About 38 weeks pregnant with Alfie. Better abs here than I have now.

When I was pregnant with my first babe I had pregnancy advice coming at me left, right and centre; all of it well-intentioned, some of it contradictory, and most of it going in one ear and out the other because #pregnancybrain followed by #sleepdeprivation. With some of the advice, my well-intentioned friends might as well have been speaking another language. Now that I have two babies, and the benefit of hindsight, I thought I’d put pen to paper in case it may be useful to someone else out there.

1. 1. There is no ‘right’ cot/bassinet/pram/car seat/insert other high value baby goods here.

I am not an efficient person. My usual modus operandi is to over-research in a haphazard way, second-guess my decision, third-guess my decision and then return to my original decision, having achieved nothing that I couldn’t have achieved in 1/17th the time I actually spent. But beyond choosing something that meets safety standards there really isn’t a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ decision. And even if there was, your baby probably wouldn’t realise it.

 2. Use the time before baby is born to rest.

Oh lord, I really really REALLY wish I’d taken this pregnancy advice. Instead, I ran around like a woman who’d had her first taste of freedom from the 9-5 in about 15 years… catching up with friends, not resting, going for long walks, not resting, buying random baby things I’d never use, not resting etc. etc. etc. until labour. And let me tell you, I have not rested since.

3. Don’t stress about having the nursery set up before bub arrives.

I was hell-bent on having Alfie’s nursery perfectly set up in time for my baby shower, which was about two months before he was even due… talk about unnecessary pressure! And given we didn’t move him out of our room and into said nursery until he was around 10 weeks (when his strange grunting sleep noises finally got the better of us), there was about 4.5 months that the nursery was useful to exactly zero people. I learned from my mistakes with Charlie, whose cot was madly hammered together the day that we moved him into it.

4. Have an idea of how you’d like your baby’s birth to go, but be flexible and listen to the experts.

OK to be fair I did listen to this pregnancy advice. I’d had dreams of a drug-free birth, picturing myself relaxing in a warm bath as the contractions washed over me like waves on a beach… hahahaha good lord I was naive. At 36 weeks we found out that there were some issues with Alfie’s growth, and so we made a plan for induction right on term (assuming I didn’t go into labour naturally beforehand). If you aren’t aware, induction speeds up the process of labour so your body doesn’t have enough time to produce the oxytocin to help counteract the pain, and it comes on F A S T. These factors, among others that are too far above my pay grade to understand, mean that you’re more likely to need an epidural with an induced labour. And need I did. Was it the way I dreamt things would go? No. But did that matter, when I held a healthy (albiet scrawny) baby in my arms? Also no.

After the trauma of Alfie’s birth, I became quite anxious as Charlie’s due date drew nearer. Particularly as he was shaping up to be almost a kilo heavier than Alfie was. At around 38 weeks we made the decision to have an elective caesarean. It was an emotional decision for me, but the right one. My physical and mental recovery was tens of times better than it was with Alfie.

About 37 weeks pregnant with Charlie, ft. my regrettable mum-bob.

5. Don’t get carried away with cutesie newborn clothes… onesies all the way for the first few months

Baby clothes are probably the sweetest little things on earth, and it’s possible that I went a little overboard on some of the less practical items. Sure, some people are all about dressing their tiny tot up for every outing they make, but it turns out that I am not one of those people. All my boys wore for the first few months of their lives were zip-up onesies and I cannot recommend this approach highly enough. Spending half your life re-adjusting your little one’s clothing is not a good time.

6. Don’t feel uncomfortable asking unvaccinated friends and family not to visit until after your babe has ben vaccinated

I don’t know why this is such an uncomfortable conversation, but even though I knew it was my family, and my choice, I never quite knew how to approach the conversation with friends and family. But if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that there are still a lot of people out there who don’t take risks seriously, and that means my family’s health is my responsibility and my decision (and I don’t need to feel weird about it!).

