Team Kellum

Liquid Logic Biscuit

2009-12-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

Liquid Logic Biscuit from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

Darin's Black Canyon Trip

2009-11-17T13:56:00.002-07:00

So DK got to do a self support overnighter in the Black Canyon. He reported it was incredible but assured me the portages are really epic.

Darin's 2nd year modeling at the Winter Fashion show!

2009-09-27T15:58:00.003-06:00

Summer Fun in AK

2009-08-04T19:09:00.001-06:00

Good Clean Fun

2009-07-20T20:42:00.003-06:00

Huckin' the Crystal from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

Darin and I had a blast this weekend up in the hills of Crystal, CO.

2009-07-12T19:38:00.002-06:00

BOOF! from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

We went up to the Cache la Poudre this weekend and Darin fired up the Big South. I will do it next time, but I just wasn't feeling 100% and for 12 miles of creeking it is a prerequisite. While playing shuttle bunny I saw a moose about a mile from the put in. Then on the way home we saw a mom and baby up close. Total moose count for the weekend 4! Not real common in Colorado.

Huckin' Crystal Mill Falls

2009-07-06T20:39:00.004-06:00

POV DK Hucking Crystal Mill Falls from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

Surfing Paonia Reservoir

2009-06-15T20:23:00.002-06:00

Surfing at Paonia from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

Thanks to Ricky Reh for taking us out on the incredible boat! And holler out to Chris Strain for the video music!

Grand Canyon Second Helpings

2009-05-09T19:22:00.001-06:00

Here is some GOPro headcam footage of Havasu Creek and Lava Falls. Enjoy!

Helmet Cam of Havasu Creek and Lava Falls from Natalie Kellum on Vimeo.

Spring Kayaking

2009-05-03T13:35:00.004-06:00

Darin and I have already gotten to boat a bunch and it is only May 3rd! This last weekend we went to Escalante Creek. Super fun stuff, check out my Escalante trip report. These pictures are of Leap O' Faith,We are in the same boat because Darin's trying to steal his ol' Jefe back from me and took it while I was in Florida... The playboat shot is at our home wave which still doesn't have a cool name... Check back soon, the snow is starting to melt in Colorado:)

Team Kellum hooks up with CKS

2009-04-16T18:56:00.003-06:00

Darin's CKS Squad Profile-Check it out!
Natalie's CKS Squad Profile-Check it out!

Gore Canyon at 480 cfs

2009-04-11T12:53:00.002-06:00

Friday the winter weather subsided and blue skies appeared. I met my buddy Ian and a group of front rangers at the takeout and we had an incredible early season run down Gore Canyon a section of the Colorado near Kremmling. It was wild to be back on the Colorado again after just leaving the Grand Canyon 2 weeks ago. I love whitewater!

Grand Canyon

2009-03-31T19:49:00.003-06:00

Darin and I spent an incredible 21 days floating the Colorado as flows through the grand canyon. The canyon is a very special place full of tons of treasures. The photos will never do it justice, but here is a peek at our trip. More pics in the slideshow/video sidebar. Enjoy!

2009-03-31T19:46:00.000-06:00

Aunt Birdie

2009-02-25T19:11:00.004-07:00

Halloween, Hunting and the end of Boating

2008-11-09T14:36:00.002-07:00

Team Kellum has stayed busy this fall. We were able to kayak through October 24th, maybe we could have squeezed in a couple more days but March 1rst though October 24th 2008 was an epic boating season. Darin's folks met us at the Montrose hunt club for some pheasant phun. Rocky was quite the huntin' dog. We also celebrated halloween as Horny Little Devils. Now we are beginning to hunker down for winter. I had sinus surgery and am on my way to recovery. Happy Fall to All!

My Super Model

2008-10-20T18:00:00.002-06:00

Darin is full of talent, but who knew he was a supermodel. There is a winter fashion show in Aspen and Darin strutted up and down the runway like a pro showing off the newest winter wear. I was very proud to be his date.

Uncle Darin and Aunt Natalie

2008-09-10T20:07:00.004-06:00

So I am going to be an aunt again thanks to Candice and Chris. We found out today that this time we will have a nephew. Here is a pic of my beautiful niece Tori Beth Cooke, Rusty and Erika's little girl.

Football Season

2008-09-06T19:30:00.003-06:00

We spent the last two weekends at football games. We started with the Denver vs. Packers exhibition game. We had great seats and it was my first NFL game. The following weekend we went to Vegas to see Darin's nephew Anthony play. The Anchorage team put up a good fight but in the end the Vegas kids won.

Florida Couples Vacation

2008-09-06T19:18:00.003-06:00

Candice, Chris, Darin and I hooked up and went to Florida on a vacation. Darin and I went to the Orlando Watersports Complex and wakeboarded. The deal is there isn't a boat and you are wakeboarding behind a cable pull. So since there is no wake, the park has man made rails and kickers. Super fun!
We also did Wet n Wild, some dinner shows and went out for fondue, my new favorite meal. It was hot and nice 6 of our 7 days and we enjoyed Florida vacation.

