hydrothinko

Humla Karnali the last leg

2011-01-24T15:45:00.015-05:00

I woke early, eager to make a hard push to our resupply and our final 180 Kilometers of River. Getting the fire stoked and heating the water I saw Toby rise and dart for the woods. It seemed out of the ordinary but lintels and rice could have taken its toll. He returned a long while after, pale and broken. "Man down," he proclaimed. The others rose from their slumbers and we spent a long while stalling the days paddling hoping Toby's condition would improve.

We passed the time playing some rock Botchi on the beach. By noon it was obvious we would not be paddling that day. Tired and broken from the hardest week of kayaking we had experienced, no one complained about taking a layover day. We snacked on the few remaining snack bars and cooked a meager dinner with the remaining food we had rationed. By morning time we were out of food. We had to get down stream to a town.

The following morning we set off with a still very sick Toby. We made a stop in Manmua and pulled over to the delight of the entire village. There were a few shops to choose from but in like most of rural Nepal the selection is exactly the same.

The locals followed Isaac and Cooper as they marched into town with empty food bags. The locals crammed around the entrance of the shop and we even met the head of the Texas Long Horn fan club while resupplying.

Cooper Lambla AKA "the cookie monster" hones in on the coconut cookies.

The Karnali makes a large eastern swing at the start of the lower. We paddled on until the sun was long behind the mountains finding a peaceful beach to spread out on. Toby began a course of antibiotics but was still a long way from well. With the volume of the river still increasing and the rapids easing we were still able to cover 30 kilometers in a short 5 hours of paddling.

The second day of the lower Karnali we reached the class IV gorge bombing our way through the rapids. At one stage I was in the front and feeling confident drifted towards a large horizon line. To late to retreat to the safety of an eddy, I was terrified to be staring straight into the meat of a large hole. I slowed dramatically hoping to find a break in the hole. Searching for an escape route I spied a small braking surge, and charged left. It was to late for anyone else to vary their line and we all crashed through with big eyes. The gorge eased and we bombed through the scenic red gorge finding a nice beach to camp at the end of the gorge. Only 100k's to the take out.

After a peaceful sleep for all but Toby we pushed off hoping to make it close to the take out.

Drifting thorough the lower stretches we knew we were finished and were simply savoring the peacefulness of the Nepal country side before dropping into the smog of the Terahi Plains. Will cruises through the flats.

Large cliff faces and rolling hills surrounded the Karnali Valley adding to the welcomed calm of the lower.

We paddled 70 Kilometer finishing our last full day in the dark. Cooper strong and young was the last victim of the dreaded Asianinc Stomach Plague and was slow to rise on the last day.

We put on around 10 AM enjoying the scenic last gorge. We finally reached the take out at the large suspension bridge in Chisapani at around 2pm. It had been nearly two weeks and two thousand meters of gradient. We emerged tired and stoked with the accomplishment of being granted safe passage down such a remote stretch of river. Nearly four hundred kilometers resulted in countless hole beatings, numerous hard long portages, four follow throughs, zero swims, and three bouts of gastrointestinal distress. We were welcomed by most locals. Had numerous kids hurl rocks and logs at us. For nearly two weeks we fought to battle our way closer to the take out. As the end finally emerged beyond the final bend in the river we wished for another two weeks of repose in the beautiful waters of the Humla Karnali. It was an adventure unlike anything else any of us had ever experienced.

Team Renegade at the take out in Chisapani.

Like all good things in life they have to end and we jumped back atop the roof a bus headed towards the east and the reality of the modern world. We had spent 9 weeks traversing a large expanse of the Greater Himalayan range. We experienced hundreds of miles of classic whitewater. We drove, flew, hiked, bounced our way in four wheel drive jeeps and tractors up countless rivers. We were embraced by the friendly locals and showered with the vibrant cultures and customs. We had experienced an epic adventure unsurpassable in so many ways and it was all over. In what seemed like an instance we parted ways to begin the next phase of life. We left already dreaming of the next adventure, eager for our time in the normal day to day life to grant us a way back to the rivers of Asia.

Humla day 7-9

2011-01-10T18:22:00.010-05:00

Day 6 ended at a beautiful beach camp spot with a large rock to chill on. We had passed numerous small villages and were drawing close to our resupply.

Each morning hand made chapatis were prepared over the standard double burner 3 rock fire and packed into a dry bag for our lunch. The first week we had tuna and cheese. The second week our lunch rations were reduced to peanut butter, 2 chapatis and a snickers bar. We were getting hungry.

Cooper Lambla charging thorough the numerous rapids of the lower Humla Karnali

(photo Will Stublefield)

Day 7 saw us passing through the last of the major canyons of the Humla Karnali. In fact the river upon exiting the last big canyon eased quite considerably. Large rapids still kept you on your toes and the occasional scout was required but all in all we had cracked the upper reaches of the Humla and were now covering large distances each day. Regardless we were still a long way from the take out and nearly out of food. It was crucial that we reached the put in for the lower in order to resupply for the remaining 113 miles of river down to Chisapani.

