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Brooke Hess

B.S. Geoscience, focus on fluvial geomorphology
M.A Journalism, focus on science writing
U.S.A. Freestyle Kayak Team Member 2017-2019

I was on skis before I could walk, in a climbing harness before I could read, and in a kayak before I could drive. It's difficult to articulate how much these outdoor activities mean to me, but here goes:
I have watched the northern lights play in the sky while roasting caribou sausage over a campfire on an island in the middle of the Slave River. I have woken up to the sound of monkeys playing in the trees above my tent on the banks of the White Nile. I have shared Sour Patch Kids with ski partners atop summits in the Eastern Sierras, just before dropping into a couloir filled with spring corn snow. I have kayaked past a mama black bear teaching her two cubs to fish on the Middle Fork Salmon. I have trained with the world’s top athletes in Argentina and stood on podiums at races in New Zealand. I have worked so hard to achieve goals in my sport that my mom got worried. But when I achieved those goals, she was right there on the side of the river watching. I have received a marriage proposal from a young boy living in a village next to the White Nile in Uganda. He was disappointed when I politely turned him down, but still offered to share his jackfruit with me. I have competed at World Championships for Team USA, getting to wear my country's colors at opening ceremonies.  I have seen sights so beautiful I cried, and I have laughed so hard I peed. 

I am inspired by writing projects related to the outdoors, river conservation, and science. If there's a way to combine all three - even better!

I am currently a core paddler on The Grand Salmon - a source to sea expedition of the Salmon River, doubling as a conservation project promoting the removal of the four Lower Snake River dams and a moratorium on the Stibnite Gold Project, in order to save the rapidly dwindling Snake River Basin salmon populations from extinction. You can learn more about this project at www.salmonsourcetosea.com

About Me: Bio
About Me: Pro Gallery
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