Trent and Knox Run the Royal Gorge

Most sports have bucket list items, like skiing spines in Alaska, surfing massive waves at Teahupo'o, or mountain biking a loamy Whistler. For pro kayakers, one of those must-dos is a descent of the Royal Gorge of the American River. This particular section of river in California is recognized for being one of the best for big waterfalls in the country, so naturally Trent and Knox had to test their skills there.

3-2-1 Dropping! Eric Parker photo.

The zone has four big flows - Heath II, Rattlesnake, Scott's Drop, and Wabena Falls. A successful descent of all four counts as one of the highest achievements in the sport. "If you complete all of them it is called the royal flush and is one of the biggest feats in kayaking. The boys ran all of them but Scott's drop. We had an epic trip on Royal!" recalls cinematographer Eric Parker.

Linking together these flows has been on the list for years for Trent and Knox. Eric Parker photo.

However, after their Gorge trip the crew was all really sore and beat down, so they sent it straight to Tahoe to relax and enjoy the rest of the trip. They celebrated Knox's birthday the first night on the lake, followed by an epic day of wakeboarding and surfing on the water to celebrate their time together before heading back to TGR headquarters in Jackson.

The Royal Gorge certainly fits into the XXL category. Eric Parker photo.