Isaac Thomson working his way down the meat of a large rapid day 7

Large holes were a constant fear but generally the lower stretches provide big green lines if you knew where to look. Toby MacDermott finds the easy way down a long rapid.

Cooper Lambla showing the boys how its done in the typical Cooper style

It had been a solid week and we were finally only a few K's from our planned resupply spirits were high and we were hoping to finish the 180 kilometers of the main Karnali in 3 days.

Humla Karnali day 4-6

2011-01-06T13:25:00.025-05:00

We started day IV weary of dropping into the second large canyon on the Humla Karnali. We had traveled very little distance in the grand scheme of things. In fact it wasn't until day three that we covered more than 20 kilometers in a day. We had paddled 70 k's in total and still had a remaining 315 kilometers to the take out. We were about to descend in what some who have previously paddled the river, described as the hardest section of the Humla. We set off cautious, but hopeful of covering some solid ground. We still had aspirations of reaching our resupply in three days.
The first few rapids we clung to the bank avoiding the full force of the Humla. The river had grown in volume, again doubling it's flow from the day before. Day four and the volume already was huge. It was obvious the largest monsoon season in 70 years had left the Humla Karnali river full and raging even late into the season.

The canyon walls were towering high overhead protecting an oasis of exotic flora and flona. Palm trees and Cacti coexisted in the arid pristine canyon. Toby charging through one of the many long pushy wave trains. Look closer and you can see him. (photo Will Stubblefield)

Will Charging through a large pour over.

After completing the canyon we were exhausted from the physically demanding white water and portages of the first four days. We opted to cut our paddling short in order to rest for a hard push on day 5. We found a small beach under a large overhanging cliff face and unpacked in time to have a quick bath in the freezing cold water before the sun set.

Up and adam, we packed our boats and powered through a mostly scenic and uneventful three hours of paddling. It was a much needed mental rest. The Humla was joined by several large tributaries and we knew the steep and powerful third gorge loomed further down stream.

Will tucking into a crashing hole.

As the day pushed on we hoped to get close to the town of Thirpu a known rough and rowdy town of thieves. It was thanksgiving and we were searching for a secluded beach to prepare a feast with our fast dwindling rations. We struggled to find a suitable place to camp and blew past a few small villages.

At one stage Toby got out to scout a rapid and a young man was shouting in my ear for a rupee. Toby was trying to explain the rapid to me while sitting in my kayak. The young man gave up on me and quickly moved on to Toby. Tired and frustrated I got half of a signal of where to go before Toby retreated to the repose of his kayak. We tried to follow him but quickly lost site all having questionable lines. Regardless, we trudged on reaching a large horizon line close to dark.

In the hopes of keeping things moving along, we walked this rapid mainly out of fear. Cooper opted to run the rapid and lined up the crashing seam trying to break through the massive hole.

He was quickly swallowed for a few scary seconds but submerged upright.

Isaac gets a hand from a local man portaging.

Late in the day we finally spotted a beach amongst a large boulder pile. We pulled our boats up to the beach realizing we had stopped just above a huge horizon line. Finally a peaceful place to stretch out and enjoy a thanksgiving feast. We still had some potatoes and planned on making some chicken stock flavored soy balls, mashed potatoes and gravy.

As soon as we set our kayaks down an began to change into dry clothes the hill sided was littered with children running to see what we were up to. Quickly, some 30 children, young adults, and a few older fellows gathered. We needed to get a fire going and get dry but we were scared we had reached Thirpu and if we unpacked our gear would slowly walk away. Cooper stepped up as head of PR and led the mob away from us singing playing games and even leading a crowd in the "Hokie Pokie". He headed up the hill side to their village as we began to set up camp with only a few remaining spectators. He returned with bags of food and had found a school teacher who Cooper had explained thanksgiving to. Learning of our "festival" he insisted on giving us a large pumpkin and some more potatoes and fresh coriander. We cooked and ate for 4 hours straight serving up a 4 course meal. We finally crawled into our sleeping bags at 11 PM exhausted and stuffed.

The locals assembled in the morning before school to watch us cook breakfast.

Will firing through the top hole of the first rapid of the day.

The run out was just as tasty as the entrance creating a massive powerful rapid to start the day

Finally the rapid began to relent.

We continued our way down entering another long section of steep and massive rapids with ominous looking holes and exploding waves. We were in constant fear of being swallowed and beaten in the powerful current of the Humla.

Toby fighting to keep his boat straight above a large hole after being swallowed by a lateral.

When ever you thought you were alone on a remote river far from civilization, you would look up to find someone leading their water buffalo to the river for a drink, or workers collecting rice. Often times you felt like their worlds' stopped for as long as it took us to pass by. In this case traffic on the bridge stopped with what seemed like half the village watching us float by. We continued on again late into the day stopping in the final long hard 3rd gorge of the upper stretches of the Humla. Will found a flat area on a terrace high above the river and we again feasted late into the night. We were close to our resupply now only another 80 kilometers and we couldn't eat enough in an attempt to replenish the massive amounts of energy we were burning. Day 6 ended with thoughts of finishing off the last class V stretch of river as it eventually would ease in gradient and continue to increase in flow making a friendlier bouncier class IV float down the remaining 200 kilometers.

