CanoeSport Outfitters

Our Tybee Island 2022 trip review

Jeff outlines his 7 favorite river routes in Iowa

Being a participant in a guided trip can greatly reduce the stress and time required to organize and execute a trip of your own.

Paddling the Little Sioux: “Alright. You be careful and don’t get lost,” she said. I gave her a quizzical look and responded, “Um. It’s a river, it goes in one direction. How could I get lost?” I responded.

I have led over 2 dozen wilderness destination trips and countless instructional lessons and have been fortunate to never have a serious medical emergency occur to a student or myself. This December I had the opportunity to travel to Landmark Learning an affiliate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and take part in a 9-day intensive Wilderness First Responder (WFR or pronounced 'woofer') course, which blew any of my previous training out of the water!

At 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 15th, eleven University of Iowa students, my co-guide from Grinnell College, and myself piled into two University vehicles and headed out for Hall’s Crossing on Lake Powell in Utah to spend the week on Spring Break.

After more than thirty years at CanoeSport Outfitters, I’m still frequently asked, “How did you come to start a paddling store in Indianola, Iowa?” The simple answer is I loved to paddle, knew there were few suppliers of paddling equipment in Iowa, needed to earn a living, and was living in Indianola at the time the idea came to me. Those four things in combination provided the motivation to start a store and locate it where I did. While many are satisfied with this short ans