The whirlwind cross-country tour is complete and the Troutman-Jackson clan are home and ready to hunker down for a quick respite. Syke! Nick and Tuck are living that inner tube life all summer long on Great Falls Lake in Rock Island TN, only a few minutes from home base.
"We were out with the whole Jackson Family on EJ's Bass boat, just relaxing and unwinding from our 6 months tour, and excited to take advantage of the local fun in our backyard (literally)!”
More proof (not that we needed it) that water sports are a lifestyle, not a hobby.
How The Shot Was Captured: HERO4 Silver, .5 Second Time Lapse mode, Handler
“Being on the road with the family, it’s pretty fun. Imagine your weekend adventure is 6 months long…so many cool opportunities to capture cool content and capture those moments. We always make sure to have our GoPro cameras with us so we don’t miss a beat.” -Nick
For this little family, hitting the road together was a no-brainer, they’re spending their days chasing great weather and the best water.
Pro Tip: Time Lapse is your friend. Your chances of capturing that perfect shot increase with this setting.
How the shot was captured: HERO Black, .5 second Time Lapse, Aerial drone shot
“Oh my gosh it’s hilarious how Tuck uses the camera! He pretends to point and shoot with the camera…but he’s just not quite there yet.” -Emily
Tuck is not only the cutest member of the Troutman-Jackson clan, but is also one of the most adventurous. There’s nothing his professional-kayaker family does that he can’t do too!
Pro Tip: If you’ve got a little grom around, let them play with your camera while it’s rolling. The moments they capture are priceless and can capture your little guy’s personality. Since the HERO Session is so durable, you don’t have to worry about them damaging it.
“When we were kids there weren’t enough male or female competitors so [Emily and I] raced against each other on co-ed teams. It’s the only time we ever competed, Emily beat me – still won’t let me live it down.” - Nick
The Troutman-Jackson clan is familiar with a little friendly competition. These athletes grew up in the world of professional kayaking and have been pushing each other since the beginning. Dane and Nick compete against each other in almost every race. Kayaking becomes extremely competitive during an event, but these two train together every day and are there to motivate each other, while being supportive and giving each other advice on lines.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget your Floaty Back Door! When you’re hustling down the river, there’s a chance your camera will pop loose on a rock and you don’t want it sinking to the bottom.
How the shot was captured: HERO Session, .5 second Time Lapse, Flat adhesive mount on paddle
Little Tuck is going to be giving his parents a run for their money one of these days...check out Chapter 10
“This is a classic, 90% of our photos are paddle-shots. These are cool because you get more of your surroundings from this angle. It might hinder your paddling a bit, so we do this a lot during training sessions but not in a competition.” -Nick
Emily Jackson uses the “paddle-shot” technique, practically invented by the Jackson-Troutman family, to capture her brother Dane who’s close on her tail. Emily holds her own in a family of professional kayakers. She won GoPro Mountain Games nine times, with the only year she didn’t win being the year she was pregnant with Tuck. Emily is a legend.
Pro tip: Stick a flat adhesive mount to your paddle and make sure the surface is clean before you give this tip a try. You don’t want your camera floating away!
How the shot was captured: HERO4 Black, .5 second Time Lapse mode, flat adhesive mount on paddle
Check out a little friendly competition in Chapter 9...
“The random moments are what we love the most about being on the road…getting to take advantage of opportunities to explore and adventure outdoors.” -Nick
The Troutman’s time on the road is punctuated with competition, which adds adrenaline and a reason to explore new territories. The family was up with the sun heading to GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, CO to compete with the best of them on the Colorado River. Nick raced down Gore Creek in the downriver sprint at Mountain Games and came in 3rd at the iconic Vail bridge downtown!
Pro Tip: Use the HERO4 Silver’s LCD screen to your advantage! You can easily frame up a shot and get a preview of the lighting. We’re talking perfect sun flares to accent your photos.
How the shot was captured: HERO4 Silver, Single shot
Up Next: Emily is a force to be reckoned with...Chapter 8
Troutman Chapter 1: Not Your Average Family Adventure
When a mommy pro-kayaker loves a daddy pro-kayaker very much, out pops a little grom with a love for the river ingrained in his DNA.
This is the true story of the Troutman-Jackson family. Starting from the left there’s Nick Troutman, professional kayaker and all around great human being who enjoys nothing more than hitting the open road in pursuit of a little fresh water. Currently Nick is training in freestyle, creek race, down river race, 8-ball and SUP races to prepare for the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado June 9-12.
Then there’s Emily, a 3x and current kayak world champion and 9x GoPro Mountain Game champion. Total. Stud.
And, she just so happens to be married to the fella on the left. Emily comes from a long line of dominate kayakers starting with her Father Eric Jackson who has won almost every freestyle competition on the planet. It’s no surprise Emily’s brother, Dane is giving his father a run for his money in the world of white water as he hucks himself off 60ft cliffs.
And last, but definitely not least, there’s Tucker. He’s 2 and 3/4. That extra 3/4 is really important to a two year old. He’ll tell you that. The nugget is nearing 3 in July and is already proving himself on the water.
This grom was born an adventure-seeker and lover of the outdoors. He also knows how to work that flat sticky mount on paddle to capture a selfie at just the right angle. Good work, Tuck! You’re a natural.
Follow along as we share updates from the open road as Nick, Emily and Tucker, show us what it takes to conquer the open road (and water) as they head to Vail.
Troutman Chapter 2: Emily Jackson & Tucker on the Open Road
“I love traveling and checking out new places, though it’s hard to be away from my family, so bringing Emily and Tucker on the road is a no brainer. Plus, it’s a ton of fun. Emily loves paddling and competing all over the country, and Tucker loves being outdoors, so for us it just works.
We live on the road for 8-10 months out of the year, traveling around and paddling. Though, we are in the midst of building a home in Tennessee right now because that’s where Emily's family is - the Jackson Kayak Factory & headquarters are located there. Also, there’s a ton of great paddling in the South East.”
Check back weekly to see what it takes for Nick and the family to navigate the open road in a 24 ft RV.
We’ll be sharing their latest adventures including tips & tricks for using GoPro on the road and in water as the family gets ready to compete at the Steep Creek Challenge at GoPro Mountain Games in Vail.
