Whitewater - A Kayaking Adventure

by Vengre Pasilan

I spent this summer and last summer working for a company called Alaska Dream Adventures, where I got introduced to the life of whitewater kayaking and wanting to navigate fast moving water. 

In the summer of 2021, before our season officially ended, I took my free employee trip to a lake called Tangle Lakes. The lake itself actually consists of four lakes, and after passing the fourth lake I entered a big, fast whitewater rapid. At that moment, I was scared to run the rapid for the first time. Keep in mind that this was my first whitewater trip ever. 

I was also extremely excited for this trip since I had first heard about how amazing the view is. I was thrilled at the chance to do any whitewater trip that my company would pay for. I was constantly asking questions about the trips and when I could go on one. After being given the opportunity, I was going to prove that I could be a great kayaker.

View near Tangle Lakes. Photo by Vengre Pasilan.

The first day we traveled for four hours to the location, and after a long drive we saw amazing views like the photo above. The photo below was taken after the class III whitewater I was worried about, as it was where I lost my paddle for the first time. To this moment I still can’t understand how I managed through a class III rapid without a paddle or tipping over.

After the class III rapid. Photo by Vengre Pasilan.

Overall, my first ever whitewater trip with the company went great, and to this day I would highly recommend everyone not to be afraid to navigate any moving water. You never know, you might become the next avid kayaker.