Vay O’Brien

Who is Vay?

Vay floated all 556 miles of the Yellowstone River from Gardner, Montana to the confluence of the Missouri River in North Dakota.

“I have been planning this trip since August of 2017 after I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I want to have a modern-day North American adventure before I become a teenager. Tom was about twelve years old in the book and so am I. I want to explore something wild and the Yellowstone River is not only in my neighborhood but is one of the last wild rivers in the lower 48 of the US.”

She is an incredibly motivated young boater who already has a wealth of rafting experience under her belt. We’re so excited to see where the river takes Vay in the future.

Vay’s Gear List

• Raft: “Quest” Vay’s 11’6” AIRE Puma

• Oars: Sawyer Light Oars

• Frame: Aire Big Horn 1 Frame

• Helmet: WRSI Trident Helmet

• PFD: Astral V-Eight

• Shoes: Thrift store specials

• Drysuit: 1990’s Kokatat

• Book: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Vay’s Story

Vay wanted to share her experience on the Yellowstone through visual storytelling and her unique blend of insight and discovery. She formatted her adventure videos through the idea of “one quest, one girl, one hundred words”.

She wanted to share that, although this was a fantastic and intimidating adventure, she had a solid support system to help her on her journey. Vay aims to bring understanding to the idea that the whitewater community has so much to offer the exploratory development of young people in a time when the lives of young people are increasingly structured.