7. You may not feel like exercising again straight away

This piece of pregnancy advice was possibly the most shocking for me. I remember having a conversation with my Pilates teacher a few weeks before Alfie was due, and telling her quite confidently that I’d be back on deck before my six-week post-natal check. LOL. Nearly three years later and I’m still navigating a bumpy return to training.

and on that…

8. Be proud of your new body

You’ve just grown a human, carried him for nine months, then birthed him… that’s kind of a big deal. And whether you had an easy or difficult pregnancy, whether you gave birth vaginally or via a caesarean section, whether you developed stretch marks, have loose skin, pelvic floor issues, or whether you have all or none of the above, I’ll say it again… you grew, carried and birthed a baby!

I have spent most of my adult life priding myself on my strength and fitness and – on a more subconscious level – the aesthetic benefits of being strong and fit, so it was quite a humbling experience to realise that there were many things my body could no longer do particularly well. From the physical (like running) to the vanity-driven (like filling out the butt of a pair of jeans). But as I continue to work through these changes, as I will be doing for quite some time, I have a growing sense of pride of all the things my body CAN do. Like make a toddler feel safe in the middle of the night and nourish a baby with milk produced by my own body.

Phew. There you have it. If little of it makes sense to you yet, bookmark this page and come back to it a little further down the track. Motherhood is a riiiiiiiiiiiide and until you actually jump on, it’s hard to imagine what it’s going to be like.

ps. Obviously this is all based on my pregnancy and birth stories, so take it as sharing based on personal experiences only… because every mum is different, and so is every baby.

Is there any pregnancy advice you wish you’d taken? Share it in the comments below!

The post 8 pieces of advice I wish I’d listened to while I was pregnant appeared first on Lazy Girl Fitness.

Yeah mate I’d really love to re-pack this drawer for the 867th time this week.

OK so lack of movement isn’t usually a struggle when you’ve got young kids (in my experience, sitting still is approximately 833 times harder) BUT with gyms closed and stay-at-home orders in place across Sydney, it doesn’t hurt to have a few extra ways to burn energy up your sleeve. So with that in mind, here are 10 ways to burn more energy during lockdown. Just for you, my fellow parents of toddlers.

1. Build an obstacle course. Try not to make it too difficult… if you notice your toddler climbing the downpipes, you’ve likely over-played things.
2. Running races up and down the hallway (I suggest letting your babe win occasionally or you’ll look like a bad sport).
3. Let your baby loose in the plastics drawers. You’ll bend, squat, stand and pack away at least 745 times each day. #functionalfitness
4. Put on your favourite song, grab your babe and dance like it’s 2003 and you’re five vodka, lime and sodas down at the uni bar.
5. Two squats before throwing each piece of washing into the machine. 43 onesies + 19 pairs of tiny pants x 97 loads of washing = an arse like a peach in no time.
6. Play hide and seek. Note that if you’re parenting a toddler, they absolutely will hide in the same place every single time.
7. Nap time? Find a 10-minute workout (try here or here) or join me in my 28-day abs challenge over on Insta, punch it out, then collapse in front of your favourite Netflix show…
8. … haha just kidding, that washing isn’t going to fold itself. Do it while you’re watching Schitt’s Creek though and you’re officially multi-tasking.
9. Grab a yoga mat or towel and sneak in a few basic movements (squats, push ups, lunges and high knees are great) while your kids are playing. 12/10 likelihood at least one of them will insist on being picked up, or will use you like a climbing wall. Congratulations, now you’re weight training.
10. Got a yard? A balcony? A windowsill? Get your babe a little planter box and plant some seedlings *together*. Do 10 push ups every time he yells ‘no, I want to do it!’. Tell him to water the seedlings each day. Realise you should have been more specific about the amount of water. Buy more seedlings. Repeat until you have a mental breakdown.

Hang in there Team, this lockdown has to end someday!

Liked these 10 ways to burn more energy during lockdown, but looking for something a little more practical? Check out my 15-minute lockdown workout.

The post 10 ways to burn more energy during lockdown appeared first on Lazy Girl Fitness.

Far out, it’s been quite a week. I planned to post this workout last Wednesday, but life disintegrated into a total sh*tshow. We spent Sunday night in Emergency after Alfie tripped and hit his head on our coffee table. Thank goodness there was no head injury beyond the superficial, but he needed an operation with a plastic surgeon to fix it.