Devils Punchbowls Pics

2008-07-28T17:52:00.005-06:00

These are some shots stolen from Chris Menges at coloradokayaking.blogspot.com. Check out his full SF trip report!

NF and SF of the Crystal

2008-07-27T20:50:00.004-06:00

2008-07-27T20:23:00.003-06:00

We headed to Crystal this weekend for some waterfall fun. We got up Saturday afternoon and got a great campsite on the river just outside the metropolis of Crystal, most famous for its mill. Story goes the mill was used to power an air compressor for the mining operations. Interesting... Anyway,s our camp spot was perfect for our mission of firing up the North and South Forks of the Crystal! That afternoon we got the NF done. Four drops, everyone styled them and back to camp for some R&R before the SF.
Sunday morning we started the hike over to the SF a little sooner than expected because there were two big slides that made the road closed to our jeep. The SF is mostly unrunnable drops, but the bottom two make the Devil's Puchbowls and that was our mission. Darin styled the first one, but missed the second drop due to an auto-eject. I had a good line on the first one as well, but managed to take a bite of my paddle through my full-face helmet. A busted lip is a small price to pay for that much airtime.

Huckin' the Crystal

2008-07-18T21:51:00.002-06:00

Well at least part of it. Darin and I couldn't find anyone to go with us and didn't want to do the biggest drops without safety. So we did the two super clean drops on the North Fork a couple times and then went and scouted the South Fork of the Crystal. We plan on heading back to Crystal nexr weekend and doing the Punchbowls on the SF and Cake and Icing on the NF. Stay tuned...

2008-07-14T20:17:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Team Kellum and Dave and Lisa Kloberdanz headed to Maybell, Colorado for some adventure. Maybell is the closest place to Cross Mtn. Gorge, a beautiful section of the Yampa river. The put in to the river run is a dog heaven filled with water, dead stuff, and just being in the middle of nowhere brings out the best in the dogs.
The weekend of the 4th Darin's Mom came to visit us. We all enjoyed a firework show, with a symphony on the confluence of the Roaring Fork and the Colorado rivers. It has been an incredible summer, but it is just flying by...

2008-06-29T18:41:00.001-06:00

Kebler Pass is open and we went to Crested Butte this weekend for some couples' creekin' with Kat and David. Crested Butte is an exceptionally beautiful place and with Kebler Pass open it is only about 80 miles from our house to the OBJ campsite. Having the Jeep is perfect for the river crossings and 4X4 roads that most people have to hike to huck.

We got to CB and set up camp Friday afternoon and warmed up with a Daisy run. It was the first time Darin and I had ever done this creek. The creek is short and sweet, slide middle three times, slide right, boogie, huge boof off falls, dodge some wood and end with a slide middle. Darin and I both hucked Big Wood Falls (15') twice that night, but we didn't run Rip Your Head Off. Daisy was so fun we went back the next day after our OBJ run and fired it up again.

OBJ was at a fun level, perfectly padded and not too pushy. We ran it twice, once on Saturday and again on Sunday. Darin and I had done it once before, but now we feel like we know it. Overall it was a great weekend for Team Kellum, full of camping, jeepin', dogs and waterfalls.

High Water Colorado

2008-06-21T21:45:00.003-06:00

The Glenwood whitewater park is incredible. Last Sunday when we got home from FibArk our neighbor ask me for my autograph... Turns out I had a pretty big picture and credit in the local glenwood paper. I am side surfing, but the article is about the freestyle nationals being here.
Darin is throwing BIG blunts and his airscrews are getting BIG as well. Aerial kayaking is mesmerizing. I wish I could fly, but I am throwing okay blunts, tons of roundhouses, and am stern initiating. Super Fun.
We have also been river running- big water 2000ish Slaughterhouse. In the pic Darin is running the right line at Slaughterhouse Falls. I never thought we would go right at this drop...
I also got on Numbers at 2500. Super fast and fun. We are itchin to do more creekin' soon. Stay tuned.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Thunder Loves H2O

2008-06-21T21:30:00.003-06:00

Rocky had a rough couple weeks. He had one of his eyes operated on a Wednesday and that Tuesday we got him neutered. So for a couple weeks he was in "time out" with stitches in both ends, thankfully he has fully recovered and is swimming again.

Kellum H20

2008-05-11T20:03:00.002-06:00

Team Kellum are in action for a fantastic spring. Colorado is not warming up fast but we have had some nice days and our whitewater park is incredible! The eddies are gone about 6800 ish, but the big one is worth walking up for. Rocky is also starting to swim and we got him a PFD. Opie isn't in to swimming but he loves the scene. We are hoping to get out there and run something next weekend.

