Rob has a BA in International Affairs and a Masters in Education. As part of the Kamchatka Project Team, Rob will be creating and implementing the education curriculum outcomes of the project. Rob has led kayaking expeditions in seven countries and will be the lead contact for on-the-ground logistics while in Kamchatka.
Originally from Ithaca, New York, Rob currently resides in the kayaking Mecca of Hood River, OR, where he runs an alternative public high school. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from The George Washington University with a BA in International Affairs, Rob traveled to far reaches of the earth in search of new rivers to explore. Rob has paddled in 9 countries on three continents, and has numerous first descents in the US and overseas. The desire to run new rivers is what drives Rob to embrace the hardships of traveling in the third world with a kayak.
In addition to successfully completing the highest known descent of the Cotahuasi River in Peru, Rob has notched several very hard multi-day expeditions in his kayaking career, including: the highest water descent of the Dean River in northern British Columbia, the fabled Middle Kings River and Upper Cherry Creek in California, The Upper Perth River in New Zealand and a 10 day self support kayak trip down the Grand Canyon in January. Rob has published accounts of several of these trips, and enjoys sharing these experiences in writing with a larger audience. In Rob’s eyes, the heart and soul of kayaking is found in expedition kayaking trips to remote and unknown rivers. The teamwork and personal accountability that is necessary to complete a difficult river forges forms a bond between friends that would take years to form in other parts of life.
Rob runs a small alternative school that is quickly becoming a leader in technology integration and outdoor leadership in Oregon. Rob envisions a future for the school where his travels and the experiences of his students become more closely linked. Rob is currently leading a team which received a $40,000 grant from Hewlett-Packard to conduct a risk assessment model for pesticide use in the Hood River Valley. For Rob, kayaking and education are two passions which are inextricably linked to exploring new rivers.
Loading ...How we handle the unpredictability of traveling is what separates adventure from disaster. We missed the final leg of our flight to Kamchatka by five minutes as a result of a very slow customs line and a few bags that showed up three hours after the rest of our gear. With no flight till the [...]
