Bolivia

Last week we escaped Arequipa. And decided to see how the socialist movement was advancing in Bolivia. From Arequipa we traveled to Puno and then to Copocabana, which sits on the shore of lake Titikaka. After recuperating, from another day lost bouncing up and down on a bus, We took a boat to the isla del Sol. The isla del sol is an island that is about an hour and a half from Copocabana that sits in the midst of lake titikaka. We opted for the late boat and planned on staying at a recomended hotel on the north of the island. Most people leave early from Copocabana and opt for the day trip.Upon arriving, we learned that the early boat arrives on the north of the island, and the later boat arrives to the southern port. So as usual, we had to call an audiable, when we discovered that the late boat did not go to the northern port. We tryed to convince a few fisherman that it would be fun to sail up the coast. but they saw straight through our alterior motives and politely declined. So, we had a few hours of daylight and figured we could give it a shot, and try to traverse the entire island. once ontop of the ridgeline, a well tracked llama path diverted us and eventually led to a dead end in the middle of a steeply terraced agriculural area. We could see a trail in the distance, and opted to go terrace hopping as opposed to backtracking. Some of the terraces were taller than they were wide, and we were trying to be careful not to disturb any of the fava beans. a few old ladys gave us a serious eyeball, but upon meeting them their eyes mellowed, and were fine with us passing through.

The past few days, the sky had been a bit overcast. so the terrain around the lake appeard to be rolling hills. so, when the clouds cleared later in the afternoon. we were shocked to notice that the clouds had been veiling a range of snow covered mountains that stood up too 18,000 feet tall. the landscape quickly became very dramatic. We followed the ridgeline until we could see a small village in an inlet that we guessed was where hour destination hotel was. so again, we opted for the short cut. and eventually made it too the beach. A local pointed us in the right direction. and we eagerly strolled down the beach to the hotel. When we arrived at our hotel, i swear i saw a tumble weed. Apparantly, our highly reccomended beach front hotel was undergoing some changes in management. And appeared to have quickly fallen from grace. we walked around trying too see if there was anyone there. eventually, a man appeared, who we guessed was squating on the property. we asked about vacancy, and he said,¨sure. just give me a second to straigten up.¨ the view was beautiful, but i think we were the first visitors in a year or so. So as he scurried off, to remove dogs that had occupied some of the suites. we carried off down the beach, laughing at the situation. as we continued on, we passed several other hotels that seemed to have been closed or abandoned. And as night approached we contimplated camping at one of the hillside hotels, when a local couple informed us that a few kilometers up the trail was another village. So, we contiued along the cliff side trail toward the northern fishing village. on the trail we met a mandolin player who was playing that evening. we arrived just at dark and found a great little place right on the lake.

That evening, was the begining of lent so most of the village gathered to celebrate. Everyone gathered around the church, and played music for several hours. the party ajorned early which we thought was surprising due to the fact that it was friday. But when we were awoken to Bells several hours later we began to understand the schedule of a fishing village.

The next morning the sun came out and after breakfast we took a few hours to explore the norhern portion of the island. The day before we had been talking big about swiming in the lake, so as clouds began moving in our bravery began to wain. But we were patient and finally were given a nice window of sunshine. So, rob and i ate our words and went for a brief swim. The boat ride back was beautiful, and we arrived back in Copocabana at sunset. Tommorow we head toward La Paz.

Pictures....above..isla fishin vessel. below..the curtain is lifted.. let the party begin... the sun is out. how cold could it be.

Mas Champagna, Por Favor

So, sometimes traveling is easy; it is merely a matter of taking ones seat and waiting for the champagne to be served. Maybe, strike up a conversation with the attractive woman sitting adjacent to you. And drop a quick prayer that you haven't seen the feature film that is getting ready to be shown. At other times, traveling from point A to point B has the ability to test ones will and shake your personal sense of patience to it's core.