Old School Ski Day

2008-04-14T19:13:00.002-06:00

Darin took out some sticks for Snowmass closing employee party.

WOW!

2008-04-13T20:32:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday we dressed up as ski nerds and went to the Highlands closing party. Then is snowed all week long and they re opened Highlands for the Powder Posse- with five days of fresh snow and snow still coming, it was my best day ever snowboarding!

Saturday it started to warm up a little and was nice by Sunday. We went down to the GWS playpark and kayaked for a couple hours each day. The word is getting around that the park is fun and we aren't the only ones there, but with two features it hasn't got too crowded yet.

March Madness

2008-03-22T18:50:00.002-06:00

Cannot believe it, but we have quality boating in March at the Glenwood Whitewater Park. Neither of the features have a name yet. I like the boat shoot side, a technical little wave with a decent pile. The pic of Natalie blunting is on the boat shoot side. The hole side is getting good with more water, Darin was throwing loops to cartwheels, but you can't really tell in the picture.

The snow is not melting too fast though, actually we are still getting snow up top and it hasn't been too warm. All in all it is going to be an incredible summer in Colorado! Happy Easter!

Two A Days

2008-03-15T16:32:00.003-06:00

We got to enjoy a blue bird powder day and a little park n play in the same day. The snow just keeps coming this winter and it is going to make for an incredible water year this summer. The GWS play park got tweaked a little more and is fun even at the low levels of 1500 cfs. Darin did a blunt and threw some ends- still too shallow to loop. Can't wait to see what new water levels do to the park.

Snow and Sun

2008-03-02T17:35:00.002-07:00

Last weekend we built a rail in the side of our yard and spent some time snowboarding at home. This weekend has been incredible but we didn't get any pics. Saturday the weather was perfect and I got to try out the Glenwood Whitewater park. The park is not totally complete and the levels weren't ideal, but if was fun to get in the water and splash around. Then the winter weather rolled back in bringing 9 inches of new snow, so we headed out to Snowmass for another powder day. I love Colorado!

Winter Wonderland

2008-02-10T19:55:00.001-07:00

Colorado has more snow this year than we have in 25 years and it is only February! We have been enjoying some epic powder days and there is plenty of coverage to be a little daring. And while the snow keeps coming and we are enjoying winter we are also giddy about the snow pack for the summer. Colorado rivers are going to rage this year and we have a whitewater park in Glenwood. We went and checked the ww park out today- they have completed one feature and haved started the second. The first one looks good and I wonder what they'll name it? Has soon has it hits 50 degrees I'll go get a session and let everyone know how good it is. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Building the Dream

2008-01-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Construction is moving along on the Glenwood Whitewater Park. Hopefully this spring there will be an incredible wave a mile from our house.

2008 is GREAT!

2008-01-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! We had an awesome 07 and are excited about all the adventure of 2008. We have had an eagle hangong out in the tree in front of our house and last week he swooped down and caught a fish while we were watching. Our friends Lisa and Dave came over for New Year's and checked out Sunlight Mountain with us. It turns out that we have a great ski resort about 10 miles up the road. We would probably go a lot more if our lift passes were free there. We get Aspen Snowmass tickets with Darin's job, but no love at Sunlight. Anyways the puppy is growing quick- but he is learning fast too. Life is good for teamkellum.
“Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.” May you and your family be blessed in 2008!

Colorado Snow and Puppies

2007-12-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ms. Tori Beth Cooke

2007-12-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

So this little cowgirl is my niece Victoria Elizabeth Cooke. She is the only thing in the world that is sweeter than our little puppy Rocky.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Thunder

2007-12-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome the newest Team Kellum addition Rocky Mountain Chocolate Thunder. He is an 11 week old chocolate labradoodle and we will be calling him ROCKY. His mom is a black lab and his dad a standard poodle. He was given to us by an incredible guardian family at Black Canyon Doodles. www.blackcanyondoodles.com. The breed was first created for guide and service dogs to be hypoallergenic and non-shedding! We are very excited to introduce Rocky to teamkellum. Stay Tunes for more puppy pics.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We have had such an amazing year and have a lot to be thankful for. We cooked a turkey with all the fixens' and ate most of the day away. Later we took a break and went 4X4in' in our new jeep looking for the perfect Christmas tree. We found it and headed home to decorate.

Home Sweet Home

2007-10-05T21:10:00.000-06:00

We have moved into to our new house in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We have incredible views and access to the Roaring Fork River about 2 miles from the confluence for the Colorado River. Please check out the video Home Sweet Home and make your plans to visit us in the Rocky Mountains.

I Love Waterfalls!

2007-08-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

This pic is from our trip to the North Fork of the Crystal a back in July. A friend took it and just now gave it to me.

