http://blog.firstascent.com THE FIRST ASCENT BLOG Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:11:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/06/14/darin-mcquoid-gets-first-hand-look-at-tsunami-destruction-on-japan-kayak-expedition/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/06/14/darin-mcquoid-gets-first-hand-look-at-tsunami-destruction-on-japan-kayak-expedition/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:34:00 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=7814 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/06/14/darin-mcquoid-gets-first-hand-look-at-tsunami-destruction-on-japan-kayak-expedition/feed/ 2 Story and photos by Darin McQuoid Things were lining up perfectly for 16 days kayaking with friends in a well-developed country that hides a surprising amount of un-run rivers. With the world’s third largest economy and stable political conditions, what can go wrong? Non-refundable tickets bought, and a week later everything changes. On March 11, [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/27/darin-mcquoid-and-friends-net-a-kayaking-first-descent-in-the-california-snow/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/27/darin-mcquoid-and-friends-net-a-kayaking-first-descent-in-the-california-snow/#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:04:54 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=6623 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/27/darin-mcquoid-and-friends-net-a-kayaking-first-descent-in-the-california-snow/feed/ 0 By Darin McQuoid Who would have thought, two first descents in one week and both in the mecca of kayaking, California. It’s normal for our schedules to be dictated by weather in this wonderful sport. Be it waiting for snow to melt or rain to fall, finding water in the river and having a flexible [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/20/darin-mcquoid-explores-backyard-first-descents-in-california/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/20/darin-mcquoid-explores-backyard-first-descents-in-california/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:30:40 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=6503 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/20/darin-mcquoid-explores-backyard-first-descents-in-california/feed/ 5 By Darin McQuoid Early in the morning I get a call. Hazy from sleep, I distinguish a few key words: “hike,” “first descent,” ”waterfall.” A mission is born. I pack up as quickly as possible and head out. According to Google this one is only an hour and a half away, remarkably close to home in [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/15/first-ascent-kayak-team-successfully-completes-first-descent-of-mubuko-river-uganda/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/15/first-ascent-kayak-team-successfully-completes-first-descent-of-mubuko-river-uganda/#comments Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:27:48 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3646 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/15/first-ascent-kayak-team-successfully-completes-first-descent-of-mubuko-river-uganda/feed/ 0 Ben Stookesberry: “We actually made it down out of the Mountains of the Moon in a couple days… We made it out with heavy rain the last day of the trail, hiking about 6,000 feet out down out of the mountains. We were literally swimming down the trail in spots… The river was at a [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayaker-jesse-coombs-recaps-climb-in-rwenzori-mountains-uganda/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayaker-jesse-coombs-recaps-climb-in-rwenzori-mountains-uganda/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:23:39 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3615 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayaker-jesse-coombs-recaps-climb-in-rwenzori-mountains-uganda/feed/ 3 By Jesse Coombs The kayak team spent five days in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda. They are called the Mountains of the Moon and are a World Heritage Site. It is also was believed (and possibly still argued by some) to be the source of the Nile. Regardless, this was an amazing place, and the [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayak-team-summits-third-highest-peak-in-africa/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayak-team-summits-third-highest-peak-in-africa/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:18:14 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3625 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/first-ascent-kayak-team-summits-third-highest-peak-in-africa/feed/ 0 Ben Stookesberry: “We’re at the top of Margherita Peak, the highest point in the Ruwenzori Mountains – the fabled Mountains of the Moon and the third highest peak in Africa at 16,700 some-odd-feet. The weather was absolutely not kind to us, although it certainly could have been worse… A lot of glacier work, some mixed terrain [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/the-first-ascent-kayak-team-calls-in-from-the-alexandria-glacier-at-15000-feet/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/the-first-ascent-kayak-team-calls-in-from-the-alexandria-glacier-at-15000-feet/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:14:29 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3620 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/10/the-first-ascent-kayak-team-calls-in-from-the-alexandria-glacier-at-15000-feet/feed/ 0 Ben Stookesberry: “…Calling in from the base of the Alexandra Glacier… We’re up here on the glaciers feeding the Nile. We’re literally about 15 minutes off the equator and we’re going to head down right now. Chris stayed down below. He got a little bit of a headache last night. Hopefully he’ll join us at [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-scouts-largest-section-of-whitewater-on-victoria-nile-uganda/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-scouts-largest-section-of-whitewater-on-victoria-nile-uganda/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:59:51 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3570 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-scouts-largest-section-of-whitewater-on-victoria-nile-uganda/feed/ 0 The First Ascent kayak team checks-in to talk about the largest section of whitewater it has seen yet during its Africa expedition. “This is where the biggest section of whitewater exists… and we have a really high level here. Right now what I’m looking it is a really swollen Victoria Nile River, somewhere in the [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-encounters-dam-projects-on-the-victoria-nile-in-uganda/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-encounters-dam-projects-on-the-victoria-nile-in-uganda/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:25:45 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3562 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/02/fa-kayak-team-encounters-dam-projects-on-the-victoria-nile-in-uganda/feed/ 0 Ben Stookesberry called-in from the banks of the Victoria Nile River in Uganda to talk about dam projects, their impact on the local communities and what’s ahead for the team. “This dam project three miles down that we came to is something that the kayakers are pretty sad about. It’s covering a world-class section of [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/01/fa-kayakers-complete-stage-one-of-white-nile-expedition-in-africa/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/01/fa-kayakers-complete-stage-one-of-white-nile-expedition-in-africa/#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:30:55 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3558 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/11/01/fa-kayakers-complete-stage-one-of-white-nile-expedition-in-africa/feed/ 0 By Ben Stookesberry Stage one of several has been completed here in Uganda, Africa. Chris Korbulic, Darin McQuoid, Jesse Coombs, and I landed on the Northern edge of Lake Victoria in Kampala, exactly 30 hours after leaving Reno, Nevada. Incredibly, $400 was all that it took to transport our kayaks along with a few hundred [...]