{"id":1530,"date":"2011-10-14T08:01:01","date_gmt":"2011-10-14T15:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ireneskayakingblog.com\/?p=1530"},"modified":"2021-07-11T23:33:02","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T06:33:02","slug":"video-susitna-river-first-descent-aka-kayaking-masters-of-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ireneskayakingblog.com\/paddle-trips\/video-susitna-river-first-descent-aka-kayaking-masters-of-the-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Video: Susitna River First Descent (aka, Kayaking Masters of the Universe)"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is the most incredible video, taken in the 1970’s, of the first descent of the Susitna River in Alaska.<\/strong> I am totally awed by the massive water these guys go through in old school boats and gear of that time – no Gore-Tex, no foam core paddles, no big-water hull shapes. This video has no sound, it’s just plain awesome on its own. (Check out the sequence at 3:38 – amazing.)<\/p>\n According to the YouTube comments on the poster’s channel<\/a> and also a Canoe and Kayak article<\/a>, the paddlers included Walt Blackadar, Darwon Stoneman, and Mike Huges, and the film was made by Barney Griffith.<\/p>\n Apparently this run was in part a response to a proposed dam project on the Susitna, which was abandoned in the 1980’s. Ironically, in checking around for this post I saw that there’s now a new proposal for a Susitnu dam<\/a>, which the Coalition for Susitna Dam Alternatives<\/a> says has the potential to be “destructive on a massive scale” to salmon runs and caribou habitat – no big surprise. But Governor Parnell appears to be gung-ho, and according to the papers plans are moving forward fast<\/a>. This would be the 8th tallest dam on earth, but according to that article, would generate only 280 to 300 megawatts of electricity per year.<\/p>\n