Sam Sharp is a talented young paddler from the Southeast United States. On June 12th, 2024, he soloed the Fantasy Falls section on the North Fork of the Mokelumne in California, in 3 hours and 31 minutes. This classic High Sierra river includes over 25 miles of Class V+ whitewater and is generally completed in 2-3 days. In this interview, Sam offers an insightful reflection on the experience and his approach towards kayaking alone. You can read Sam’s initial reflection of the day here. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Site Zed: How’d you get into paddling and running hard Class V?
Sam Sharp:
When I was nine, I went on a whitewater rafting trip with my mom in New Mexico. I came home to Asheville, North Carolina and wanted to go rafting again. My mom couldn’t find any rafting, but she found inflatable kayaking down the Green River. My dad also used to paddle a little bit in the [military] and he taught me how to do my first roll in a local lake.
I did some whitewater camps at the Whitewater Center [in Charlotte], and was introduced to slalom kayaking. I competed until I was 18, I traveled to Europe every summer, and competed for the US Team. At a certain point, I came to the conclusion that the competitive side of kayaking didn’t speak to me and I wasn’t really finding any fulfillment in it. While I was competing in slalom, I was still paddling all the local rivers around Western North Carolina, and I was fortunate enough to have Mike Ferraro as a mentor [from] a young age. He took me out to the Green River Narrows for my first time [when I was 13]. I paddled the Narrows with him until he went to the Marines. I started kayaking with some guys who are now my best friends. We formed a little group together because we’re all the same age and around the same skill set. It was a blessed experience to be out there with those guys, learning together and exploring all the rivers around Western North Carolina by ourselves.
Site Zed:
That’s awesome you’ve had Ferraro as a mentor since the beginning. You called him on the paddle across Salt Springs Reservoir after your lap on Fantasy. Ferraro has some legendary solo feats to his name. How did he influence your desire to do this Fantasy speed run or your perception of soloing in general?
Sam Sharp:
I have always loved Ferraro’s approach to kayaking. Mike’s been a hero of mine [since i started kayaking] but I don’t even think we ever talked about soloing. It’s something we both obviously love, but he never influenced me to go solo. I didn’t even have this idea of soloing fantasy either. It wasn’t a goal of mine.
I found my own path towards [soloing] by spending a summer on the Cataracts [of the Kern], just purely out of not being able to find people to go kayaking with after work. It was roadside, so it felt like an acceptable risk because I was like, If I swim, there’s a road at least. Looking back at it, it is pretty crazy to be alone on that level of whitewater. However, I noticed that when I was kayaking solo out there, it was the best I’ve ever paddled on that river and the most free. Those were my favorite laps– being out there alone as the sun is setting in that beautiful landscape of the Southern Sierra. You’re just fucking balls to the wall and you’re not worried about anything else or anyone; you’re just purely focused on your capabilities.
Site Zed: You wrote in your initial reflection on Instagram about seeking perfection. This is a common thread we see in soloing across outdoor sports–whether it’s free soloing or big wave surfing. Is there something unique about that pursuit of perfection in kayaking to you?
Sam Sharp:
Obviously, for free solo climbers, there is zero margin for error. There’s room for some error in kayaking. I mean, you can fuck up solo kayaking and have a crazy experience and be okay. You might be in a remote area by yourself with no gear or something, but you’re still alive.
When I choose to go solo kayaking in remote places on difficult whitewater, I’m fully surrendering to the river which is something that I love about kayaking. When I solo, I truly accept the risk in exchange for running the river in exactly the style I want.
Site Zed:
That sort of complete commitment is so gratifying. Many people, including legend Evan Garcia, commented on Instagram that your lap was one of the most legendary solo pushes in our sports history. Was that your expectation for the experience before you went?
Sam Sharp:
I didn’t even plan to do solo fantasy. I wanted to do a really hard solo push that summer, but I thought it was going to be on the Stikine.