I am wracked with guilt; he, meanwhile, has taken it all in his stride. He barely complained through 5 hours in Emergency, 24 hours without food (do not underestimate how impressive this is for a toddler!), and 12 hours in the hospital waiting room with no nap before his operation. What an incredible little human he is. I am now in the market for a round coffee table and/or a padded house, so hit me up if you’ve got any suggestions.

Somehow, life has already returned to normal, and Sydney’s lockdown has been extended. And let’s be honest, whether you’ve got young kids, older kids or no kids, lockdown is not a good time (although it seems plenty of idiots people in Sydney seem to be totally ignoring the lockdown and having a reallllllly good time anyway?!). Now I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m feeling physically and mentally drained (#lockdownlife), I find it really difficult to focus on long workouts. Instead, I’m finding that short, sharp, 10-15 minute workouts are easier to wrap my head around (plus, it’s pretty well all I’ve got time for at the moment).

This is a super simple 15-minute no-equipment lockdown workout I like to do when the stars align and both of my children decide to sleep at the same time. Remember I’m just getting back into it after a looooong time away from regular exercise, so I’m still taking it easy and keeping things really controlled for my pelvic floor, abdominal separation and just as a mark of respect to my poor body, which grew and birthed two babies in a very short space of time!

15-minute no-equipment lockdown workout

Choose either 45 seconds work – 15 seconds rest OR 50 seconds work – 10 seconds rest

1. Squats
2. Knee push ups
3. Lunge to high knee (right)
4. Lunge to high knee (left)
5. Modified plank row
6. 2-leg glute bridge
7. Modified burpee

REPEAT

To finish:

60 second plank

Something is better than nothing (it really is true!) so I’m going to attempt to put aside 15 minutes for myself every day this week and see how I’m feeling by Friday.

Looking for a bodyweight workout with higher intensity? Try this one.

The post 15-minute no-equipment lockdown workout appeared first on Lazy Girl Fitness.

#mumofboys

Before I had my first babe in December 2018, I imagined that I would be back exercising within a few weeks, back training people within a few months, and back working full-time in 12 months. Cut to July 2021 and I’ve only just started exercising with any kind of structure, my PT registration has lapsed and I never quite made it back to full-time work before I got pregnant with my second babe (born September 2020). I was completely unprepared for the way that having babies would throw my priorities, my goals and my sense of self up in the air, shake them around and then send them crashing back down to earth where they landed in total, almost unrecognisable, disarray around me.

I am so incredibly grateful for the life that I have now; my boys are my joy and privilege. But it’s fair to say that while I have gained an inordinate amount, I’ve lost some pretty important things too. And finally, 2.5 years in, I’m ready to find those things again (or perhaps discover what my new ‘things’ might be).

This little piece of the web has always been about simple, effective ways to stay fit and healthy while not giving up the things you love (oh the irony of how poorly I’ve followed my own advice for the past couple of years). I don’t intend for that to change, but it’s also going to be about my personal journey back to a place of physical and mental strength. And for now, while I’m not a registered personal trainer, I’ll share the workouts I do, but all under the caveat that these are my sessions, intended for me and where I’m at in my journey.

I hope that Lazy Girl Fitness will continue to be relevant to you, whether you’ve got young kids, older kids or no kids. Life is busy, no matter what you fill it with, and if me figuring out how to prioritise myself a little more manages to help you figure out how to prioritise yourself a little more, then I’ll call it a win.

My next post will feature a 15-minute workout I’ve been loving during lockdown. Look out for it mid-week!

The post Re-discovering myself after kids appeared first on Lazy Girl Fitness.

Sha’Carri Richardson has apologized after testing positive for THC, the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. The record-breaking sprinter had qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo with a come-from-behind win at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 100m qualifier on June 19. She’s now under a 30-day ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and suspended from the Olympic track team.

Richardson ran a 10.86 seconds at the qualifier and went viral with her emotional trek into the stands to hug her grandmother—since she ran the race after learning her biological mother had died.