Rob, and I arrived in Arequipa yesterday after enduring a true test en route from Cusco. Traveling with Kayaks is at best catch 22. Sometimes it opens doors, and very often it is a limiting factor. Typically, it is just a lot of heavy shit to lug around to the next river. We had discovered that most of the long distance coaches did not have roof racks and if by some chance you could talk the luggage managers into taking you're gear it would more than likely double the cost of you're ticket. So, trying to avoid the excess baggage charge when buying tickets to Arequipa we located a local bus that had racks and was willing to be bribed to put our boats on top. We were supposed to leave in the morning and we arrive by late afternoon. Though it is only about a six hour drive from Cusco to Arequipa via car, the bus route is differnt and takes about ten hours. The clerk at the desk had told us that it was a direct route. A direct route is very important, otherwise you stop in every town picking up and dropping off people- not too mention the countless verndors and traveling salesmen.

So, the next morning we arrived at the terminal around six, loaded the boats and took our seats. The bus was not nice by any means, so i didn't even ask the driver if it was possiable to get a mimosa. On the positive side, the bus seemed to be undersold so it looked like we would be traveling light. We left the station and didn't drive a hundred yards before the driver stops to pick up people. Over the next hour, we stopped every possible chance on our way out of cusco and picked up enough people to fill the bus twice over. I am pretty good about people getting into "my space," but at this point i was on the verge of freaking out. I was sitting next to a large Qechuin women, and in the isle facing me was a very large man who seemed to have trouble maintaining his balance, every turn my face seemed to be the gaurd rail that prevented his belly from falling out of the fucking bus. It is a funny image but at the time I wasn't sure how long I could maintain my demenor. After a few hours they both got off and I regained a bit of sanity.

So, we had been driving for about six hours and we had stopped at every town possible. The bus stank to start with but a little bit of incubation will always create some new smells. And when we picked up two women selling baked beef spine, the bus went crazy. Baked beef spine for everyone! The smell was so revolting that i had to litterly hang my head out the window, while everyone around me layed into some spine.

As everyone was relaxing, letting their spine settle, i was staring out the window. We were crossing a desert plateau that sits at about 14,000 ft which was beautiful. All of the sudden our driver-side front tire released, sending the front left side of the bus into full grind causing the radiator to explode upon impact. Our driver did a great job keep the bus from tipping over. But by all estimates we were at least three hours from anything and missing a tire. It tuned out that we had lost our rim, though it probley wouldn't have mattered anyway because we didn't have a jack and the radiator looked toasted. A group of people immideatly deserted, when a box truck stopped. Having Kayaks with us, hitchhiking seemed tough. Especially, since alomost every vehicle was either a bus or a semi. And it seemed that only a handfull were passing every hour. There was a big rock outcropping in the distance, so we took the opportunity to stretch our legs and escape the stinch, if only for a while.

As the sun began to set, I returned to the bus to read while we had light. When a small girl grabed my attention, and pointed out that rob had flagged down a semi. Yhrough the front windshield i could see Rob running back to the bus. So, i tossed our stuff out the window and climbed ontop to begin unloading boats. Within a few minutes we had reloaded our gear ontop of 40 tons of rock destined for Arequipa, and we were on the road again. It was dark, and the load forced us to drive slow. But we were moving. And the cab smelled of Axle greas, which was a big immprovement from the bus. Our driver was very friendly, had great taste in music, and didn't seem to mind a bit of company. Though, he was a year younger than Rob and I he already had eight years experience driving big rigs. After four hours, we had driven about 110km. it was getting late and rob and i had passed out. When a familiar sound raised it's ugly head once again. BOOM!BOOM! " you have to be fucking kidding!" Apparantly, we were exceeding our recomended weight and the heat generated from the exessive pressure caused both back right tires to blow out. now changing a tire is one thing, But changing a four foot tall tire on a semi with 40 tons of rock is a completely differnt animal. The wind was howling and the temp was heading below freezing. So, we took turns on the jack to stay warm. and after an hour or so, we had one tire off. But the inner tire was a bit more trouble, and it seemed that the jack wouldn't give us the extra two inches we need. So, after two hours the mission was abandoned and we settled in for the night.

