This trip has been on a few of our bucket lists for many years, and we finally coordinated our schedules with the weather. The upper section of the Red River is a 10-mile remote wilderness paddle that takes you into the Red River Gorge. It starts near Hazel Green, Kentucky, and ends at Highway 715 inside the gorge.  

The Upper Red was first put on my radar from the book by Wendell Berry (Unforeseen Wilderness), where he and his photographer friend Ralph Eugene Meatyard dedicated an entire chapter to their experience on that same section of the river. Josh O’Brien was the first person I met who shared the desire to paddle it. Other than its beauty, the allure of it is that the river is only paddled occasionally due to its remote access, partnered with a few challenging rapids for non-whitewater paddlers. If something were to go wrong, as it had for another individual (as we found a kayak jammed into some trees during our trip), your hike out would be a bitch. 

If you want more information on this section of the river, it is well documented on American Whitewater’s website. While you are there, leave them a donation!