Humla Karnali Day 1-3

2011-01-05T06:56:00.000-05:00

After getting to Nepal we quickly settled into a remembrance of western influence. In the main tourist hubs of Nepal you can find steak sizzlers, snickers bars and soda. It's like being around the comforts of home with the claustrophobia of Asia. To be honest we all preferred the authenticity of India. Though raw and savage at times at least it didn't posses the ills of the western world and the over consumption and waste of most tourist. We toured the classics of Nepal, and the rivers finally began to show retreat from the over abundance of water from the biggest monsoon season in 70 years. It was time to head back towards the western boarder of India and have a crack at the Humla Karnali.

We caught a bus to the town of Nepal Gange. The smoggy border town is the gateway from west to east. The trade route from western and southern India converge in Nepal Gange or simply "The Gange" as we call it. Nestled in the low flat lands of Nepal, it is not a pleasant place. Our goal was to arrive after a 16 hour bus ride secure a flight an fly the following day to the Humla Karnali river.

Per usual, things did not progress as quickly as we had hoped. Cooper and I scoured the various booking agents and airline offices searching for a cargo flight headed to Simikot. Located high in the northern reaches of western Nepal close to the Tibetan border, Simikiot is the provincial capital of the Humla Region. We passed the time fine tuning our packing, securing the last of our food supplies, and preparing ourselves for the longest and most committing river any of us had ever paddled.

With tickets purchased and a clear weather forecast we loaded our boats into a truck and took them to the airport the afternoon before we flew for a weigh in. We were allowed 20 kilos each and every Kilo over would cost us two dollars. We were looking at 50-60 kilos a person and were thankful of the allowance of one camera bag each fully loaded with 14 kilos of food to save money.

Mission time was upon us the boys loading up.

Awaking at 4:30 AM we hopped in a shared auto rickshaw stoked to be leaving the smog of "the Gange". We weighed in the last of our baggage and boarded our very own German made Dornier Fairchild 212 turbo prop twin engine airplane. They loaded 3 of the kayaks and 4 of us then filled the rest of the plane with bags of rice. Finally once Will was on board they filled in the empty spaces with the last of our kayaks.

Will scouts the Humla Karnali from 3000 feet above.

See that little dirt patch in the middle of the frame that is the Simikot Airport

Once on the ground we rearranged our gear and boats and shoulder them heading towards the steep 1000 meter vertical descent to the Humla River. Getting an early flight and reaching Simikot by 7 am we were hoping to cover some solid ground on our first day. In order to save our backs and knees we opted to employ some local help to carry our heavy kayaks in the 100 to 110 pound range.

After some tough negotiations we found a fit team eager to aid us in our mission.

Clear glacial water near the put in (photo Will Stubbelfield)

We set off around 11 AM stoked to be at the river so early. We were optimistic of reaching our goal of Manma our planned resupply stop in 6 days. On the water we paddled several kilometers of read and run pushy class III. A tributary quickly doubled the flow and we were soon dealing with around 800 Cubic feet per second of water flowing through the valley. Before long a uncontrollable wave of nausea took control of my body. I tried to push on but lost control in the middle of some class III rapids.

JJ laid out between fits of vomiting (photo Isaac Thomson)

We regrouped for a few minutes and discussed pushing on but the toils of the sub continent waged war on my body and I laid hunched over purging my body of its evils for the rest of the day battling fever, sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea. The following morning I awoke early and regained control of my body. I was able to put down a bit of oats and we loaded up hopping to regain lost time and cover some distance on the the river. Already on the first day we were well behind our target.

Isaac dropping into the first gorge (photo Will Stubbelfield)

We repacked our overweight and over stuffed kayaks and set off knowing that we had two large portages ahead of us. On the water we bounced our way down the rapids boat scouting and bombing through a fun 6 kilometers of stress free white water. We finally reached our first large rapid and Will and I scouted from opposite banks. A large tongue feeding into a powerful seem closely followed by another large rapid. The power of the Humla finally presented itself.

Cooper Charging through a large swirly boxed in rapid. If you run this you just went to far. (photo Will Stubelfield)

Cooper climbing up the steep bank we just hauled the kayaks up (photo Will Stubblefield)

Just below here is a horrible rapid that we had to portage. A bit to over committed we had to rope our boats up the steep cliff face taking over two hours in total to portage what should have been 20 minutes.

After the first long portage there are several kilometers of good fun kayaking a short portage a great lunch and then the realization that once again we pushed to far and had entered deep into another long portage. This time it took us 3 1/2 rope lengths to pull our boats out of the gorge. The second portage took the better half of a day to walk around the 1.5 kilometer long unrunable first canyon. (photo Will Stubblefield)

Cooper and I broken after the second long portage (photo Will Stubblefield)

The third day we were convinced not to make the same mistake three times in a row. We had hoped to be at the confluence of the Lochi Karnali, and were a long way off pace. We saw a pinch, predicted a portage, and spent the extra time scouting and avoided another epic, walking around this boulder choked canyon.