That evening it dropped just below freezing, and in the morning we were greeted with several huge volcanoes surrounding us and a heard of animals running just outside of our camp. They look similar to llamas, but are much slimmer and have the ability to run very fast. As rob, knocked the ice off of his bivy bag. The driver and I began working the same problem again. "how do you make a jack want to be taller than it is supposed to be?" and the answer is, if you have 80,000lbs of rock sitting on top. you don't do shit. After a few hours we began trying to hitch with little success. There weren't many cars and the ones that did pass were not equiped to carry what we had. Eventually, a potato truck stopped and a whole family piled out: like eight people in an exteneded cab. They were very friendly, and helped us throw our boats in the back of the truck. The truck was about 3/4 full and offered a great vantage point to veiw the beautiful surroundings heading into Arequipa. We were moving again, and point B seemed to be almost in sight. I felt that i could almost taste it. After a few hours we pulled into the local market in Arequipa; to everyones surprise, there weren't just potates back there, but also, some strung out gringos. carrying huge pieces of colorful platic. a cab to the hotel makes four rides, and we were there. A cold beer in the shower was just as i had imagined. More champagne, please!

Pictures: (Above) views from the potato truck. (Below) Tire one....Gone. Tire two....and three...gone. dawn in the desert. the last leg, via potato truck. first trip of the year. Rio Chili, Arequipa.

Negotiations cease, as fighting continues

Negotiations ceased today, as fighting continues in the once Incan capital of Cusco. It is expected that fighting will continue throught the weekend, and there has been speculation that the level of terror will remain elevated potentially through next week. This weekend most shops are expected to be closed, due to the expected level of terror that is suspected to cover this city like a wet blanket. Stores are being overwhelmed by the demand of such items as shaving cream, and water balloons.....
Carnival has been in full swing which is a very exciting time to be in South America.
despite the heavy fighting, we have been able to exit the city and enjoy some of the rivers that surround Cusco. Though most of the classic canyons are still to high there are some sections that are managable at high water. So, the Vilacanova has been the staple. In a few days, we are heading to Arequipa

Open Season.......

The only way that i like to cap off a seventeen hour drive through the desert is with a good ole fashion water fight. Upon arriving in Lima this afternoon we had no problem finding a few eager soles. GianMarco´s Son greeted us with a waterballon at the front door. And by the time we reached his brother's house the gloves were off. Mind you, this was not a battle but war. And these kids were in their element. Their Tactics were sharp and their attitude relentless.

So Where to Begin. About a week ago we arrived in Mancora, Peru. Planning to Meet GianMarco and head south to Lima. The Beach was perfect, and we were easily stalled for a week. Mancora is one of the most popular surf spots in Peru, and draws quite a crowd. One of Gian´s friends, who owns a hotel/tour company had been wanting to explore a river north of Manacora that flows out of Ecuador. We had a rough idea where the put-in was and a bad map. So by our best guess, the road was about four hours and the river about 50km. After a usual late start, we arrived at a millitary check-point at about 1a.m. in Ecuador. We let our selves in and decided to camp. the local officer later found us and explained that he would have another local officer help us find the river in the morning.
That evening, we assumed we were about a half an hour to the put in. So the next morning, after a few hours negotiating our way down the trail, we began to get suspicious. The local officer that met us was an interesting character to be mild, and by the end of the day was more of a burdern than a blessing. After picking him up, instead of taking us directly to the river, we seemed to run a series of errands for him. But not before we stopped by his house to pick up his pet monkey, which his insisted on bringing with us. After stopping at several of his relatives houses we began to get a bit frustrated and were eager to find the river. The driving the second day, was much more demanding than the previous and was certainly our Land Cruiser. GianMarco´s driving was impressive, though he almost lost his cruiser in a river crossing on the way back. He teetered on the edge of stalling for TEN MINUTES before the car bacfired and cleared the exhaust. We eventually made it to the river after spending 4.5 hours rallying through this unique arid jungle. The river that we were trying to find was supposed to be pretty mellow, but it had only been run once and that was fifteen years ago. so really, we knew very little. Looking at the map there appeared to be one major gorge and a long paddle out. Due to our late start, we planned to spend the night out and packed accordingly. Once on the river, the walls boxed in very quickly which created a very dramatic long gorge. The rapids were mellow, but walled in rapids that go around corners are always a bit intimidating. It didn't help that at the first rapid a ten foot long crocodile scurried off a small beach into the water. We had no idea that crocodiles were in the area, and after that point we became very suspicious of big eddies with nice beachs. We ate lunch on a tall rock outcropping, assuming that a defendable elevated position was much more ideal than a beach surrounded by tall grass. The river was beautiful, and one of the most unique enviroments i have ever been in. It appeared very arid but was covered with trees that looked more similar to a cactus. The river was also filled with herrons, parrots, giant iguanas, and of coarse crocodiles. It turned out that the map we had was totally off, and were able to paddle to the nearest town in just over four hours, as opposed to the marathon we were expecting. We even beat our shuttle vehicle, and after hearing there stories of getting out of the frontier. I think they might have had the bigger adventure......

