About your guide

My name’s Brendan O’Brien. I grew up in Davenport but have spent the past eight years largely living and working in public lands out west. This has included jobs for the Forest Service, National Park Service, and several guiding companies especially focused on hiking and backpacking. Not to mention a lot of exploring on my own – along trails, up rock walls, and down rivers.

Last year, I felt the pull back to more familiar country and paddled a canoe from the source of the Mississippi River (at Lake Itasca, MN) to the sea (at the Gulf of Mexico). When I finished, I found that I didn’t want to leave the river!

With that, Eagle Bend was born.

Why Eagle Bend?

The name came from the Quad Cities’ location at this distinct east-west bend in the river and the prevalence of bald eagles here, with the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi Rivers home to the largest night-roosting site in the continental US. It’s also a reference to the fact that I saw bald eagles nearly every day of my trip, as though they were guiding me on my way.

Whether you’re a first-time paddler or a long-time paddler just looking to get out on the water, I’d be happy to be your guide!