Cooper running the lunch rapid day 3.

Will ducking under a large old growth strainer covering the large majority of the river.

Day 3 presented one of the hardest and most consistent stretches of hard class IV and V in the entire 240 miles of the Karnali. The rapids were stacked and kept coming at us all day.

Toby hoping all that extra weight will keep his bow down through a stout gorge rapid mid way through day 3. The rapids continued with a solid 8 k's of hard class IV and V rapids. It eventually relented and eased to class IV read and run. We finally found a good pace and began to cover solid ground late into the third day. We bounced our way through boulder gardens stacked with crashing waves and powerful holes. We passed through a small town and the villagers lined the banks to bear witness to our passing. Some kids even showed their enthusiasm by hurling large chunks of wood and rocks at us as we paddled by.

Finally as the last rays of light transformed into darkness we reached the Lochi Khola. In 3 days we covered 40 kilometers. We had grossly underestimated the difficulty of the river. We began to ration our supplies as it seemed reaching Manma in 6 days was a pipe dream. The Humla had taken its toll and day 4 we were to enter the formidable third canyon one of the hardest sections of river on the Humla.

The Mighty Marsyandi

2011-01-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

Our next mission was the Mighty Marsyandi River. We hopped on a bus bound for Lumle and then another bus to Besisarhar. North the road gets increasingly more dangerous and is strictly four wheel drive. We shopped around for a jeep but the only one we could find was way over priced. After a few hours of being stalled out we found a local gentleman with a John Deer Tractor who offered to give us a lift to our put in at Sange.

It seemed like a great idea, like a scenic tractor ride at the county fair. Will and I sampled the delights of our new shuttle vehicle as we went with the driver to the local gas station in preparation for the long journey up the rough road. We quickly realized our mistake. If you are ever offered a ride on a tractor for a 4 hour 4x4 ride on a sketchy road I advise not taking it.

We had to laugh at our situation. Four of us clung to various pieces of the tractor holding on for dear life. We were bouncing and slamming into various sharp and jagged pieces of metal. The other three were bounced around in the trailer as the kayaks slid around trying to launch you from the trailer. We all suffered bruises and and a few open wounds from our scenic tractor ride but we made it and saved at least three dollars each.

Awaking sore and tired and having spent so much time getting into the mountains we opted for a layover day in Sange and set off for a day hike checking out some of the locals that live in the area.

Just north of Sange a steep mountain trail winds it way up the hill side. This man had quite the large herd of Water Buffalo and we stopped to admire his beautiful buff.

Here you can see the KFC delivery man. Just another day on the job.

From Sange the whitewater is fast and continuos action. Most rapids are read and run with a few larger long rapids to keep you on your toes. The entire river is quality runnable action packed fun. (photo Will Stubblefield)

Toby on the run out of the first long rapid (photo Will Stubblefield)

Cooper looks on as Isaac paddles through the run out of the slip rapid

Just a few kilometers from our planned stop for the night we found this nice riverside hot pool to soak in. It started raining as soon as we got in the hot pools so we spent a solid 2 hours nursing our sore bodies and taking in the scenery of the Marsyandi. We paddled a few more k's and stayed the night just north of Bhullebule.

We stopped just above a large horizon line. Cooper getting the day started the right way just missing a large pour over.

Toby wasn't quite as lucky and took the brunt of the pour over in what can only be described as a controlled thrashing. Toby smiling after being released from good morning rapid.

Toby charging through another large rapid on the lower stretches of the Marsyandi

We finished up at the new lake formed by the power station that went operational last year. until then there was an additional 20 k's of excellent rapids. We flagged down a fruit delivery truck taking their weekly orders. They offers us a ride so we piled our boats in and climbed aboard for what turned out to be the plushest form of transportation we experienced.

The Kali Gandaki

2011-01-01T17:09:00.009-05:00

The Kali Gandakni lies to the west of Pokhra. It is the largest drainage in the Anapurna Range and the holiest river in Nepal. The valley begins high on the northern side of the Himalayan Mountains in the remote arid region of Mustang. There is a popular trekking circuit following the river so access is relatively easy. We opted to paddle the section from Tatopani down to the road bridge below Beni. Tatopani means hot water and the put in has nice hot springs.

View of the Anapurna Range form Tatopani. Remember to bring extra money so you can soak in the hot pools after the long 4x4 jeep ride. We were running short on cash so we observed people soaking rather then paying the 30 cents.

Prayer flags blow in the wind sending prayers to the heavens. While Hinduism is the predominate religion in Nepal the higher elevations you will find more Buddhist, often many are Tibetan Refugees who fled their homeland after the Chinese's occupation of the peaceful nation.

Cooper charging through the 2nd gorge rapid (photo Will Stublefield)

We jumped on the water around 10 and were stoked with the healthy flow in the river. From Tatopani to Tiplang, there are numerous class IV and V rapids and only a few portages. The whitewater was fast and fun but the large concentration of glacial silt often made it hard to determine the depth and power of the river.

