, especially considering she was born and raised in LA. She's only been on 5 rivers in her life, but they are all trips that most whitewater enthusiasts dream about doing their entire careers. There was no doubt when we arrived in Costa Rica that I wanted to take her down the Pacuare River.

I've got a lot of friends in the business down here, but when we arrived in Turrialba I called our friend Lee who owns Locos Rafting. Despite the fact that it was Easter sunday, Lee gave Sprinter Life true V.I.P. treatment. Not only did he give us a private trip with his top guide down all 18 miles of the Pacuare river, but he also sent along a professional photographer to take pictures (see below). And then he did something that even surprised me. He came out of retirement and personally drove our shuttle with Kiki riding shotgun. Thank you Lee. We love you man!

The Pacuare is rated as one of the top 5 most beautiful rivers in the world. I don't know who builds the list, but I ain't gonna argue with them.


Had you shown me this photo below 20 years ago I would not have believed it was me. I come from a very elite snobby level of kayaking where I often did not even wear a helmet, as shown in the second photo below. (Yes, we already covered my stupidity in the last post). But the pink helmet, the bulky commercial lifejacket, and even the river guide yelling commands at me was worth it just to be able to do this river trip with Stevie, as opposed to on my own in a kayak. I am rediscovering the river through her eyes and her smile. It's better and fresher than ever, even if I do look like a dork!

Having a private trip with Lee's top guide was a real gift. I was able to relax and have fun. And the whitewater was great.

Having a personal photographer on the trip was wicked cool. We would have never had photos like this without him...

The scenery and wildlife on the Pacuare are insane. Check this out...

And for those of you who are curious, here are Stevie's 5 river trips, listed in order of execution. I can guarantee you that nobody else in the world has such a world class river resume for its length...

1) Deschutes River - 3 day solo trip. This is the river my Dad had his rafting business on so it will always be special to our family. My brother and I were the youngest guides on the river at 10 and 11 years old rowing the bag boat.

2) Grand Canyon - 21 day private family and friends trip. Epic. See photos here.

3) Rogue River - 4 day solo trip. The Rogue was one of the first rivers in the US to be designated wild and scenic. See photos here.

4) Grand Canyon - 16 day solo trip. We got engaged. See photos here.

5) Pacuare River, Costa Rica - Rated top 5 most beautiful rivers in the world.

Next up for Stevie's resume, the Futaleufu river in Chile.
TREE