AN UPDATE FROM 8-YEAR-OLD SAGE DONNELLY:

We have been going non-stop! The weekend after the Feather we ran the Pitt with my favorite 20 foot slide and a classic AW release. Then we dashed off tho Idaho where we met up with fellow Jackson paddler Alec Voorhees and family. We had a great time playing on the Main Payette, the Staircase section and the Canyon Section of the South Fork of the Payette, playing in the Gutter where I was also able to catch an Idaho Hometown Throwdown, and watching Dad run the Middle 10 of the North Fork of the Payette-class 5. The highlight was watching Alec run the class 5+ Big Falls in the Canyon section, and he rocked it! We were supposed to be there a few more days, but my grandma had a heart attack so we came home — she’s fine now. The next weekend was the American River Festival where I competed in the rodeo-3rd out of 3, (2 teenage boys) the slalom where I was first (1 teenage boy and 1 teenage girl) and then Dad and I competed in the first ever Lars Holbeck Memorial down river race. It was about 7 miles long from Chili Bar through Trouble Maker. We were the only parent/child and only 1 minute behind the 3rd place double adult — not bad.

After the American, we dashed to Colorado to attend the Nathan Fey/Marin Peterson wedding. Nathan is the Colorado rep for American Whitewater and Marin is a Predator Helmet rep. After the wedding, the wedding party left to float the class 4 Westwater Section of the Colorado River-an incredible overnighter, with my family in kayaks, the bride and groom in our Dynamic Duo and several others — 19 total in rafts or kayaks. It was a blast! We didn’t get home until Thursday, repacked the van and took off for the Feather River Festival where I ran Lobin again and loved it! I also competed in the slalom race and have no idea how I did but I had fun. My friend Molly Steindorf also competed in the Slalom so it was super fun having another young girl in my group.

Home again to unpack/repack for a week of rock climbing in Yosemite.. I’m going to climb Snake Dike, a 7 pitch 5.7 climb up Half Dome. Wish me luck!