PICTURES(Top-Bottom): Water War, Rob making a late advance.Desert sunrise, Peru. Rob, Scouting for Crocs. Our trusty guide, curtousy of the Ecuadorian Millitary. GianMarco, Getting into it.

Exploring in Cuenca

So, we arrived in Cuenca two days ago after completing a day long bus ride from Banos. And upon arriving, I was surprised how nice Cuenca was. Cuenca is unlike any other city i have visited in Ecuador. After spending time in Tena, i assuemd i had a farily good idea what an Ecuadorian city looks like. i was so wrong. Cuenca is surrounded by 3500 m mountains, and is filled with colional architechture, and huge churches. it is a beautiful city that has seemed to be filled with celebration since we arrived. last night i witnessed a road race through town. And today, seems to be a celebration for a patron saint. Which consisted of a series of parades that moved thorough out town, after everyone got out of church.
On a different note, Febuary is the month of carnival. And though actual ¨Carnival¨ doesn´t occur until the end of the month, the celebration started a few days ago. With the offical opening of waterballon season. You have never seen a happier group of kids. So let the mischief begin, right? I mean it is the opening of ¨Waterballon Season¨ and we only have about 28 days, were burning daylight, lets go! So yesterday, Val was walking down the street from the house we are staying at. And she got pegged with a platic bag filled with water from the back of a truck(not as good as a ballon, but still a good shot). But, the big splash occured about three days prior to the official opening day. Someone always gets a little bit excited at the end of January. So, Rob and I were walking to dinner in Tena. And i was walking just under the awnings on the sidewalk when i felt a big splash. i looked to my left and saw that rob had a sustained a direct hit with a twenty gallon bucket from the third story. I looked up to see three young kids basking in their first hit of the season. now that was a look of pride.
Prior to arriving in Cuenca, Andy, Val, Rob, Isabella, GianMarco, and myself spent two days in Banos. After leaving Tena early, we arrived to see the Topo high. Luckily there is another nice creek off the same road, falling into the parrallel drainage. The Sunyac was nice, but probley not comparable to the Topo. Deciding that the Topo would not drop for a few days, we opted to head to Cuenca and do a little exploring. Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador, and sits at around 2500m. So after looking at a few maps it seemed worth checking out.
So yesterday, Rob, Andy, and i put on The Alto Rio Tomibamba and paddled about 15km into downtown Cuenca. The upper half had never been run, so it was very exciting exploring the upper reaches. The Rio Tomibamba is the main drainage flowing into Cuenca. After scouting via road. We noticed a large boxed in Canyon. About 1km long, give or take. And at least 100m+ vertical rock walls. We hiked around, but couldn´t see the water. So we put in just below the canyon and were greeted with fast boogie creeking that seemed to come in long sections. Due to the pastured banks, scouting was relatively easy. But was time consuming, due to lack of eddies. There were several smaller canyons which had some very unique rapids. one of the last steep sections. Andy scouted from above and kinda misjudged the gradient. We subsuently ran a long section that ended above a dam. From river left, where Andy scouted. The eddy appeared to be connected to the river right bank. it turned out the eddy was actually an island. Rob, eddied out above and was able to get out before commiting to the dam. Damn! we can´t go around it from here. We are 20 feet from the lip on an island. Damn! Rob was able to help us scout from river left. And After further inspection it seemed that the right side went. and it was just a matter of making the 3m boof below the dam . it looked like the water really wanted to push into a rock pile on the right. So, it looked marginal. but compared to other options, it didn´t seem that bad. After a minute weighing our options. We decided that was the best line and Andy, as usual, gave the initial going over. Seeing that it went was very exciting. i followed with similar success. it was actually really smooth. After this point, the river essentially turned into a long, fast grade III rapid that led directly into the city Centre. It was surreal paddling into town. i have never seen so many curious people on the bank. If nothing changes, In a few days we are meeting Gianmarco and Isabella at the border, where we begin the Peruvian road trip.......