The One that Got Away

2007-08-06T21:37:00.000-06:00

(The top picture is mine.....The bottom picture is on a research boat, and shows the overall mass of these things)

Lamna ditropis. The most powerful, strong, and down-right grueling fish that I have ever faught, imagined, or seen. Let's take the story back in time....about 25 years ago, I moved to Alaska with my family. My dad and I spent every summer together on the Kenai, and Cook Inlet. I have witnessed, 15-20 100+ lbs. halibut landed in our boat, but I've never hit the century mark, to this day.
I finally hooked a big one, on August 1. We were fishing at 180 ft and I was fishin the jig....then, wham!
I got a solid hook-up, and was soon in the fight of my life. The fish was pulling at an amazingly strategic tension. It wore me into a sweaty frenzy, and I could tell everyone in the boat was getting excited when they started to look for the gun! I'm guessing it was 45 minutes into the fight, and we finally got a glimps. A shark? Not a 300 lbs Halibut? Kinda cool, but what am I gonna do with a shark? It circled under the boat a few times, but I finally got it close to the surface. Not just a shark, a really big shark, big scary big shark! We are guessing close to 10 feet, big shark! It ran, fought it another 20 minutes or so, saw it again. This time, it flicked it's tail way out of the water, and slapped the side of the boat, soaking us all!
We didn't have a leader, didn't have shark experience, never expected in a million years.......the one that got away.... and that's a good thing! 10ft Salmon Shark?!?

Fishin' in AK

2007-08-06T21:12:00.001-06:00

Darin and I were in Alaska last week to visit our family and fish. My momma jan met us up there and the three of us spent some beautiful time on the water catchin' fish. Alaska is so beautiful that even if you don't hook the big one, being in such a magical place makes fishin' fun. Luckily we caught more than our fair share of fish. I started the trip with a 25 lb. king salmon. That night my Mom nailed the first red salmon she ever hooked- which is quite the accomplishment. The next time out she got herself a 57 lb. king salmon that fought her for a half hour before we netted it. After a couple days on the Kenaii river we headed to the ocean for some halibut fishing. We fished out of Ninilchik and had an incredible day with the big one weighing in at 102 lbs. The BIG fish of the trip was a Salmon Shark that Darin hooked, but I will let him tell his own fish story... Check out the slideshow!

Gore Canyon

2007-07-22T20:43:00.001-06:00

Here are some pictues of Team Kellum running the sneak line at Gore Rapid on the headwaters of the Colorado River. Next week we are headed to Alaska for some fishin' and fun.

Creekin' Weekend

2007-07-15T20:12:00.000-06:00

So Friday morning we headed to Bailey for some high water action. At 700ish cfs the run was a lot jucier than the first time we did it. That night we drove to the Cache La Poudre and Darin got a good night's rest for a big day on the Big South. I hiked in and got some photos of slideways- the top drop a 7 foot waterfall into the bottom slide move. Sunday morning we ran the Lower Narrows of the Poudre. What a class V weekend!

South Canyon

2007-07-15T20:05:00.001-06:00

So last Thursday night Darin and I noticed that South Canyon was in at 3770 cfs. The perfect level for the miracle wave that comes into Glenwood Springs about 10 or so days a year. We had a blast throwing blunts Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. It was hard to be gone Saturday but we had to get to get some steep creekin' in on the North Fork of the Crystal.

North Fork of the Crystal

2007-07-08T16:36:00.000-06:00

2007-07-04T22:08:00.000-06:00

So Darin and I rented a Jeep out of Salida, CO and headed for a 4x4 adventure to the Devils Punchbowls. We wanted to get all the 4x4in' we could so we planned our route over Tin Cup pass. We camped on the Continental Divide Friday night and woke up to Opie with a face full of quills- he got porcupined! When we continued our adventure Saturday morning only to find that Tin Cup pass was still closed due to snow, after checkin' out the map on the snow pack we decided to give up on the punchbowls and just go 4X4in'. We made it to Pomeroy Lake and spent most of the day between 10,000'- 12,000' feet. What a way to see Colorado. After we returned the Jeep we went to Buena Vista on the way home and playboated. Darin and I also surfed the "mini-me" raft. The guys that owned the raft were pretty blown away with our rodeo rafting skills and were nice enough to snap the picture.

North Fork of the Crystal

2007-06-24T19:32:00.000-06:00

We finally made our way to the North Fork of the Crystal. There is an enchanted forest behind Marble filled with aspen groves, incredible whitewater and hard core 4X4 trails. The adventure of getting to the river combinied with stylin' a couple waterfalls made this one of our best trips ever.