Cooper on the run out of the 2nd gorge rapid (photo Will Stublefield)

Below Tiplang there is a 2nd portage. We took the easy way and hiked up to the road and around the large boulder choke sieve pile. Will runs the first rapid after the portage.

Mid way down, the valley opens up and you get a nice view of the 7000 meter (22,000 foot) peeks towering the landscape.

A few larger rapids popped up on the lower stretches keeping the gradient and action good fun the whole way down to Beni.

Cooper firing through one of the many holes awaiting you.

The Modi Khola

2010-12-31T09:06:00.006-05:00

After a quick trip down the Seti and Maudi Khola we packed up for a few days and planned on hitting the Modi Khola and Kali Gandakni back to back. First stop Modi Khola. We split Pokrha and took a cab out to to Lumle where we found some porters to carry our boats. It certainly is worth every penny not having to lug your kayak around.

Walking boats march their way across a small swing bridge on the way to New Bridge our put in on the Modi.

All along the way villagers have carved out small terraces to grow rice lintels and season vegetables such as potatoes and spinach. The Modi Khola is a Tea House Run. You can stay in a small guest house for a $1.15 a night an have someone cook you dinner and breakfast. It is certainly an easy way to do an overnighter. You dont even have to carry a sleeping bag.

Will Following the leader hiking towards New Bridge with Annapurna III (7555 meters) in the background.

We stayed at this young ladies house. You can see hygiene is important here she is making sure her toe nails are clean before cooking us a delious meal of Dal Bhat for Dinner. Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal. It consist of rice, lintel soup, potato curry, and sometimes spinach.

Sunset from our guest house on Annapurna III. One of the mountains just to the east is called Annapurna IV not to be confused with Annapurna I to the west. The weird thing is Annapurna II is further to the east then IV. Anyhow look a pretty picture of a big mountain and a tree. Ahh

Cooper lining it up in order to punch through a sticky hole (photo Will Stublefield).

I had run the Modi Khola over the years twice before. The first time was low and in Late Nov. The second time was late mid october and it was fairly high. Being mid Nov I assumed it would be an in between flow. As soon as wqe got on the water I realized Nepal was having similar flows to India. The rivers of Nepal were still high for this time of year after the huge monsoon rains.

Yup pretty much the same thing even the same person. (photo Will Stublefield)

Look mom there is me. This is before i got tooled in the hole. (photo Will Stublefield)

Cooper boofing the weird one just past Old Bridge.

The run out below Birethanti is still good fun we paddled down to the dam and jumped on a bus for Beni and The Powerful Kali Gandakni.

From India to Nepal (dawn of the sport bus riding)

2010-12-30T14:49:00.012-05:00

One of the great things about traveling through Asia is the availability of various transportation methods one can enlist. We had been traveling with a driver, van and even one of Shalab's friends Laxman to help with logistics. Kev had run out of time and it was time for him to part ways from the crew while the rest of us headed across the border into Mahindragar Nepal to experience the life of public transport in Asia.

Setting off early we found a jeep to drop us close to the border. There is a one lane bridge packed with people walking, biking, bussing, or riding rickshaws across the border. We opted for the Rickshaw option. We spent a bit of time at the India Immigration office. Though hordes of people were crossing the border we were the only ones that stopped at immigration. It seemed an entirely optional process. Once we got an exit stamp on the ole Passport we were waved through customs and entered the 2 kilometers of no mans land between Inida and Nepal.

Walking with the India rickshaw drivers we were quickly stopped by the local Nepali Rickshaw Union. It seemed we nearly started a turf war. After some stiff negotiations we switched to the Nepali Rickshaws and headed for the bus station. (photo Will Stublefield)

Arriving early we had plenty of time to secure our gear to the roof and prepare ourselves for the 18 hour bus ride from hell. (photo Will Stublefield)

(local women collect fodder for the livestock)

We headed across the wild western front of Nepal. Once a Maoist strong hold during the long years of instability in Nepal few westerners traveled through these regions till recently. 10 years ago Unisef was doing large scale food drops to feed the hungry.

The charming and quaint small towns along the Indian Nepal Highway

A typical reaction when someone sees a kayak for the first time.

After the savage bus ride we reached the beautiful mountain town of Pokhra. We would base ourselves here for the next two weeks sampling the classics and waiting for the water to drop on the Humla Karnali our big mission for the trip. (photo Steve Bates)

The Pindar River

2010-12-28T23:08:00.010-05:00

Upon some google earth scouting I found this gym boasting an average gradient roughly of 30 meters per kilometer. Perfect gradient awaiting our arrival. The problem with the Pindar unlike most Indian rivers is there is no road up the river. Luckily there is a well established trail the next drainage to the east. Just do a short 20 K hike over and a high mountain pass and you too can drop into the Pindar Valley for 2 solid days of class IV-V action.

Somewhere in this frame are some tired kayakers with fully loaded boats trying to find the steam to keep one foot in front of the next.

After a 3 hour hike we ran out of day light and had to make camp for the night still a long way from the Dharkuri Khal pass at 2932 meters.

Halfway to the pass and you can see our camp site at the saddle in the middle of the frame but luckily at this stage we had scored some Nepali Porters making progress way quicker.

