Today I am going to take the inflatable whitewater sup board to Bear river to get some river time in. My first stop is going to be the Bear ponds to check out this flat water spot. Evanston has put a lot of effort and money on to make this a fun place for recreational paddling from new paddlers, beginner paddlers, and advanced paddlers. It is important to have a removable center fin center fin on your inflatable paddle boards if you are going to be doing rivers. On flat water this is not as much of a concern unless it is really shallow flat water.

Bear Ponds

At the Bear Ponds, a few folks were out paddling boarding and enjoying the day, it was great to see the original yellow paddle boards out there, many paddle board brands now try to imitate our products. So it is nice to see the original and best inflatable paddle boards and hardboards in the wild. They let me know that even with the recent rains the whitewater park was still fairly low.

Evanston Whitewater park.

They were right, the water was fairly low. Luckily I had brought the right board for the whitewater park. With the durability of the Glide paddle boards, I was confident we would be fine. The wave was small and not the best surfing spot currently, so I decided to paddle down the river a bit before making my way back to the truck to either find another section of the bear river or a different river altogether.

Checking the conditions it looked like the Snake River was a good destination so I packed up and decided to drive a few more hours to get some fun play-in on the Lochsa.

Snake River

I think they should rename it to nope rope river or danger noodle river. The river was flowing nicely and was beautiful crystal clear blue. This was going to be a fun time with Lochsa and a perfect location for my office for the day. Before hitting the river a quick bite and some water was the next move. Creekside Market and Deli made a great place to stop and get something quick.

It looked like I may be spending the night as I wanted to get a run or two on this section and then head down to Oxbow Bend for a scenic river paddle. The 02 Lochsa was a dream, shot through some class I and II rapids like a dream, and found a small wave to spend some time on. The inflatable sup board is a dream on the river and will bring a smile to your face every time, and does remarkably well on flat water as well. On my first run down the river, I wound up hicking back and was grateful for the lightweight board. On the second run of this section, I had a blast again and was loving the day. The rapids approached and the excitement of being on the inflatable sup 02 Lochsa was back as I prepared to shoot the rapids. Something about being on a high-performance board that just makes a difference. This time on the way back a group of fishermen offered me a ride back up river.

Oxbow Bend

The Drive to Obow bend was scenic and made for a relaxing drive. When I arrived near where I wanted to launch I scouted for a spot to set up camp before getting a sunset paddle board session in.

The Following Morning

The following morning I set out early for a sunrise paddle. I was looking forward to getting this inflatable paddle board back on the river and with luck spot some wildlife. The morning was pleasantly cool, making me wonder what the water temperature was, turns out not as warm as one would think for a summer day.

As I made the first run of the river I practiced getting some speed and turns on the inflatable sup to get warmed up. The gurgling of the river and cool morning air made me want to curl up and sleep a little longer. Although the outstanding performance of the Lochsa had my senses fully awake and ready to tackle anything that came my way.

As I paddled down river, I was able to see some incredible wild life as the birds flitted about. At the rivers edge starting to swim across was a gorgeous moose. Once again I was glad to have the right board as I was able to use the high performance board to quickly put some distance between Mr Moose and I. At the take out I took a few moments to soak in the peacefulness of this section of river before I started to make my way back to the truck, happy to have such a light board.

On the way back to camp I did not see the moose again, although I kept an eye out. I did see plenty of other wildlife along the way. I decided that once I made the walk back to the truck I would break open some breakfast and then drive the truck to the take out and make the walk back up river for another river run on the Lochsa.

After a cold breakfast it was time to get to the take out. I left the inflatable paddle board at camp and headed for the take out. And then for the walk back to the river sup board. If you have not had the chance to paddle the 02 Lochsa, I am not sure how to describe it other than magical. From the way it cuts through flat water, to how it glides like a dream through rapids with its specially designed rails and rockers this board leaves you thinking this is to good to be real. And for me it is just another day at the office. You owe it to yourself to experience what this high performance board can do.

Where did you paddle today? Let us know at #glidesup.