Ecuador 2002
Nine of us paddlers are on are way to Tena, the whitewater mecca of Ecuador. We found a driver whose vehicle used to be an old ambulance. Getting out with all our gear and avoiding the pick pocketing bus- station of…
Paddling Turnback Canyon with Bob-1996
Bob phoned and said a group of Israelis were doing the Alsek River and heli-portaging Turnback Canyon. This meant an empty helicopter ride for us back to Haines Junction and a relatively cheap trip. I wondered if I was good…
Swimming with Bob
One of the fun things about packrafting is that almost every flip is a swim. I think Bob always found it amusing to tally up the number of flips at the end of a river trip on his packraft courses.…
Exercise Beaufort Ranger
In March 2014 Whitehorse Patrol Rangers Bob Daffe, Pat Hogan and Tom Nelson along with Carcross Ranger Chris Cassia were part of an exercise that began on the land at Eagle Plains and travelled along the winter road and Porcupine…
I screwed that one up
A few years ago, I helped Bob and Theresa guide a Japanese film crew down the Alsek river to Dry Bay, at the beginning of a record high water year. We paddled the upper section in howling headwinds all the…
My Memories of Bob
His cheeky wit. One week before I was meeting Bob and Theresa in California for a paddling road trip, I stepped off an uneven curb and heard a pop. Sprained ankle. Determined to go I made it to a clinic,…
Ruminations on my buddy
One doesn't appreciate at the time, that a chance meeting would lead to a 45-year friendship, a friendship which would, in retrospect, define one's youth and be the stepping stone for a life of adventure. It's only with age that…
The Sieve
My story with Bob is not unique. I am one of many individuals that were mentored by him in the world of whitewater kayaking, rafting, and most recently packrafting. What’s different is that I had the opportunity to work for…
Bob and Outdoor Education
“I am a strong believer in outdoor education as it prepares kids for any type of job involving the wilderness and, personal recreational enjoyment, in a place where the majority of the territory is wilderness. Outdoor-ed also gives the non-academic…
Bob Daffe Matches Wits with our Kidnappers
It had been at least 2 days we had been held hostage at this point, possibly 3, really not sure as the time bleeds when you are under heavy anxiety with fear of the threat of imminent harm from our…
Beating the Darkness
Once upon a time on Rose Lake, paddling with Bob on ancestors of recent packrafts, it was getting late. It was getting dark, windy, and a storm was coming. "How far you wanna go Bob?", I asked."You better take your…
Too much action on the Tat
Years after my first paddle on the Tat, Bob mentioned that there was too much action on the Tat that day! Do you believe it? It’s true. Read on. After countless days and months of practicing my rolls and my…