EP 12 - Willie Kern: The Warrior Monk - Part 1

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If you have paddled around New England, you have heard tales of the Kern Brothers.  Seemingly each tantalizing creek you pass, there is some tale about the Kern Brothers.  Willie, Chuck and Johnny drove each other to push kayaking and exploration kayaking to its limits.  The brothers were central to a golden era of unlocking the steepest multi-days in the Sierra's.  Runs that are still among the best multi-days in the world; Middle Kings, Royal Gorge, Fantasy Falls, Devils Postpile and more.  Chuck was lost to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, running previously portaged drops in 1998.  Willie and Johnnie kept the passion alive and took Chuck along in spirit on one of the most ambitious river expeditions of all time, the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, often referred to as the Mount Everest of Rivers.  This is Part 1, there will be more.

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