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.

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.

The First Ascent kayak team—Ben Stookesberry, Jesse Coombs, Darin McQuoid and Chris Korbulic—has embarked upon a new expedition in Africa, inspired by 19th-century searches for the source of the Nile and ensuing expeditions into the Upper Congo.

  By Jesse Coombs A few years back, we arrived in Hood River, OR, to promote a show that evening. We knew we had a day off from our First Descent: Hotel Charley, Vol 5 tour before heading to our next show

First Ascent kayaker Jesse Coombs shares his tips and tricks for traveling to remote corners of the world with kayak in tow. By Jesse Coombs I’m often asked, “How do you get your gear across the world?”

First Ascent kayakers Ben Stookesberry and Jesse Coombs will answer your questions and talk about expedition kayaking live on Twitter on Thursday, Aug. 26, at noon PST.

In the previous entries of this expedition, First Ascent kayakers Jesse Coombs, Ben Stookesberry, Darin McQuoid and friends struggled to portage around a 1,000-foot descent of falls at Barranca de Piaxtla in Mexico.