The Stikine River has always been a mystery to expedition whitewater paddlers. A descent of this class 5-6 river has interested me since I started paddling 10 years ago. Described by many top paddlers as the "Mount Everest" of kayaking, the Stikine is one of the most physically and mentally demanding kayak expeditions.

The river cuts through a harsh mountain range in NW British Columbia on its descent to the Pacific Ocean. The environment is rugged and uninviting. Narrow gorges, huge hydraulics, and exposure to the elements present a significant risk of injury or death to anyone who attempts the canyon, even at low water levels.

Since the first descent in 1983 by Rob Lesser and Rick Fernald, many attempts to run the canyon have been made - some successful and others resulting in disaster. When my friend Jay Kincaid called me about doing the Stikine, I jumped at the opportunity.

At the time of Jay's call in early September, I was in eastern Canada, competing at the Ottawa Rodeo. The plan was to check out the river for filming a new paddling video, and after our first scouting run, Chris Emerick would paddle with us and shoot footage for his next video. I made plans to meet jay in British Columbia since he would be driving from our home state of Oregon. Jay arranged much of the logistics and travel plans. All I had to do was find a boat that would work for the big water we would be paddling, and make the drive across the country to meet Jay.

"...we noticed some of the rivers and side streams we were crossing looked unseasonably high and brown."

I met Jay on the 15th of September 2000 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and we started on our 23-hour drive north to the Stikine. During the drive, we discussed the river and some of the previous descents that had been done since Lesser and Fernald's first run. When we were in northern BC, we noticed some of the rivers and side streams we were crossing looked unseasonably high and brown. Jay had checked flows on the 12th, and although the weather in the area had been wet, we had no idea how much it had rained. On the evening of the 16th, we arrived at the long steel bridge that crosses the Stikine.

As we crossed the river on the Alcan Highway, we saw the size and power of the river. We drove down to the put-in below the bridge to get a first hand look at the Stikine and to check the gauge that was supposed to be located under the bridge. As we drove down to the put-in, we noticed a sign above the boat ramp, warning of the dangerous canyon downstream. The sign read, "No craft should travel downstream from this point. Those who ignore this warning will experience certain death."