Whitewater Vacation

2007-06-17T18:51:00.000-06:00

Darin and I took a week off during Colorado peak water runoff to kayak. We boated for 10 straight days. The trip started by driving over to the Ark valley and doing a Browns Canyon run. It was interesting, the "alternative" put-in cuts off 4 miles of flatwater but was a scrappy mile.After a cold play run we headed to Pueblo for some high water play park. Darin got the biggest loop of his life and we spent the whole afternoon wondering where we would go next. All the rivers were running, but Colorado can be a big state and making plans is impossible for kayakers. However after studying the map, gauges and guidebook we picked the Cache la Poudre for our next destination. On the way to the Poudre we hit up peak Clear Creek and boated to the Golden play park.
The Poudre is in the Roosevelt National Park and is the only designated Wild and Scenic River in Colorado. It was running big at 4 feet and the Class IV play section was perfect. We spent two days playin' and campin'- skankin' up the poudre! Tons of fun! After tons of downriver play we were pooped and headed to the Golden play park for a relaxing day of playboating. That night there was the Golden community rodeo and I won. Yeah! I got a free t-shirt!
We both felt like it was time for some creek boating so we headed to Bailey. This is my new favorite creek. A beautiful canyon full of 10.5 miles of incredible whitewater. New creek runs are always such an adventure because you scout, set safety and take more time on the river. I love exploring new places and Bailey was the perfect peak to our trip.
Worn out, dirty and happy we headed to Salida for the 59th annual FibArk Festival. We spent a day recouperating and got wet playing in the hole which is in the middle of the festivities. The next day we headed up and did Clear Creek of the Ark. Darin did two laps, but I saved some energy for a high water Numbers run. I playboated that run until I didn't hae anything left and called it a vacation.

2007-05-28T18:11:00.000-06:00

Independance Pass opened up so we headed over to the Arkansas Valley for some boatin'. Friday we got to Buena Vista and checked out that play park. That evening we got a session in the Salida hole and ran into our friends Dave and Lisa. We had a great cook out and the next day went with Dave to check out Clear Creek. The gorges were good, but it was low at 140 CFS. We still had a boofin' blast and I met up with Lisa for a twighlight Numbers run. We camped at a great spot and spent Sunday in Salida at the hole. We headed back over the pass and spent Sunday night on a beautiful stream near Lake Creek. Happy Memorial Day!

Back Yard Fun

2007-05-21T20:43:00.000-06:00

About 12 miles from our place the Crystal Narrows is the perfect after work run. The run drops 95 fpm and the chilly water is an after-work energy boost. These pictures are at about 1300 cfs. The bottom photo is Darin's macho man at the take-out.

Union Street Wave

2007-05-20T20:32:00.001-06:00

Darin and I headed to the Denver area to check out a play wave we heard was fun at high levels. We did some metro ghetto camping and enjoyed a full day on Union Chutes. There are like 5-6 or six man-made drops that make some waves and holes. This was not a Colorado man made play park though. Story goes the city or somebody put slabs in the river to aerate the water. Turns out they were low head dams and were dangerous. So they came back and bombed out some chutes creating some play features, but not on purpose. Not bad for an accident.

Grizzly Creek

2007-05-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

We went and checked out Grizzly Creek, a small tributary that flows into the Colorado. Darin and Jonathan were suited up and ready to go. I was hiking with two video cameras and a still camera. We came to the first river wide tree- and would pick out a takeout above it. By the third change in takeouts due to wood and some concern with the eddy situation- it became more of a hike than a scout. It ws fun to look at but needs some cleaning...

Gillman Gorge

2007-05-20T20:11:00.000-06:00

Darin and I camped eight feet from the Eagle River right outside of Minturn, Colorado. Gillman Gorge is the Eagle River flowing through a gorge that used to be home to an old mining town called Gillman. The river bed is narrow and at 300ish cfs it was a little manky with disturbing railroad trash littered throughout. Nevertheless,the camping was great and we had a good run so can check Gillman off the "list".

My First Overnighter

2007-04-30T20:27:00.000-06:00

Darin and I hooked up with some rafters online for the perfect Westwater overnighter. There were 3 rafts full of gear and food, all the amenities and empty playboats. We also enjoyed the motorboat hook up to cut out the flatwater paddle out. Our assigned campsite was only a couple miles into the gorge and we boated most of the trip all on Sunday. The weather was beautiful and I jumped off a 25 footer near the take-out. Next weekend we will be back in Tennessee...

2007-04-22T19:38:00.000-06:00

Darin and I headed to Maybell, Colorado to run Cross Mountain Gorge on the Yampa river. The level was about 2500 CFS, which was perfect for our first trip. We ran it Saturday and Sunday with our friend Michael and we hooked up with two other groups . Behind the first big rapid, The Osterizer, there were two big dead rotting cows shoved into sieves. That was pretty disgusting, but the rest of the gorge was breath-taking. Blue skies, red walls and muddy water were everywere. We also enjoyed the river front camping at the put-in. Cross Mountain Gorge was the perfect weekend trip! Where in the hell should we go next weekend?

