Whitewater paddling had a surge in popularity in the U.S. back in the early 1970s. Reasons included the release of the film Deliverance in 1971; the Olympic debut of whitewater slalom in 1972, where Maryland native Jamie McEwan delighted U.S. audiences with an unexpected bronze medal in the men's single canoe class; and the wilderness paddling feats of Idahoan Walt Blackadar, who in 1971 made a daring solo first descent of Turnback Canyon of the Alsek River in British Columbia.
In 1973, ABC Television decided to get in on the act by featuring McEwan and Blackadar on a trip down the Colorado River in Grand Canyon for its "American Sportsman" program. Pictured above is McEwan as he approaches a rapid. You can watch the episode, along with footage of McEwan's bronze-medal-winning Olympic run, here.
Meanwhile, my own Grand Canyon launch date is just over two months away.
For more information on what this blog is about, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment