East Nishnabotna River

1D, 8H, 46M

trevor boyer

States: Iowa & Nebraska

Distance: 106 miles

FKP: Solo Male, Supported

Record Holder: Trevor Boyer, 37, Atlantic, Iowa

Record Time: 1 day, 8 hours, 46 minutes

Start:Boat ramp in Atlantic, Iowa August 15, 2026 at 7:30 AM Central

Finish:Boat ramp in Brownsville, Nebraska August 16, 2026 at 4:16 PM Central

Boat: 16-foot Perception Corona kayak

GPS: Garmin 66i

Portages: 1

Trip Report from Trevor:

The East nishnabotna is my origin River. My first paddle my first experience in the water. First time I looked around in a wonderment at the river and wondered how I would ever get out of this reality that seems so far removed from what I was used to and only realizing I was just outside of Atlantic 2 miles on a water stream through a cornfield, not some sort of distant removed Utopia. This was the river I decided to take charge of my health and weight. This is the river I had my first kiss with the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life. There's a hundred other reasons that I could add why "the Nish" holds so much significance to me. On this trip I was about to learn how much it meant to other people. 

Years ago in our early adventure paddling days. Me and my best paddling buddy, Jake Myers attempted to paddle this route a couple different times and bailed for different reasons each time. Life started happening the way that it was and we soon abandoned the plans of ever making the trip from Atlantic. 

Planning and pulling the trigger on this trip was very last minute with sudden rain coming in for the course of 2 days and swelling the river from an all-time low almost under 2 ft to 6 ft within 48 hours. Stars And plans aligned almost as if the river was coming to me and inviting me in this time. I couldn't help but RSVP. 

The planning and execution of the trip in less than 6 hours included making an impromptu trip to Des Moines to purchase a new kayak off marketplace for the journey. A. 16-ft perception Corona which the internet with it later on go to tell me was a discontinued and inferior model. But it looked like a missile to me And the marketplace ad algorithm wouldn't leave my suggested ads for weeks straight. Every single day it was there at the top hearkening to me . The second was adding Wayne to the itinerary. Wayne is very new to my group of mix match banded River rats. But he fits into the group for all the reasons that we love to be on the river. There's something wrong with us. Wayne was itching to get his first distance trip in in the beginning. I was mildly reluctant to bring him with on a record attempt But what another cool way to add more memories to the Rolodex of the East Nishnabotna. We set him up in my girlfriend's 13-ft Dagger, a recreational kayak mildly shaped in sloped towards a touring style and feel. 

Gear was simple and light hoped it was only going to be an overnight trip. Still packed heavy on the food side, just in case. 

Saturday 7:00 a.m. getting to the boat ramp. The river was higher than anything that I'd ever seen it do in the last 5 years. A record high at that moment. We situate gear and go to take off. 4 ft in. I turn around to look back at my girlfriend and immediately tip. The river's gentlest warning that this was going to be a real one. Let's pay attention. 

12 miles in was our first goal to make it to a little-known spot by Lewes, Iowa called The Rock cuts an old quarry back in the day that created about 150-ft rapid section. Locals can walk a mile to it and enjoy some Sandbar fishing, camping or just watch nature wasting energy smashing water into rocks. This was our first goal and first milestone. Make it to the other side of the cuts. The tippiness and speed of the new kayak that I never paddled before deciding to take it on a record attempt. Humbled me for the first few miles while we got to know each other. 

We make it to the Rock cuts and the place that is a source of recreation, solace and peace now looked more like a war zone than anytime I had ever seen it in my life. Standing on the bank. Overlooking everything overtaken in water and Swift currents. I made the decision to portage the cuts and blaze a trail that didn't exist to circumvent it. 

29 minutes down time on this portage. I was now attempting to mentally block that out and get back in and make it up. Getting back in feel good after getting the blood moving we breeze through Griswold take a small stop and Elliott 25 mi in for the food in hydration, we weren't able to achieve back at the Rock cuts. We breeze into Red oak. Paddles still feel light. Bones aren't crunchy yet. At that point I decide I want to make Shenandoah the goal for the night. 

Paddling with Wayne. He says he has one goal and that is to not slow me down. Wayne spent most of his day attempting to stay in front of me to make sure those words could never be said. I believe that this would later be his undoing. 

Around 6:00 we may get to Essex with about 12 mi to go to Shenandoah. The bait, the lure and promise of an nice flat camp spot and pizza was my repeated motivating efforts to Wayne. This is when a local and friend in the area impromptu shows up at the Essex bridge delivering some encouragement asking if Shenandoah was still the goal And telling us how far away we were. 

Neil AKA HR with out unknowingly but rather effectively adopt the role of ground crew for the next 30 miles. He met us from bridge to bridge asking if we want it out. Needed anything and ultimately was at the takeout with a spotlight on lighting up the ramp. We very certainly would have missed. Ready to pull us out and hand deliver us to Pizza Hut to fulfill that promise I made. We get the kayaks out and stashed away and make our way into town for a resupply and carbohydrates. 

The next morning at 4:00 a.m. I wake up to thunderstorms lightning and heavy rain. Waited out until daylight by 7:00 a.m. Wayne lets me know he is too spent to carry on. 64 miles of paddling in your first day going distance is a pretty valid effort. I understand the exhaustion. I wonder if I had pushed him too hard and we maybe should have stopped in Essex and he would maybe still be here with me the next morning. 

 With camp now in his control and a ride on the way for him. I put back in knowing I have about 40 mi left to go. The 12 mi I paddle to Farragut are heavy labor intensive and painful. Getting all the joints warmed up, hips realizing they're in it for another day. There's two 2 mile sections of the river that were carved out in the late '50s by a farmer with a dredge. These two sections bring nothing but despair in empty hope. This time HR is waiting on the other side of the first stretch at the Riverton bridge. Asking me if I'm ready to take a break at the next ramp. He meets me there as he's getting out of the truck. He has a notebook in hand and I realize that he's been doing math and mileage and numbers on paper for what I have left on the journey. He has a lawn chair on the boat ramp firewood in case I want coffee. The list goes on. Neil has worked himself into a ground crew role with zero training or Preparation required. He's a natural. 

Doing the math and looking. I realize I only have 26 mi left and I say I am not getting out until it's over. 

I would have liked to have believed and said that the kayak was super light and we were just flying on the last 26 MI but that was not the case. Paddling solo without the homie knowing he was back at camp. Gave the river a different feeling and vibe than what I had experienced the day before. This was your chance to sit alone with yourself and spend that time continuing the journey of becoming somebody that you're comfortable being by yourself with. All too often people talk about these journeys and trips and ambitious voyages as some sort of form of self-improvement. With enough time and reflection, I believe that it's more about self-acceptance than an improvement in self.

I don't need the map to know when I had crossed over into Missouri. The air just changes and it feels a certain type of way. And I always feel that vibration of change. 

Breeze another 10 miles and I'm now on the Missouri. It's up flowing and moving pushing my light little kayak around against most of my best efforts. 7 mi to go. 

Nothing too spectacular. Exciting until rounding the last corner thinking that I was about to see the bridge to Brownville. The bridge isn't super visible, but what I see is the stack and carriage wheel of a dredge. We recently toured at that boat ramp and I knew the end was in sight. The strokes faster and lighter. I get to the ramp and only Maddie and her daughter are waiting for me. This brings me joy. I get out. I stop the GPS and I lay there with all my bones hurting attempting to decompress my spine and make blood get back to all the places it belongs. 106 mi one day 8 hours 57 minutes. 

Along this journey, I got to hear about all the other significant memories, stories, history, and just general information about people who also love this River as much as I do. Something I thought I was alone in and what is seemingly and insignificant River to most. Nothing significant or crazy happened out of the ordinary that makes this trip noteworthy other than the change and shared shifted perspective ongoing about about these journeys with people getting support. I started this voyage wanting to do it unsupported and solo and it was the absolute opposite of that by the end. The joy and source of happiness from this trip came from the people who I shared it with. I made new friends at the beginning with a purpose of cleaning this River up. I forged some memories with a friend he and I will never forget and hopefully have him addicted now to some long distance paddling. The comments and stories of people on my social media about this River they seem to love just as much. Spending that time with Wayne Neil acting and supporting us incapacity that he did. This trip came down to the people and support of a goal that I made. I couldn't possibly be more grateful, filled with joy and any other adjective you could assume to be clear about the positive experiences and the people who came out of this trip. By the end of it, I realized there was nothing significant or cool about an unsupported compared to people and time spent with them. Maddie for letting me drop everything on a dime abandoned plans to go chase a crazy notion. Helping put me in helping me pack being there at the takeout and not standing in the way with a preconceived notion or idea of how I should be spending my time otherwise. Really good team of people for this trip.  

This record is super beatable there's lots of room on the table to shave time off and I hope somebody takes the opportunity to do so some day And experience the nishnabotna for themselves. 

My future plans include to paddle the West fork soon and A reattempt of an fkp for the Des Moines River furthering further investment into the sport.