Spring Kayaking

2007-03-25T15:33:00.000-06:00

Darin and I got out this weekend for some early season boating. We took our friend Micheal from Germany down the Shoshone for his first American whitewater experience. I felt bad that it was the Shoshone, Interstate-70 and the railroad didn't make for breath-taking scenary, but it was good fun. The next morning Darin and I went snowboarding and then that afternoon we went to check out South Canyon wave. The wave was not "in" yet, but I had a couple front surfs, a near spin and some flatwater practice. I am just so thrilled that I snowboarded and kayaked in the same day.

Sneaks Inn Hut Trip

2007-03-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of the Hut trip. Elisha, Joe, Darin and I had a blast! My favorite part was the Smores.

Birthday Ridin'

2007-03-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

On March 5th I turned 27 yrs old.To celebrate we spent the night on Snowmass Mtn. in Sneak's Inn, which is a tiny little hut on the slopes. The next morning we did some laps on the Wall, which has some pretty cool drops on it.

The Elevator

2007-02-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have heard from a couple people that on Burnt Mtn., an out-of-bounds area of Snowmass, there was en elevator that would bring you up and out to civilization. This "elevator" seemed to good to be true because it allows you to ride so much more of Burnt without having to hike. Friday we found out it is not an urban legend,there really IS and elevator on Burnt. It apparently was built by some ultra wealthy homeowners to turn their 2nd homes into "ski in-ski out" places. Thanks to some billionaire, Darin and I enjoyed some extra turns on Burnt and we got to ride an elevator in in the middle of the woods.

Colorado Snow and Sun

2007-02-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

2007-01-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

My Mom and her friend Cathy came out to visit for Christmas. The weather was perfect for our sleigh ride, we spent a day at the Aspen Club/Spa and on Christmas Day Mom, Samantha and I hit the slopes. We all took a ski class together and made our first turns. The whole trip was a blast and it was the best Christmas I have had since I was a kid.

Winter is here

2006-12-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Winter is here and the slopes are open. We have been out 4 times and have been blessed with a huge beginning of the year snow storm. We have also made some new friends to snowboard with. Friends and Family if you need to get away, make your plans to visit us in beautiful Colorado.

Shoulder Season

2006-10-22T17:10:00.000-06:00

Darin and I drove to the top of Independence Pass hoping to do a little pre-season snowboarding. Sadley the snow hadn't held from the last storm. The snow is coming down and it is not even Halloween yet.

About 100 yards from our place is the town's skatepark. Darin and I are too old to learn, but these kids are amazing.

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Strain

2006-10-08T09:36:00.000-06:00

Here's to Happy Ever After for the newlyweds Chris and Candice. They were married in Hawaii on September the 11th 2006. Check out a slideshow from their reception in Cleveland in the video bar.

Gauley, Cheoah and Ocoee

2006-10-05T19:12:00.000-06:00

Darin and I got to come home for my sister's wedding reception and we squeezed in some boating. The first weekend we got into town we headed up to West By God Virginia for the infamous Gauley River Festival. We don't have any pics because it rained whole time we were there...Tough on pictures and camping, but the boating and the party were perfect. Big thanks to Woody and Liquid Logic for the boats and the beer. We kayak our hearts out four days in a row and then headed back to visit the family in Tennessee. When we got back to TN we found out the Cheoah was running so we headed to Robinnsville, North Carolina and checked it out. Super continuous and great fun- the Cheoah was dammed for a long time and now there are all kinds of trees and bushes that make you feel like you are paddling through a jungle. After the Cheoah we did the Ocoee and then headed back to Colorado. Three rivers and a wedding trip to the southest, the perfect fall vacation.

WestWater

2006-10-04T19:56:00.000-06:00

We finally got on Westwater, but it was not for an overnighter. I am embaressed to say how sore I was after paddling 17 miles in a day. As soon as we got in the canyon we saw three bald eagles in the first 100 yards. It was a fun trip and I am looking forward to next years overnighter.

Mom and Karissa Come to Visit

2006-08-04T20:42:00.000-06:00

Pueblo Whitewater Park

2006-08-04T20:04:00.000-06:00

A while back ago Darin and I went to Salida to meet up with some folks and run Bailey. Unfortunately the water dropped out of Bailey, but we heard a rumour that the Pueblo whitewater park had epic water that had created some waves. We loaded up the van and headed straight there, but 3 hrs later when we arrived the water had dropped. No waves but a couple okay holes made in a section of the Arkansas that looks like a drainage ditch. The murals painted on the riverbed look pretty cool, and Darin made the local paper.

Exploring Yule Creek

2006-08-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

Darin and I headed up to Marble to check out more of Yule creek. We boated across a lake and then followed the creek upstream. We made into the canyon and to the the top of the first waterfall, but neither of us ran it. I did gather up some gusto and jump off of it. We will kayak Yule....Someday.