Kev reaching the pass.

Getting to the put in at the footbridge near Khati we made camp and started cooking stoked to be putting on what looked like a healthy flow on the Pindar.

Once on the water the Pindar is a non stop action packed run with some freezing water straight from the Pindari Glacier. Isaac Thomson Charging through the continuos white water of the Pindar. (photo Will Stubblefield)

Toby working his way through the classic read and run boulder gardens. (photo Will Stubblefield)

We were blow away by the clean fun rapids that kept coming our way the entire first day. Kev dropping into the Bridge rapid. (photo Will Stubblefield)

As the sun crawled behind the horizon we reached the steepest section of the river. Isaac had fallen ill and we were all feeling beat down. We scoured the banks of the river searching for a place to set up camp. We scored this little beach with a few large cat prints in the sand. Luckily Kev had some fireworks to scare off any man eater in the Pindar Valley

mmm homemade cooking over the open fire.

Isaac still filling ill boofing the good morning drop.

Will charging through some big curles all of which were feeding into horrible sieves.

The boys posing for a team photo before Kev had to part ways (photo Will Stubblefield)

The Bhagarati and upper Mandakni

2010-12-28T15:07:00.013-05:00

The next drainage we headed up was the Bhagarati River. This is the largest tributary of the Ganga (Ganges) river, the holiest river in the Hindu Faith. Pilgrims travel from all over world to pray, drink and bath in its holy waters. When ones life comes to an end bodies are cremated along the banks of the holy Ganga and the ashes are spread in the holy waters.

On the road up the Bhagarathi we met some Sadus who were returning from a pilgrimage up to the Gomukh Glacier the principle source of the Ganga. The sadu many barefoot will walk for months accepting donations to help them on their long and arduous walks from one holy spot to the next.

A sadu smoking on his chillum along the banks of the Bhagarati river.

We opted for a put in near the town of Raitha paddling a 20 K section of river down to Maneri. From the Road, the river appeared to be a mellow class IV big bouncy section of whitewater.

The boys negotiating the first rapid stretching a kilometer long.

Cooper dropping into the first rapid.

Once on the water we quickly realized the true power of Bhagarathi. Huge exploding holes and powerful waves were constantly knocking us off line and threatening to drop us into the numerous man eating holes lurking at every horizon line. Will digging hard to punch through the corner of a large hole.

Often you would enter a rapid and fight your way across the river to avoid the powerful forces of the main current in the center of the river. Cooper leads the charge fighting to keep the kayak straight as the boys follow suit.
Cooper dropping into one of the larger rapids on the Bhagarati.

Will Stublefield scouts the large pour overs trying to find a line admist the watery chaos.

Kev showing the boys how its done.

Cooper follows suit.

Talking on your phone while driving large transport trucks on narrow one lane crumbling roads through the mountains are all just part of the excitement of everyday life in india.

After the Bhagarathi we continued our eastern movement heading towards the Mandakni river. On my previous trip I had paddled a lower section of the river. It proved to be an awesome stretch of whitewater and after having to climb out of several gorges we opted not to explore the upper remote stretches of the river with out a bit of research. This year we had done our homework. From Sopraya the river seemed to maintain an average gradient of of 37 meters per K for some 20 kilometers or so. Getting a late start at the put in we opted to take overnight gear and spend the night in the gorge.

Paddling a few hundred meters we arrived at the sight of a new damn being constructed. Luckily the heavy monsoon had washed away much of their progress and we were able to paddle what was probably the last descent of this classic run.

Taking advantage of the construction sight we lowered our boats down where they were building the barrage opting not to paddle through the dynamite blasted diversion cave.

After a long day and it starting to get dark we began looking for a flat spot in the gorge. We searched several spots finding mostly thick boggy jungle vegetation. After several attempts Kev reported good news he found a spot for us to camp. Being the only flat spot for 20 k's some locals had made their very own cricket pitch.

Our kayaking gear rapidly became way more fun to play with then cricket. Can you blame them i'd rather play with my helmet then have to play the worlds most boring sport its even worse than baseball.
Day 2 of the Mandakni and Toby plugging into a strong lateral.

Kev boofing the super fun and soon to be dead water of the Mandakni. RIP Mandakni I'm glad we got to meet. Enjoy your plasma screen TV's India I hope its worth it.

India Nepal Mission

2010-12-26T16:40:00.016-05:00

This year I was joined by a stellar team for a mission across Northern India and Nepal. Our goal was to traverse a section of the Himalaya range paddling as many rivers as possible. Many hours were spent researching various sections of river via google earth, topographical maps and speaking to various folks who had paddled in the region. For most of us we had 2 months to fully explore the sub continent.

India and Nepal boasting the highest mountain range in the world

Kevin England hailing from New Zealand bringing a ton of experience to the team plus some shiny new Life Vest from his newly launched company Hydroscapes. http://www.whitewater-safety.com/

Will Stubblefield from Memphis TN. Fresh from another season on the Payette River in Idaho, Will arrived ready for the challenge of the big volume and steep nature of the rivers in the region.