Photos: Urban Take-out, Cuenca(Above), First Descent: Alto Rio Tomibamba(same rapid, 1&2 below), Andy, Excercising his best dam option(3rd below), Rob. Classic Tomibamba(4th below), End of the road. Hiking into the Sunyac(5th below), GianMarco, making it look easy. Rio Sunyac(6th below)

1st Days on Chilean Whitewater

My first paddling in Chile was on the Maipo River. The Maipo is a big water class IV run with one class V canyon style rapid. I hooked up with local shredder Pangal and three of his cousins who were also good kayakers. We had a wonderful run down the river trying to catch waves when possible. Due to tremendous snow pack the river is still running at high water so most of the play is catch on the fly.

The following day we traveled four hours south to el siete tazas, aka the 7 teacups and the veintidos saltos, aka 22 waterfalls. This day was a magical experience because I was able to paddle more waterfalls at one time than ever before. Both of these runs are in the same watershed, the same character and five minutes drive from each other. We started on the vientidos saltos with a 4k hike to the get-in. The river started with a bang, a 5meter waterfall. The next drop was a 9meter waterfall, and I quickly realized how the river got its name. The drops were all similar in character, big, clean and fun. While heading down river I would run first for the opportunity to take photos of the other paddlers. Needless to say it kept me entertained. Arriving at the get-out of the 22-waterfall section we paddlers were treated like rock-n-roll stars by the locals hanging out at the local swimming hole. I’m not sure exactly what the locals were saying but they were very excited to see the kayakers in the river. After several request the kayakers showed off their flat-water skills entertaining the crowd. During our short walk to the car several more people introduced themselves. Two men, after introducing themselves, invited us to join them for a rum drink. We declined, we had more kayaking to attend to.

We quickly loaded our boats and drove to the 7 teacups. After a short ten-minute hike we were inside the beautiful gorge looking at another canyon loaded with waterfalls. This river being similar in character to river we just finished we followed each other one after the other through the seven waterfalls to the take-out. Atop this canyon is an observation deck complete with cheering spectators. At the take-out one of the Chileans needed a bit more and jumped sixty or seventy feet from the observation deck into the river.

This area is unique to anywhere I have been before. Picture a desert then imagine that there are two big cracks of granite that are filled with waterfalls and pristine water. This is what the veintidos saltos and siete tazas look like. This day was a wonderful experience and left me on a natural high for the rest of the day.

Vamos.....