She spoke out about her use of the banned substance on NBC’s Today show: “I apologize. As much as I’m disappointed I know that when I step on the track I represent not only myself, I represent a community that has shown great support, great love…I apologize for the fact that I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.”

This isn’t the first time an Olympian’s turned to weed as a form of stress release. Michael Phelps openly admitted to struggled with depression; he was suspended in 2009 after pictures were released of the swimmer smoking from a bong.

“We all have our different struggles, we all have our different things we deal with, but to put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain,” Richardson said. “Who are you? Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with a pain or you’re dealing with a struggle that you’ve never experienced before or that you never thought you’d have to deal with. Who am I to tell you how to cope? Who am I to tell you you’re wrong for hurting?”

Celebrating the Return to Sport With Track & Field, the Original Olympic Sport

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Though recreational use of marijuana is now fully legal in 18 states in the U.S.—and Richardson took the drug in Oregon, where it’s legal—it’s still considered a banned substance. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is required to adhere to the policies from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which prohibits its use among athletes.

“The rules are clear, but this is heartbreaking on many levels; hopefully, her acceptance of responsibility and apology will be an important example to us all that we can successfully overcome our regrettable decisions, despite the costly consequences of this one to her,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart.

Though Richardson will not be able to compete in the women’s 100m race at the Olympics, there’s a chance she could be selected to run either of the women’s relay events. Six qualified athletes may be entered in each relay pool for the 4x100m or 4x400m races, and according to the rules, four must be entered in individual races, but two other athletes may be selected, leaving an opening for the sprinter.

Marijuana’s Other Magic Ingredient

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In the Today interview Richardson said she would be “grateful” for the ability to run in the relay and represent the U.S., but it’s not her main priority. “Right now, I’m just putting all of my time and energy into dealing with what I need to do, which is heal myself,” she said. “So if I’m allowed to receive that blessing, then I’m grateful for it, but if not, right now I’m going to just focus on myself.”

This will hopefully be a catalyst for greater communication and resources for athletes—especially at the pro and Olympic level—to have greater support for mental health and wellbeing. As marijuana continues to become more widely accepted and devilified, it might not even be on the list of banned substances when the next Games roll around.

Wildfire season is off to a tragic, early start in western North America. After a historic heat wave baked the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, flames have erupted across the region, including in the small village of Lytton, BC. At the beginning of the week, the village broke the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada; on Wednesday night, the town was engulfed in a fast-moving wildfire.

“The whole town is on fire,” Jan Polderman, the mayor of Lytton, told CBC News. “It took a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere.”

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Polderman issued an evacuation order, and residents were forced to flee for their lives as smoke and flames enveloped the town, which is located about 161 miles northeast of Vancouver. According to CBC News, about 200 Lytton residents evacuated to neighboring towns, and now efforts are underway to account for all of them.

A terrifying drive for residents forced to flee the village of Lytton, British Columbia as flames engulfed the town on Wednesday evening.

: 2 Rivers Remix Society #BCfire #BCwildfire #LyttonBC pic.twitter.com/nZ7BZFBu00

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) July 1, 2021

The conditions were ripe for a blaze. Shortly before the fire, Lytton endured three consecutive days of record-smashing heat, topping out at 121 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday. The unprecedented temperatures have dried out vegetation, creating fuel for fires. Even before the Lytton fire broke out, firefighters were already battling two other nearby blazes, CBC News reports. Although the cause of the fire that swept through Lytton is still under investigation, once sparked, strong winds fanned the flames and helped it quickly grow and spread.

Most Affordable (and Expensive) Airbnb Beach House Rentals in America

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65 new wildfires in British Columbia in the last week.

One destroyed clinic & homes in Lytton, where Canada’s heat record was just set.

The fires are producing pyrocumulonimbus clouds & lightning that’s causing new fires pic.twitter.com/ppGYIoDubK

— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) July 1, 2021

Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t seem to be improving: A massive portion of western Canada remains under a heat warning. Conditions aren’t much better in the States, either. The same heat wave that broke records in Canada also affected the western U.S., which is already suffering from a sustained drought, and large fires have broken out across the West. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that 44 large fires have torched over 667,000 acres from Alaska to Arizona—and it’s still early in the wildfire season. Current forecasts show that higher-than-normal temperatures will continue across much of the West.

