For Rye Hester, the seventh time is the charm. That’s how many times the kayaker has been down Canada’s famed Stikine River, descending it with two goals: to paddle one of the best rivers in the world, and, as a geologist, better understand how it was formed. And now the Immersion Research ambassador has a film out on his exploits.
As a geologist, Rye has been researching the canyon’s geomorphology and depositional history to better understand sections of the Stikine that still hold some unanswered questions.
Rye is a geologist, and his work on the Stikine has taken him through the Pass/Fail Gorge, the Upper Narrows, and the Lower Narrows—studying the geomorphology and depositional environments of each section along the way. While parts of the canyon have been mapped before, there’s still a big question mark in the Upper Narrows. Naturally, Rye decided to keep going back. This film documents the fieldwork from year three.
The Stikine is one of the most hostile river gorges in the world—and, according to Rye, also the most fun and highest-quality river he’s ever paddled. It’s a place he’s returned to year after year, studying the landscape while learning how to move through some seriously big water.
“I had heard about the Stikine for years but never thought I would be good enough to ever paddle it,” he says. “I was recovering from shoulder surgery in White Salmon when my friends, Team Snack (Bernie Engelman, Liam Field, Louis Norris, and Taylor Cofer) showed themselves down the Stikine. I showed up in Dease Lake 2024 after training hard and did one lap with the legendary Team Beer (Nate and Matt Klema). When Nate, who has a PhD in Geophysics, and I were scouting Scissors, we were nerding out on the demolition of the rock. The canyon cuts through the Canadian Cordillera and the colors changes from canyon to canyon dramatically. This was the impetus of the idea. There had been geological mapping on Site Zed by the BCGS, but access to the deepest part, the Narrows, was impossible. So, I thought it’d be a fun project.”
Along the way, he learned firsthand of the Stikine’s stature I n the paddling world. “It truly is one of the most violent and powerflippy rivers out there,” he says. “No one, not even the best, are avoiding getting dunked on out there. If you think you are going to avoid being in a massive hole, you’re sorely mistaken. Flush drowning in the crux sections is extremely possible. My favorite quote is that the unnamed boogie rapids are bigger than any rapids you’ve ever run.
“It is not the hardest river in the world, but it just might be the best. It’s all about being brutally honest with yourself in a harsh and unforgiving environment, committing fully to the canyon and coming out the other side changed.”
As for the “work” part of it, he adds: “It’s part geology fieldwork, part expedition kayaking, and a pretty good look at what happens when your research area requires a kayak to access.
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