Episode 3

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Published on:

12th Aug 2025

The Gordon Dalton Story: Maps, Memories, and the Currents that Shape Us

Episode 3: Maps, Memories, and the Currents that Shape Us: Gordon Dalton & the Spirit of Exploration

From the rivers of Virginia to backcountry creeks across the country, Gordon Dalton’s life is defined by paddling, wilderness discovery, and thoughtful storytelling.

About Gordon Dalton

Gordon is a Virginia-based paddler whose passion for rivers began with a canoe in 1989 and his first kayak in 1992. Since then, he’s explored countless creeks across the Blue Ridge and American West, working as a video kayaker in the late 1990s on rivers like the New and Gauley. Along the way, he helped pioneer and document many of Virginia’s now-classic creek runs, blending adventure with preservation and education.

He’s the longtime organizer of the Goshen Pass downriver race on the Maury River—started in 2007 as a grassroots competition and grown into a beloved spring gathering, organized by Gordon and built on low-ego, shared paddling culture.

Gordon balances his passion for rivers with a day job as a speech therapist, which allows him summers exploring western snowmelt creeks. When he’s not paddling, he shares his discoveries through photography, guidebook contributions, and storytelling—always wrestling with what to share and what to leave undiscovered.

Check out Gordon's instagram: @gdaltonphoto

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

  • Gordon’s early inspirations—what made him fall in love with paddling.
  • Behind the scenes of working as a video kayaker on iconic rivers.
  • How he discovered and documented Virginia creeks and brought them into the paddling community.
  • The origin story of Goshen Pass Race, its grassroots ethos, and why it endures as a place-based tradition.
  • Gordon’s ongoing tension between documenting adventure and protecting wild runs from overexposure.
  • Reflections on the importance of working together to protect access

Share the Story

If Gordon’s journey—rooted in exploration, self-discovery, and community building—resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen. Help amplify a narrative of paddling stewardship, slow river exploration, and the richness of stories born from following waters.

Stay tuned for episode 4: more voices, more rivers, and more lessons from Following Waters!

Mentioned in this episode:

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About the Podcast

Following Waters
Life on and off the water.

About your host

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Brett Mayer

Brett Mayer is a lifelong educator, athlete, and environmental advocate whose career bridges the classroom and the river. With over two decades of teaching experience in public, day, and boarding schools, Brett has built a reputation for integrating adventure and experiential learning into academic settings. A former Division I soccer player and accomplished whitewater kayaker, Brett has competed in elite races like the Green Race and participated in a few exploratory first descents. His passion for paddling led him to complete a master’s thesis on the relationship between whitewater kayaking and environmental stewardship, a reflection of his deep belief in learning through experience. Brett has held teaching and coaching roles at the Landon School, Hotchkiss, Episcopal High School, and currently at Carolina Day School in Asheville, NC, where he most recently developed the "Impact Asheville" project to connect students with real-world problem solving.

Off the river and outside the classroom, Brett serves as the Policy Director for the American Canoe Association, where he works nationally to protect and expand access to the nation’s waterways. He was also an early collaborator with Outdoor Alliance, helping to unite the outdoor recreation community around public lands advocacy. Through this work, Brett brings vital civic, environmental, and recreational insights back into his teaching. Above all, he is a father to three children—Aoife, Stokes, and River—and is deeply committed to raising them with a strong sense of independence, resilience, and connection to the natural world. Whether guiding students through academic inquiry, paddling whitewater, or advocating for public lands, Brett’s work is united by a single goal: to inspire people to live with purpose, courage, and connection to the places they love.