Last year, wildfires torched millions of acres across the United States, and this year is already off to a rough start. The hot, dry weather makes wildfire prevention even more critical: Make sure you do your part by camping and recreating safely.

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Like so many people, I don’t have time to regularly cook impressive, well-rounded meals. It’s not that I dislike cooking but between work, friends, and working out, there aren’t enough hours in the day to research and prepare decent meals. Something’s got to give and oftentimes, it’s cooking. When I caught wind of Multo, I thought it might be the solution to my kitchen woes.

Engineered by CookingPal, Multo is the “ultimate, easy-to-use, all-in-one kitchen appliance.” It features over 10 different cooking functions, includes pre-programed step-by-step recipes, and is controlled by a dedicated tablet. It does everything: weigh, chop, knead, mix, cook, and steam food. The goal of the device is to allow the average cook to prepare delicious meals with minimal effort.

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Out of the box, I was intimidated by Multo. I’m not a techy person, and the device is big and fancy. It includes a tablet and an app. I was afraid it would require hours of reading a manual, and I still wouldn’t be able to work it. Much to my surprise, the initial set up proved to be easy. Within minutes, I had the app downloaded and the appliance and tablet up and running.

After perusing the recipes available on the tablet, I was excited about my options. Recipes were broken down into categories: meals, dips, drinks, sides, and desserts. Due to the fact the device is new, options were limited but what was available sounded delicious.

For my first go, I opted to make a vegan chickpea curry.

9 Healthier Sodas and Sparkling Beverages to Sip On

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After setting out my ingredients and firing up Multo, I quickly realized there was definitely a learning curve. Although the directions were step by step, figuring out how to measure, chop, and blend was challenging—but once I figured it all out, it made sense. Once I finished cooking, I engaged Multo’s self-clean mode and, after a few minutes, the device was sparkling clean.

Although there were a few hiccups in preparing the curry, it turned out delicious, like something you’d pick up at a restaurant rather than make in your own kitchen. After the curry, I went on to make a pasta alfredo, mango lassi, keto cookie dough, and a few smoothies of my own creation. With each recipe, I became more familiar with the device and saw the doors it could open for at-home cooking.

While some functions could be used in manual mode, I couldn’t figure out how to chop and blend unless I was following a recipe. Another function I’d like to see improved is when you add ingredients to the bowl between steps, it requires you to have the lid on for measuring, meaning you have to squeeze your ingredients in through the small opening in the lid. I understand the requirement is for safety reasons, but it would be nice to be able to fully remove the lid between steps and still be able to measure at the same time.

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Another thing I noticed was there were some discrepancies between measurements for recipes on the tablet and in the app. The app seemed unnecessary with the tablet, so I typically went with what the tablet said but ideally the two would be in sync.

Something I really liked about Multo was the fact that for the most part, it was a one-pot experience and required minimal clean up. It was also nice that the device was self-cleaning; all that was required of me was adding some soap and water and hitting “start.” Additionally, the device is super powerful and I blown away by how well and quickly it chopped and mixed ingredients. Finely chopping vegetables and adding them to soups, curries, and even smoothies was a simple way to up my greens intake.

Multo is available at an early bird price of $799 but will eventually cost $999. For that price, it’s not something that I would personally buy but I can see the draw. It eliminates the need for multiple kitchen devices and allows you to do all of your cooking in one place. Multo was thoughtfully engineered and makes restaurant quality meals a realistic possibility. I imagine, with time, the device will only get better. Happy cooking!

[$999; cookingpal.com]

Get it

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Massachusetts, Manny Santiago has always been a skater’s skater. 

The 35-year-old fell in love with the sport over two decades ago, picking up his first skateboard at 14. Brimming with positivity and an unbridled passion for mastering new tricks, Santiago went from learning an Ollie to being a sponsored within three years. 

Santiago was only getting started. 

It wasn’t long before he earned the nickname, “Manny Slays All,” due to his wild and reckless approach to skating. After losing a front tooth during a 2009 skating accident, he embraced the missing tooth as part of his trademark grin. Armed with an omnipresent smile and fun-loving personality, Santiago quickly became a fan-favorite as he climbed the ranks of professional skateboarding. 

