Thornton Outdoors

A Story From The Past
During a solo backcountry hike through Devils Hall in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas last year, a man in his mid-70s approached me as I studied a rocky ledge that stood between us and the canyon beyond.

He asked what I thought of the climb and whether I had found an easier route. I told him I would climb it first and let him know what I found from above. After reaching the top, I called down that it was safe. Without hesitation, he tossed his walking stick up to me and carefully climbed the ledge himself.

Once we were both standing above the obstacle, the canyon opened around us. The walls seemed taller, the sky wider. We stopped for a while and talked. He told me his wife had passed away from cancer years before. Since then, he had traveled the country as a way of keeping her memory alive. He also shared that he had worked in disaster response and responded to 9/11. As someone who works in emergency management, that part of his story felt strangely familiar, as though our paths had crossed for a reason.

About a mile later, we reached Devils Hall. We shook hands and went our separate ways.

Not long afterward, I found myself completely alone in the canyon, standing face to face with an aoudad sheep. Neither of us moved for a moment. The encounter lasted only seconds, yet it felt much longer.

Looking back, I often think about both the man and the aoudad. At the time, I was carrying more in life than I cared to admit. Maybe that is why those moments stayed with me. One encounter reminded me that grief can become a reason to keep moving forward. The other reminded me that sometimes the wilderness has a way of meeting us exactly where we are.

I never saw either of them again, but I think about them often.

The older I get, the less I care about how many miles I have paddled and the more I care about the adventure behind each stroke. Distance fades with time, but the moments along the way have a way of staying with us.

Today, I watched a beautiful American beaver swim circles around my kayak before disappearing beneath the water and slipping into its dam. As it vanished, the sun settled above the tree line, casting a brilliant reflection across the water while a group of mallards drifted quietly in the distance.

It reminded me that the best parts of any journey are rarely the numbers we record. They are the fleeting moments we never planned for, the ones that ask nothing of us except that we slow down long enough to notice them.

Entry #1 - June 3rd, 2026 - Yahara Expedition

As I sit here on an early June evening, I realize I'm only 23 days from sail.

One may wonder, why the Yahara Lakes? Why not something more grand?

Well, the truth is the lakes of the Yahara hold something deep for me.

I first learned of the Yahara waterways as a young child when I visited Henry Vilas Zoo. The zoo sits right next to Lake Wingra. At the time, I didn't think much of it. However, in 2005 that changed when an F3 tornado came within a half mile of striking me. In the days that followed, a visitor released home video of the tornado that he captured near Springer's on Lake Kegonsa. The video displayed raw power from the atmosphere. Not only was a killer tornado ongoing, but you could also see how violently the winds were affecting the water. It was one of the first times I remember seeing weather and water connected in such a powerful way.

As the years passed and I grew older, I found myself attending events such as Christmas light displays at Olin Park along Lake Monona. I'd often look out across the boat ramp and see the beautiful State Capitol and skyline of downtown Madison. The interest in seeing life from the lakes' vantage point continued to grow.

One day I found myself standing on Monona Terrace in 2023. Looking out across the vast lake, I saw kayakers. They waved at me and I waved back in jealousy. Afterwards, I went to Rutabaga Paddlesports and found a free booklet called The Yahara Waterway. I grabbed it and immediately started researching.

In May of 2024, I completed my first section of the Yahara River. I was beyond proud, but I wanted to explore more of the waterway. I wanted to see Upper Mud Lake, a lake I crossed weekly as a child. I wanted to see Lake Waubesa, a lake I saw firsthand whenever I visited my uncle at his shop.

It all came to a head in late 2025. After moving closer to home following a decade away, I finally said to myself that it was time. After 21 years, it was finally time to see the world from those lakes and river systems and conquer the one thing that made me fall in love with nature in the first place.

This adventure may not seem grand, but it's a personal calling for me.

23 days until sail.

Picture from my adventure on the lower Yahara River in 2024.

Another night, another step in the restoration of my 30 year old sea kayak.

Here I am holding the rudder assembly like somebody who just landed the catch of the day after taking the entire system apart. As I dug into it, I quickly discovered why it wasn't functioning correctly. The rudder itself has several deep gouges in the metal, likely from years of contact with rocks or other underwater obstacles. The up and down haul lines were extremely tight, the foot pedals barely moved, and the entire system had essentially become unusable.

Rather than replace it, I decided to rebuild it.

The plan is to completely disassemble the rudder system, install new cables, replace the rusted hardware, clean everything up, and put it back together the way it was meant to function. Once finished, the old girl should once again have a fully operational rudder system and be one step closer to many more years of adventure on the water.

Here's Johnny!!!

Tonight I finally tore into the bulkhead of my Current Designs Sea Kayak using a Native American fixed blade I picked up in Medicine Park, Oklahoma three years ago. While my temporary repair was holding, the kayak had become noticeably heavier, leading me to believe water had worked its way into the bulkhead and sealant.

Since I wasn't completely satisfied with the repair or its long term reliability on larger, more aggressive, and unpredictable lakes, it was time to start over and do it right.

I also discovered several issues with the rudder system that will need attention due to rust and wear. Between those repairs and the time needed to get everything back into expedition shape, that ultimately led me choose my 26 year old Necky Touring Kayak for the Yahara River Expedition this month.

A peaceful sunset among the mosquitoes.

Less than a month from the Yahara River Expedition. I have finally selected my vessel for the venture, that being my Necky Zoar Sport Touring Kayak named "The Banana."

Last year she brought me all over Texas and Oklahoma for the Discover Expedition and I'm looking forward to another Expedition in Wisconsin this year. 👊

That said, I spent most of the day applying decals and switching over equipment from the Sea Kayak to the Touring and decided to redo all of the webbing on both kayaks. I have some other really cool plans for the sea kayak later this year. So stay tuned!

The countdown has begun!

Stories from the forest......

Today, my father would have turned 59 years old. However, he was taken from my life when he was only 38 years of age. Even in the short amount of time I had with him on this earth, eight years to be exact, he taught me how to be a good steward of the land and to protect and conserve nature as it was intended to be. He understood something that many people spend their entire lives forgetting: that we do not truly own the earth beneath our feet, but instead borrow it for a short amount of time before passing it on to the next generation.

His passion for the outdoors stayed with me like a properly seasoned cast iron skillet. The older I become, the more I realize that the people we love never fully leave us. They continue on in the quiet habits they taught us, the places they showed us, and the values they planted inside of us long after they are gone.

Today is your day, Father. Thank you for instilling your love of the outdoors into my life and helping create Thornton Outdoors all of these years later.

Till we meet again.