Before I did my solo lap [on Fantasy], I did a lap with Toad, Gibby and Gibby’s brother Landis. It was awesome. It was Landis’ first time down, so it was a nice chill lap. I refreshed the lines. I ran the Untouchables on that lap and it went super well. I remember running it and being like, holy shit. I could just feel the progression from the year before.
No one wanted to do another lap the day after we got off. I woke up early in the morning and walked around the camp at the put-in. Eventually I went up to Gibby and I was like, “Hey dude, I’m gonna go put on.” He just looked at me, “You sure?” I told him I felt really good and how much I wanted to do this. I respect and love him so much. It felt important that he didn’t try to talk me out of it or anything. Gibby had total belief in me.
Putting on, I knew I was gonna walk Murphy’s [Law] and [I want my] Mommy Gorge. I wanted to have a good time. I wasn’t in pursuit of the Fantasy Flush* or anything like that. But in the back of my head I was definitely wondering how fast I could get down this river.
Once I started bombing through the big sections, I was having so much fun. I couldn’t believe how well it flowed. I had this moment where I thought, Wow, I can’t believe this is happening right now.
On Fantasy, there’s super continuous, crazy sections of whitewater, and then you hit these meadows and they’re nice chill spots. The meadows were the hardest part for me because they gave me time to think. That’s the only time I felt really alone. Looking back on it now, it’s the best time I’ve ever had in my kayak.
Site Zed:
Soloing occupies an interesting space in the Class V community. It is more frowned upon than in climbing, where alpinists revere and idolize legendary solo pushes. One of the most liked comments on your Instagram post from the day is “But never forget: a good kayaker is an old kayaker”. I’ve seen similar sentiments on Aniol’s posts about solo Stikine laps and have always been baffled by the criticism top paddlers receive. Where do you think that this stigma comes from?
Sam Sharp:
At the end of the day, I think it comes from a place of love.The paddling community is small, which means we all know each other. It makes any loss feel like a personal loss. That being said, I don’t understand the criticism of soloing because I’m not putting any risk on anyone else. At the end of the day, it’s my decision to do this, and I think the judgment is a little unfair because everyone has their own approach in kayaking. I would never judge someone for not running a rapid. It’s also my decision to go out there and kayak the way I want to kayak. [On Fantasy] I was able to focus totally on myself.
I’m not ignorant to how selfish that decision was, especially for my family and friends. It is pretty dangerous, especially running a rapid like the Untouchables. Still, I was 100% confident in my capabilities, and I knew the line I was gonna have. I’ve had no greater feeling at the bottom of a rapid.
Site Zed:
When did you decide you were going to run the Untouchables on your solo lap?
Sam Sharp:
It was right when I finished the Mommy Gorge portage, and I checked my watch and realized that I’d been moving pretty fast. I felt so good. I was amazed with how physically in shape I was. I felt proud of myself; I spent that entire year pushing my kayaking and my fitness as hard as possible. I decided my reward was that I was going to run this rapid.
I rolled into it without stopping. I don’t even know if I’m gonna be able to recreate the line I had ever again. It felt magical and I don’t think I could have been able to do that without being alone.
Site Zed:
What were your thoughts around sharing this experience? Were you surprised by the reaction of the community?
Sam Sharp:
When I got done I was not even thinking about sharing it. I was so happy, paddling across the lake and hanging out with Gibby and Toad for a while. We went to Coloma and went on a bender. The next day, I had this powerful creative urge. I opened my notes app and started writing. I felt like I had something that I was really happy with. It was a great representation of how I was feeling, it felt right to share it.
I posted it and honestly, at this point, you know, I’m 20; I’m still young in my kayaking career, but I feel like I have a good sense of self. I care what my close friends think about me and the people I respect in the community but I don’t really give a fuck about what other people think.
*The Fantasy Flush, first completed by Dane Jackson in 2018, is running all of the runnable drops on Fantasy Falls
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