Over the years, he’s competed in top skate competitions around the globe, including Dew Tour, X Games and Street League. Beyond competition, the Puerto Rican skater has produced several popular skate videos, including his most recent video, “California,” which he filmed in 2020 at some of his favorite California skate spots. 

In 2021, Santiago has shifted his focus across the Pacific. Skateboarding is set to make its Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer and Santiago is going for gold. Beyond the historic opportunity to elevate professional skating onto the global stage, Santiago can become the first male Gold Medalist in Puerto Rican history. 

Our friends at Stomp Sessions recently caught up with Manny Santiago to learn more about his long road to the Olympics and how he’s preparing to compete in the historic contest. See part two of his exclusive interview below, and then check out the first part of his interview right here. 

To learn your next skateboard trick from an Olympian, check out Manny’s Trick Tip Videos on Stomp. 

Hi friends! Sharing a new podcast episode this morning with Amanda Nighbert, RD. I watched her TEDx talk and was nodding my head enthusiastically the entire time. THIS is the message that we all need to hear! I love how she promotes a balanced and realistic lifestyle, and focuses on teaching others on how to ditch the “all or nothing” mentality and make long-lasting changes. I LOVED chatting with her for this episode and hope you’ll take the time to listen!

081: What’s sabotaging your health efforts with Amanda Nighbert, RD

Here’s a bit about Amanda if you’re not familiar with her work:

As a registered dietitian and fitness enthusiast, Amanda Nighbert’s passion and purpose is to empower others who want to get back on track and take control of their health.Over the past 18 years, Amanda has gained knowledge and experience that has helped her guide more than 34,000 people in their weight loss and wellness journeys. With her custom LEAN Program, range of coaching services, and multiple shop offerings, she has cultivated a brand that focuses on giving you the leading tools and resources to help you reach the best version of you. Her goal is to provide the most current, cutting edge nutritional techniques that not only provide results but are also sustainable for life.

You can find Amanda on her website, Instagram, her LEAN program, and check out her amazing TEDx talk here.

Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode:

– Her history with high cholesterol and how she reversed it

– What sabotages most health and fitness efforts

– How to ditch the “all or nothing” mentality

– So much more

Resources from this episode:

Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice and red juice pretty much every single day. I also recently tried and loved their protein powder and enjoy the gold powder with warm almond milk at night to wind down.

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life. Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. I recommend the beauty chocolates and the dark chocolate granola. My favorite breakfast meal is the goji rose donut!

CBD has changed my life. It helps so much with my anxiety and sense of calmness. You can read more about my experience with CBD here and use the code FITNESSISTA here to get an extra 15% off your first order. (I love the flavored drops!)

Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.

You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

The post 081: What’s sabotaging your health efforts with Amanda Nighbert, RD appeared first on The Fitnessista.

In an era of increasing dam removals across the country to restore rivers to their natural habitat—the tally stands at more than 1,000 so far—it’s often hard to gain a true before-and-after picture of how these cement blockades have changed their river’s environment. A trio of standup paddleboarders recently went out of their way—a long way—in a multi-year effort to find out.

In early May, adventurers Spencer Lacy, Lance Ostrom and Driy Wybaczynsky headed out as the first team to SUP—self-supporting the trip with a 10-foot raft—from source to sea down 234 miles of Oregon and California’s Klamath River, which is impeded by four dams, all of which are slated for removal in the next few years. Their goal: chronicle the river in its current dammed-up state, and then return in a few years’ time to do it again once they are all removed to see the difference first-hand.

“We wanted to make an environmental statement on this trip,” says Lacy, who is sponsored by Badfish SUP and has several first SUP descents to his credit, but none as calorie-depleting as this one. “Starting in 2023, the section’s four dams are slated for removal in the largest dam removal project in history. One day not too far off we’ll be able to do the same stretch again when the dams are gone and see the river corridor as it begins to return to its natural state.”