More Boating...

2006-07-03T21:08:00.000-06:00

We went and checked out Lawson, a hole on Clear Creek. We caught it on the low side but it was still one of the best spots we have been to. Check out the Lawson video. While we were on the front range we ran lower clear creek and tried out the clear creek whitewater park. When we got home the Colorado was at the level that creates South Canyon, a super cool wave, west of Glenwood Springs. Darin was getting donkey flips and I worked hard on my blunt. Check out the South Canyon video.

FibArk 2006

2006-06-20T13:21:00.000-06:00

FibArk is the oldest's whitewater festival in the nation. It takes place in the Arkansas River Valley in Salida Colorado. Natalie took 2nd place in Women's Expert Freestyle. Check out the video- FIbark

2006-06-14T18:09:00.000-06:00

Heading to Salida, CO this weekend to compete in FibArk. Here are some pics and a video of Sunday's practice session...

Marble Colorado

2006-06-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

We were craving a waterfall and headed to Marble to kayak Crystal Mill Falls- Unfortunately we needed a 4X4 and more clearance to get to up there, so we went to check out Yule Creek. It was not a kayaking trip, but it was an incredible hike. The trail runs parallel to the river and coming down the mountain are giant chunks of marble. The trail ends at the Marble Quarry- a long time ago the area was under water and the natural white rock it created by fossilized fish bones. Check out the Yule Creek-Marble slideshow in the video sidebar.

Candice and Chris are Engaged!

2006-05-26T21:04:00.000-06:00

The future Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Strain. My little sister is engaged!

WhiteWater Assault Vehicle

2006-05-25T20:40:00.000-06:00

We got a sweet little white van and have been on a couple of trips around Colorado. We headed over to the Arkansas and tested out the new playspot in Buena Vista a couple weeks ago. Next to Steamboat for some more kayaking and our camping turned out to be an advenuture when we ran in to some folks from Tennessee while poaching an amazing campsite. This past weekend we were back at the Arkansas running Royal Gorge, a super fun trip with huge waves and a cool canyon. We also ripped up the Salida playpark and spent some time at the upper Buena Vista park. The van is a huge step-up for our camping trips- she gets 20 miles to the gallon and sleeps like a Winnebago. With the van and our new kayaks is going to be an awesome summer!

Tennessee Trip

2006-05-13T19:23:00.000-06:00

We headed to Tennessee for our "shoulder season" break. We got to spend a day on the lake and I managed to water ski and wakeboard.(Check out the video-Lake Ocoee) We picked up our new kayaks and boated the Ocoee and Chattooga. One of the days on the Ocoee the water was a little high and we spent the whole day surfing Hell Hole. Darin officially gave me credit for my 1rst blunt. We also got to hang put with a lot of friends and family. I ate enough of my granny's food to last me for a year. It wasn't all fun and games though, we used the trip to move the last of my things from TN to CO. This is the first time since high school that all of my stuff is under one roof. Yippee!

Home Sweet Home...

2006-02-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Darin and I have bought a home in Carbondale, Co. It is a small town about 30 miles outside of Aspen snuggled in at the base of Mount Sopris. The Roaring Fork and the Crystal River join together in town before draining into the Colorado River in the next city, Glenwood Springs. The rumour is that they are starting construction on a whitewater park in Glenwood Springs next Feb. and in Carbondale in 2008. This valley is an incredible place. We will be within 2 hrs. of 10+ ski resorts.(my job gets us free lift tickets at 8 of them). There is a natural hot springs a couple miles from our new place, gold medal fishing on two rivers in town, and the mountain biking is epic. Our place is a condo with three bedrooms and two baths;the master suite is bigger the than the the entire apartment we have been living in.(Take a virtual tour- videos-Home Sweet Home) We are so excited and cannnot wait to show the place off! Come visit us in the "ultimate Rocky Mountain hideaway". (check out the national geographic article link)

Check out the Winter X games

2006-02-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Winter X Games takes place in Aspen every year near the end of January. It is crazy to see how easy the pros make it look. Check out the video in side bar.

Paragliding

2006-01-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Aspen is so full of adventure! A couple of days after New Year I got to go paragliding. I rode a lift to the top of the mountain and literally took off snowboarding into the sky. Check out the video Top of the World! There is also some footage of the Highlands Bowl.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Darin sizes up this drop on Baby Ruth run at Snowmass. He had a pretty good line but he scrapped the small rock on his way down.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2005-12-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Darin and I ordered a digital camcorder for ourselves, from Santa. Hopefully we will have some more videos posted soon. Happy Holidays!

Pheasant Huntin'

2005-11-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Halloween

2005-11-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Darin was the perfect Hugh Hefner, and his bunny's weren't too shabby.

Mom checking out the infamous Maroon Bells.

Vegas Vacation

2005-10-20T10:04:00.001-06:00

For Darin's 30th birthday we went to Las Vegas and stayed at the Ritz Carlton. The hotel is beautiful, we had a room with a balcony that overlooked Lake Las Vegas and the Ponte Vecchio. We met up with Darin's sister Kathy and enjoyed two shows. Friday night we saw the "Blue Men", which was incredible performance of visual simulations, music, audience participation and a digital narrator. Saturday night we went to "Zumanity" which is a Cirque du Soleil production and it was amazing. It was basically a nude circus act, but not trashy, very artistic and fun. We also went to the Bellagio and checked out the fountain show. We did gamble a little, but we didn't win. Monday morning we went and checked out Hoover Dam. I was shocked by some of the security for a Dam, but this thing is huge.

After Hoover Dam we headed home, the long way, checking out some National Parks. We drove through Zion National Park and camped on the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park. The next morning we headed to Moab, Utah to see the Arches. We ended up renting an ATV and taking our own tour. It was so much fun to ride a 4 wheeler in the desert, surrounded by awesome rock formations and views everywhere we turned.

After Moab we headed back to Aspen. It rained the next morning, and gave us enough water in Slauterhouse to squeeze in some kayaking. The river was low, but tons of fun and the fall leaves were beautiful. There is snow on the mountains, but it wasn't too cold to get a little more boatin' in.

Fall and Fishing

2005-10-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

Vintage Darin- the fish were much bigger back then...

Honeymoonin'

2005-10-07T23:22:00.000-06:00

On our honeymoon Darin woke me up before dawn... to go surfing. We were up early and enjoyed sunrise on the beach. Neither of us had ever surfed before, but both of us caught a couple waves.

OPIE

2005-10-07T22:58:00.000-06:00

Opie is an adventurous little mutt. He was in our wedding, and since then has gone about everywhere we have. Opie stayed one night at the Ritz Carlton in Vail, where they not only allowed pets, they spoil them. The first photo is Opie and I with the Maroon Bells in the background. Then we have Opie posing at Beaver Lake in Marble, and with Darin in Lincoln Creek. Last but not least, Opie and Darin roughing it while we camped at Gore Canyon.

Snowmobiling in Vail

2005-10-07T22:34:00.000-06:00

For Valentine's Day we got a call from our buddy, Patrick Morgan, who was working in Vail as a snowmobile guide. We took a powder tour and eventually Darin and Patrick showed off on a kicker. It was a blast! That night we stayed 100 feet from the Gondola in Vail, and went snowboarding the next morning. It was by far my best Valentine's Day ever.

Tallulah Gorge

2005-10-07T22:20:00.000-06:00

Natalie sliding Oceana for the first time, October 2004

Oh-Be-Joyful

2005-10-05T17:03:00.000-06:00

We started the day with the Upper East, warming up for Oh-Be-Joyful in Crested Butte, CO. The put-in for the East is a stream that trinkles right under a bridge, but in no time you come to your first horizon line, and the slide begins. The run is less than a mile, and it felt like we were sliding the entire run. We hike through an incredible field of purple flowers, before heading to Oh-Be-Joyful. OB is just a few minutes down a dirt road. The run is on the other side of the SLate river so we hiked the entire run, because we weren't in a 4x4 to drive across the Slate river. The entire hike we were scouting and getting excited. I was a little more than my typical nervous, but I love waterfalls, and this run had several. The put-in is just above a 15 foot waterfall, we called Oh-Be-Ready. Then big slide, another 15 foot waterfall. rapid into 28 foot waterfall and a couple more slides. I rolled above the big waterfall. caught a micro-eddy and forced Darin to lead . He had a great line, but as I turned to watch I slipped out of my eddy, bobbled my paddle and had to go for it. I had a good line, and a great landing, but I wasn't graceful. I had my fun, and took out above the Beaver Dam rapid. Darin and Dave Kloberdanz styled the beaver and made the huge slide look easy. Crested Butte is one of the most beautiful places we boated this year and OB is the funnest river I have ever done.

For more OBJ pics check out the Water Slideshow

DK and friends stylin' the Crystal

2005-10-05T16:56:00.000-06:00

TEAM Kellum Alaskan Adventure

2005-10-05T15:29:00.000-06:00

A week before we got married, Darin and I took a trip to Alaska. We did a lot of fishing, and were able to bring back enough meat to serve at our rehearsal dinner. I caught a 57 lb. king salmon on the Kenai River in Soldotna, thanks to Dad Kellum and Kings Kitchen. We also went halibut fishing in Homer and took a tour of Seward. During the trip I saw a whale, sea otters, a wolf, an eagle and a moose. The trip was an awesome pre-wedding stress reliever and gave us a chance to see Darin's family that could not come to the wedding.