Jason "JJ" Shepherd hailing from North Carolina somehow roped everyone into joining him on his 4th trip to the tallest mountains in the world.

Cooper Lambla from Charlotte NC served as the head of PR and negotiations on our mission. Cooper the eternal optimist was vital in keeping dreams alive and the ball rolling.

Toby McDermott certainly the most accomplished boater on the trip. As cooper put it you could buy a new kayak before a trip like this or you could just invite Toby. If you want to travel with your very own MacGyver in list Toby. Incase you didn't know it MacGyver aint real but Toby is.

Isaac Thomson from Christchurch New Zealand has travelled the globe and is well experienced in dealing with challenging logistics in various rough corners of the globe. Isaac served as the trip banker and resident sheep expert.

If you want to go Kayaking in India you need to contact this guy. Shallab Gahlaut. Look him up at www.kayakindia.com Shalab was crucial in the success of our mission through India lining up drivers a vehicle helping deal with the local authorities often looking for a quick buck.

Having done some time in Delhi on my previous trip Toby and I arrived at 10pm. We quickly battled our way to the arranged meeting point and met the rest of the team. Our Rig was to meet us at 5am. We slept for a few hours and quickly loaded up the rig and headed towards the Yamuna River.

Arriving at the Yamuna it was obvious that flows were high. In fact we were dealing with the biggest monsoon season Uttarakand India had experienced in 70 years. It didn't stop raining until 10 days before we arrived. Seeing the upper Yamuna my gut dropped it was 3 times higher then the previous time I had paddled it.

Regardless of flows we put on the pushy water of the upper Yamuna. With water high we were able to push higher up the valley then had previously been paddled finding steep pushy water all the way to the confluence with the Hamuna Chatthi. Will running the meat as Cooper holds rope.

Cooper staying high and dry in the typical Cooper smooth Style

Isaac show boating for the crowd. Our presence was detected by the locals and they lined the bank of the river to see what the strange bright colored foreigners were up to.

Kev England going for the glory boof.

After finishing off the upper section of the river, following some beta from Shalab the boys opted to hike up the Hamuna River named for the Monkey God and housing a temple at the Confluence. This was another first descent with only a few short portages all the way down to the confluence with the Yamuna.

Cooper hiking up the trail to the put in.

Cooper boofing one of the many drops of the Monkey Gods's river

Will right at home amongst the steep drops of the Hamuna

rio alsesseca

2010-09-07T19:06:00.009-05:00

The Rio Alesseca is about as much bang for your buck as you can find in Mexico. There are numerous sections of varying difficulty. The road side run is the classic class IV+ run and further downstream is the Big Banana section. Eiker on the first big drop.
Mandatory rapid number 2. Toby drops into the tiny box canyon. It feels more like dropping into a cave then a canyon.
Toby running the meat locker.
This is the last big drop before dropping into Pessma Ranch. You want to stay away from the right wall.
Here you can see an example of what happens when you don't stay away from the right wall. OUCH!
Just a few stitches required here. Martin was a trooper and some how rolled up after this one.
The Crew waits at the hospital while Martin gets stitched up. VIP parking Mexico style!

Rio Verde

2010-09-07T18:28:00.009-05:00

We managed to wrestle up a shuttle from Aaron koch at Kayak Huesteca. Aaron dropped us off at the put in late night and drove off assuring us our truck would be waiting for us at the take out. Cascade de Tamul. We packed for four days on the river plus the epic climb out of the sketchy ladders at the waterfall. (camp 1 at the put in)
The last time I ran the Verde A few brave souls hucked the first drop roughly in the forty foot. It was lower this year and looked sketchy. We opted for the repel and jump portage option. Ben stone works his way down the Basalt formed waterfall.
Poised for the golden stroke Toby boofing the 2nd drop of the river.
John Shannon watches as Toby runs the 3rd drop of the Verde.
We opted to walk this one. I reckon its pretty darn close to hundred feet. There she is young guns still there for the taking. Do before your parents insurance runs out!
Ben below the mega waterfall
The third canyon has rarley been run due to sketchy beta from the old guide book. Its good to go but rest ashurd there is very little good kayaking in there but at least you get to paddle down to the Santa Tereasa Confluence.

Jon Shannon below the 1st portage of the third canyon.
Camp here at the confluence of the Santa Teresa for a great night on the grass getting sucked dry while conscious by the man eating mosquitos.