Self SUPporting the Grand Canyon with Spencer Lacy

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Paddlers saw something similar recently when two dams came down on Washington’s Elwha River, in what The New York Times called, “One of the most promising and pure acts of environmental restoration the region and nation have ever seen.” With the removal of the lower, 108-foot-tall Elwha Dam and the upper 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam, the river is now free-flowing for the first time in a century. Built in the early 1900s, before the establishment of Olympic National Park, the two hydroelectric dams had long been barriers to salmon and other fish populations as well as whitewater recreation. Now it runs free from the wilderness backcountry of the Grand Canyon of the Elwha all the way to the Juan De Fuca Strait near Port Angeles, Washington.

Built in 1903 and owned by PacifiCorp, the 125-foot-high Condit Dam on Washington’s White Salmon River also came down in 2012, opening up the lower White Salmon to the more than 40,000 paddlers who use the waterway every year. It was the second tallest dam to be removed in the country, and a milestone for paddlers. “At the time, the removal of Condit was the first major dam removal on a river as popular as the White Salmon,” says American Whitewater’s Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director Thomas O’Keefe.

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The Klamath is perhaps even more popular, and, with the removal of four of its dams, will get even more so. In November 2020, the Karuk and Yurok tribes, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation and PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, announced an agreement advancing the removal of its four dams. The effort has taken decades of effort by the tribes, conservation organization American Rivers and other partners.

A revised schedule calls for dam removal to begin in 2023, contingent on a FERC ruling approving transfer of the license and decommissioning. Once removed, the dams will open up new paddling (and fish migration) possibilities in 44 miles of the 234-mile-long waterway that stretches from the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean. It will create classic new sections of paddle-able water for river runners, right alongside its such existing whitewater stalwarts as Class III-IV Ward’s Canyon. “When the dams come out,” says Northwest paddler Bill Cross, “boaters will be able to explore a host of new day-trips and string together outstanding multi-day journeys. The restored Upper Klamath will be one of the West’s great whitewater rivers.”

And what’s good for floaters is good for fish. In a story for outfitter OARS, Tyler Williams, who paddled the Klamath from source to sea in 2009, wrote: “When Iron Gate and the other dams are gone, wild salmon will swim past, perhaps pausing momentarily, before gliding over once-dry boulders to find nearly forgotten spawning sites.”

Over Lacy, Ostrom and Wybaczynsky’s eight-day trip, a sufferfest as much as a scenic one, the trio encountered “some rowdy whitewater, easy-going ripples, four dams and about 15 miles of reservoirs.” Starting just below the Keno Dam, which is not scheduled for removal, they paddled these reservoirs as far as they could, the feat entailing a whopping 13 miles of portaging. To do so, they hauled their small Hyside MiniMe support raft by hand in a portable, makeshift trailer featuring a homemade axle and snap-on Burley wheels.

“Those portages were definitely the hardest part, especially the first five-mile one,” says Ostrom. “I’ve never had my forearms so pumped out in my life from hauling that trailer. There’s nothing more demoralizing than knowing you have five miles to make and only being able to go for for a couple hundred yards before needing a break.”

How the Largest Dam Removal Project in History Will Commence Next Year

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Still, they persevered, putting up with the gear-hauling hardships to reap the area’s beauty as a reward. “It was lots of paddling and long, long days,” says Lacy. “But there was fantastic scenery, wildlife and camping. Luckily, we kind of like huge days on the river, pain and getting completely sandbagged.”

Eight days later, they emerged exhausted at the mouth of the river near Klamath, CA, in what Ostrom called the best part of the trip. “It was one of the rawest scenes I’ve ever seen,” he says. “Over 100 sea lions were swimming around hunting salmon and shaking them around in their teeth in seven-foot swell. There was also a massive rip current and a whale just off shore. It was one of those ‘Don’t fuck with Mother Nature but this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen’ moments.”

And as soon as they finished, they couldn’t help but look back upstream, cherishing the moment when they’ll return to document the corridor’s changes.

“We can’t wait to come back and re-do the trip in a few years after the dams are gone and its environment is starting to recover,” says Lacy. “It will be great to enjoy the same stretch in its newfound, free-flowing glory.”