Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 90 is my conversation with professional kayaker Hunt Jennings, who is known for running extreme waterfalls over 100 feet. Hunt walks me through what goes through his mind before dropping over a 70 to 80 foot waterfall that lands against a rock shelf, the extensive safety planning these runs demand, and the mental framework he uses to decide whether he is doing something for the right reason. It is a conversation about composure where the margin for error is measured in inches.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Hunt Jennings is a professional whitewater kayaker known for running extreme waterfalls, including drops over 100 feet. He is recognized for a methodical approach to risk assessment, mental preparation, and detailed safety planning on some of the highest-consequence whitewater descents in the sport. He is also passionate about helping newcomers get into kayaking safely.
According to Hunt, it takes extensive mental preparation, detailed safety planning, and a rigorous decision-making process. Before committing to a 70 to 80 foot drop that landed against a rock shelf, he spent a long time deciding whether he was doing it for the right reason, then built a comprehensive safety plan and focused on staying calm where precision was everything.
Hunt says one of the biggest decisions is determining whether you are doing something for the right reason. That honest, internal evaluation takes considerable time and self-awareness before committing to a high-consequence run, and it matters as much as the physical skill required to execute it.
Hunt relies on a mental framework developed over years of high-consequence paddling, plus thorough preparation and safety planning. He emphasizes that composure in moments where panic would be catastrophic comes from the work done before he ever enters the water, not from nerve in the moment.
Hunt advises finding a local kayaking community or club, since paddlers tend to be welcoming and eager to help, and never going alone because the sport cannot be done safely solo. He suggests starting in a river-running play boat, learning the wet exit first, then working on your roll as quickly as possible while easing onto easy whitewater and progressing slowly.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 90 with Hunt Jennings is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
This conversation landed for me at a particular moment. We had just taken my son Hayden to college, the second of our kids to leave the nest, and I kept thinking about the decisions we make and why we make them. That is exactly what drew me to Hunt. What he does is extreme, but the principles underneath it, staying calm under pressure, asking whether you are doing something for the right reason, building safety plans for high-consequence situations, translate to any big decision in life. I wanted to hear how a guy plummets over a 100-foot waterfall and keeps his head.
Press play in the YouTube player above to hear it.
Hunt describes one of the biggest decisions he has made: a 70 to 80 foot waterfall that landed right against a rock shelf, a feature that leaves zero margin for error. He talks about wrestling with whether he was doing it for the right reason before he ever committed. Hear how he walked through that decision in the episode.
Once Hunt decided to run it, the work was just beginning. He describes the big safety plan behind a drop where landing against rock is part of the equation, the kind of infrastructure most people never see in the final footage. Listen to what really goes into it.
Hunt gets into the mental state required to execute when there is no room for error, and how that composure is built long before he is in the water. We connect it to the life transitions I was thinking about that week. Worth hearing in full.
Hunt is just as passionate about getting newcomers into the sport safely. He explains finding a local club, never paddling alone, starting in a river-running play boat, and learning the wet exit before working on your roll. Press play in the player above for his advice.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player above.
The weekend we recorded this, we took Hayden to college, and it had me thinking hard about decisions and why we make them. That is what drew me to Hunt.
What he does is extreme, but the framework is universal: stay calm, plan for the worst, and be honest with yourself about why you are doing something. Whether you are running a waterfall or making any big call, that holds. Listen to the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 90 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Hunt Jennings · whitewater kayaking · Tennessee Valley Canoe Club · Hayden Roland · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Hunt Jennings is a professional whitewater kayaker known for running extreme waterfalls, including drops over 100 feet. He has built a reputation for a methodical approach to risk assessment, mental preparation, and detailed safety planning on some of the most technical, high-consequence descents in the sport. His decision-making emphasizes determining whether you are doing something for the right reason before committing to runs that leave minimal margin for error.
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