Pat KellerStory Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, I was always playing outside in a creek or in the woods, but my favorite times were always when my dad and I would go on our weekend kayaking trip with some of his buddies. For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to the rivers and cant wait till my next ride down one. When I was only nine years old, I tore my ACL in my right knee, limiting the amount of different sports I could do. I focused all of my energy on kayaking, got really lucky a few times, and now here I am.
Personal wrecks/breaks:
I've tweaked my back and hit my head countless times, shattered my hand (which required a metal plate and six screws to fix) cracked a thumb, broke a rib on my left, separated a rib on my right, partially dislocated my shoulder and broken my nose...
What were a few moments that really got your adrenaline going?
- Any time I am living in the moment of freefall or dealing with a big rapid.
- Same for flying through the air with two wheels underneath me.
- Starting the hike into the Middle Kings River, 12 miles up and over the Sierras via Bishop Pass (11,972 ft with kayak on back and 6 days worth of food and camping equipment in said kayak), to then paddle 31 miles of some of the most difficult whitewater in the country.
- The first time I turned down into the wrong slot on the Mosley Creek in British Columbia, where the river simply ended and went underneath a huge rock...got real lucky there
- Seeing a good friend drown back in '03. That really got me thinking about safety on the rivers.
How do you put your Suunto to use?When on kayaking missions to new rivers, it can be really hard to tell how far you've gone in a day. It can be crucial to know what elevation you're at and where you are in a particular run as far as knowing when to stop and set up camp. Down in Brazil and in California this year, we would utilize the altimeter to get a good grip on how much gradient we had dropped on the run, and knowing that helped us gauge where we were on the river.
The Storm Alarm feature also allows us to know when to be weary about the river flash flooding on us, so we don't get caught off-guard when a downpour up higher on the river catches up to us. Thanks guys, this watch is awesome!
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ProfileName: Pat Keller
Hometown: Asheville, NC, USA
Sports: Kayaking, mtn biking, motocross, skiing...but in the water I feel most at home.
Website: http://granitecanyonsrunningwater.blogspot.com/
Main achievements
- Winner of the 2006 Green River Race in both the long boat and short boat category
- Largest freefalling waterfall descent (see photo) on La Paz Falls in Verablanca, Costa Rica at 82 ft.
- First successful descent of Toxaway Falls in Cashiers, NC.
- Member of first descent crew of the final gorge of the Roaring River in Kings Natl Park in July 07.
- Claimed third descent of 'Chuck Kern Falls' on the Royal Gorge of the North Fork American in July 06.
- Silver Medal in Junior Freestyle World Championships at age 16.
- Youngest person to have kayaked Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River in Oregon. (68 ft. 16 years old)
- First Descent of the Mangler Rapid on the Ravens Fork River in Cherokee, NC
- Member of the groups to drop off of Looking Glass Falls (NC) and the Ashlu River (BC, Canada) at the highest water levels on record.
- Winner of the Val Sesia Extreme Race, Italy and the Homestake Extreme Race in Vail, CO in 2003
Goals for the future
- Continue to explore and play in the drainage ditches of the world...
- Try to reclaim my title at the Green River Extreme Race in November.
- Hurt myself less.
- Get my Health and Wellness Promotion Degree and go to Nursing School
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