Kirk Eddlemon

A lifetime of exploration, documentation, teaching, and giving back to the Southern Appalachian whitewater community. Kirk Eddlemon authored Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians, Volumes 1 & 2—the first fully comprehensive modern guidebook to the region and a resource that has helped generations of paddlers find new rivers and new adventures. With 600+ river stretches catalogued worldwide—including more than 300 in the Southeast—Kirk has explored and documented the region like few others. A longtime ACA educator, race winner, and pioneer of dozens of first descents, he has also worked to protect the rivers he loves through watershed advocacy. An innovator. An explorer. An educator. A legend.