Mexico 2009 San Luis Potosi Region

2010-09-07T17:02:00.007-05:00

Toby on a super sweet drop on the San Nicholas.
Ben Stone and Aaron Run the smal rapid below the first portage of the San Nicholas.
Toby on the final drop of the Minos Viajos
Ben Stone at the put in rapid of the Minos Vijaos
Ben Stone on the Upper stretch of the Micos
Toby Macdermott same drop

Nepal 2007

2010-09-07T16:49:00.008-05:00

Driving across the border from India view from the back of the truck.
Hiking up the Modi Khola in the Anapurna Region of Nepal
One of the many large peaks feeding the Modi Khola
The Largest Stupa in the World in the Tibetan Quarter of Kathmandu.
Monks circle the stuba at sun rise

2010-09-07T16:35:00.006-05:00

A great thing about India is you always have support on the river bank to cheer you on. It's like being David Hasslehoff for the day. (Zak Shaw on the Dhauli Ganga East)
Zak and Ben scout out the last rapid before a small village on the Dhauli Ganga a Tributary of the Kali River
Steve Bates aka Scuba steve takes a break on Kaia the dog after climbing out of the large box canyon you see behind the truck. We joked that Kaia was our tiger bait as there a lot of man eating tigers in northern india. One year later she was eaten by a large cat. RIP Kaia you will be missed.
Locals watch as Ben Jackson works his way down the river.

Zak Shaw finds a waterfall at the put in.

2010-09-07T16:15:00.006-05:00

I'm going to be the first to say that most blogs are self promoting attempts to make oneself seem cooler than they really are so let me be the first to say, "I am not cool". In fact I am in fact a selfish individual. I haven't spent Christmas with my family but once in 13 years. I work as little as possible and spend as little money as i can in order to support the addiction to traveling and kayaking. There are no sponsors no trust funds just hard work. I'm cash up and getting ready to set off on the next adventure but it seemedstrange to post an upcoming trip with out throwing up some images from the past few years. So below are some pictures from the previous few winters.

India 2007

After the success of Tibet in Fall of 2006 many from the crew were keen to further explore the largest mountains in the world. Pacman aka Sam Hughes had made a friend and had organized a crew to head to Utturanchal the state bordering tibet to the North and Nepal to the east due north of Delhi. We spent a day or two in Delhi and then head

ed north to the Yamuna river for a sweet two day first descent.

Typical friendly people of India

Snake charmer in Delhi

On the water

2007-04-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

Once out of the cities, life became very simple over in Tibet. We would rise around 7:30, have a couple cups of tea, some delicious breakfast, and shake off the wet kayaking gear. We never had to search hard for a river to paddle or good camping spots as there is plenty of land and lots of open spaces. It seemed every time we thought we were in the middle of no where local children, villagers, or traveling pilgrims would poke their head out of the bushes and greet us with a warm smile. The people of Tibet truly are a warm and friendly people offering a nice contrast to the frigid and scary rivers.

As the trip came to an end our largest mission the Parlung Tsangpo became our daily battle. We started at Rawok Tso, a high Alpine lake in the eastern ranges of the Himalayas. The river intensified in volume each day testing us the entire way. We finished 12 days later near the small Tibetan village of Tong Mai at the Confluence of the Yiong Tsangpo where the two rivers join dropping rapidly into the apex of the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo.
Keep an eye on www.2at.com for the full length HD DVD available Summer 07

Life on the Road in Tibet

2007-04-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

Leaving Lhasa we finally got a feel of normal everyday life of the Tibetan people. Large grain farms, open yak and goat graizing lands, and other forms of agriculture dominate the norm for the average tibetains. While industry and infastructure are on the rise in Tibet, the old way of life is still prevelant once out of most cities. These are some of the images from the road, river and our camps along the rivers of easter Tibet.

Tibet Bejing and Lhasa

2007-04-05T14:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from our recent adventures to the mystical roof of the world, Tibet. We travel throughout Tibet for 7 Weeks on a Kayaking expedition including the First Full Descent of the Parlung Tsangpo a 210 kilometer stretch of river flowing into the Apex of the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo, the biggest river in Tibet

Before we could completely sample the delights of Tibet, we stalled out in Beijing and got a taste of some good ole city liven! Military official Tienman Square Bejing

Eden Sinclair (left) and Dave Kwant try to fit in whilst in the Forbidden City of Beijing.

LHASA BOUND

Finally after three of the longest days in the world we left Beijing and Arrived in Lhasa. 6 months of planning saving every dime and perhaps neglecting a few relationships the boys all sat togehter for the first time eager to tackle the rivers of Tibet. Unfortunatly arriving from sea level to 12,000 feet requires a bit of acclimating. So we spent some time getting to know each other and getting a feel for Tibet. Eden Sinclair atop the Jokang Temple brushes up on his Tibetan before hitting the Markets. The Portala Palace in the background is the former home of the Dali Lhama.

The Jokang temple is one of the most sacred monestaries in Tibet. Pilgrims travel for months selling all of their belonging as a form of penance and seperation from material things. The pilgrims drop to their hands and knees every couple of steps prostating themselves every step of the way. Once in Lhassa the Pilgrims will circle the temple for several days stopping for short breaks and long prayers.

Pilgrims circeling the Jokang Temple with Prayer wheels in hand.

Munks walking past the Jokang Temple

Two young munks sit outside the Portal Palace with a huge Chinese flag erected in front of it. When the Chinese invaded Tibet they built a huge monument to the Liberation of Tibet by the China Red Army. This monument is heavily gaurded by military officials perhaps to avoid

defacing. mmm?

Eden Sinclair joining the Pilgrims on a lap around the Jokang temple

Finally after a week in Bejing and Lhasa it was time to load up the truck and hit the road