Tommorow we are departing Tena, and heading toward Banos. In Route eventually to Peru. In Banos there are a handful of incrediable rivers, including the Topo. Which is considered to be one of the best day trips in the country. So, conditions pending, we will have the opportunity to run the Topo Tommorow.
This last week in Tena has been nice. it still seems to rain most of the day. But there has been some very nice patchs of sunny weather. Two days ago, we had a good deal of luck with the weather. The Jondachi was above four feet, so we decided to try to run an upper tributary and paddle to the traditional Jondachi take-out. Paddling the entire section would require the water levels to remain relatively stable. The Jondachi has a good reputation for the water levels rising quickly. So, as we begain hiking in the rain our hopes of stable weather began desentigrating. And hiking out early seemed inevitable.
The upper Urikisiki drainage has just recently become accessiable, due to construction of a petroleum processing station, yeah!!!!So we were able to drive up to the station and hike from there. This particular section had never been run, so finding the river was half the mission. needless to say we strayed a bit off the trail. And combined with a less than early start. We decided to put on an unknown tributary of the Urikisiki and float into the main drainage. The unknow tributary was suprisingly good. having a series of small cascades and slides before entering the Urikisiki. Once on the Urikisiki we added about two kilometers to the run. and gauging from what is uptream of the confluence, it would be worth returning. The Urikisiki eventually flows into the Jondachi, offering a very continuous run. While on the Urikisiki the rain ceased and the sun showed its face for the rest of the day. The water was high and green the whole way through the Jondachi gorge. It was rob´s first time on the Jondachi. So, Rob, Andy, Gian Marco, and i had a great time cruising down the Jondach. Andy had the high water lines wired, so the whole day was pretty smoothe. That was definatly last weeks highlight day. But we were also able to run the upper mis, and the upper Tena which were both classic. Val and Andy took a topo-duo down the upper Tena, which was impressive to witness. So off to Banos.....

Back in Tena

So last week I headed back to baeza for the Quijos river festival, and to attempt to descend the upper-upper Oyacachi. The upper reaches of the Oyacachi flow from 10,000 feet for 2 days toward the Quijos through the Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve, which is an incrediable area to say the least. The plan was that after the festival, water levels pending, the crew from Tena would gather in Baeza and prepare to get into the Oyacachi. It seemed like a great plan, we had a good group, and everyone was fired up. Also, one of Gynner´s old friends from Peru, GianMarco, was heading from Quito and was really excited to attempt the Oyacachi. So it was set....
But before i took off to Baeza i was introduced to a friend, and i turned out that we both traveled together to Baeza. It got a bit weird, but as the days passed the releationship heated up. and afer a few days it was tough to even drag me out of my bedroom. it was a crazy few days, that even now, is difficult to articulate the emotions that existed that week in Baeza. It was so bad that i didn´t kayak one day that week. It was one of those relationships that you can just feel in you´re stomach all the time. I´m still not even sure where i encountered my new friend, But when the relationship ended i have never been so happy. Intestinal parisites, are not cool! and don´t let anyone tell you different.
So my med´s has my IP under control. Which was good because i was sick of feeding that f#¡€ing monkey. but the day before our trip into the Oyacahi, the heavens opened up sending the rivers to epic levels. We debated, waiting it out but decided that would require more paitence than we had. So, we rode back to Tena and noticed that the Jondachi was at a good level. So we turned around and headed back to the put-in. After making our way in knee deep mud to the river, we discovered it had flashed and was estimated to be about 11-12 feet. As opposed to the two feet reading we had seen at the bottom. So being the mature paddlers that we decided we were, we turned our attention back to the muddy hill that we had cussed sliding DOWN. going back up was much easier.
So, we arrived to Tena that evening and the rain continued. After being shut out the past two days we were eager to make something happen. with a fresh rain, Gynner thought we should try to repeat a descent he had made several years ago. The Puysuno lies east of Puerto Misahualli and flows into the Napo. The river has a unique character, which consits of metamorphic upper gorge that winds through a series boxed in rapids, and eventually exits into the lower gorge via a 12 meter cascade. The second gorge is long steep series of boulder gardens which proved to be more demanding than the upper reaches. So, Tena´s number one cab driver, Luis, picked us up early and we began the journey to the Puysuno. As we got closer to the put-in we discovered the road was under repair. so, we piled out of the truck and began tossing some rocks to fill the area that had been washed out. After a little bit of labor, we were able to pass. And the locals were excited to have some over eager gringos help fix their road. As we continued, we discovered that a bulldozer was blocking the road. And after a short investigation we found the operator. So we were able to check the river level. And it turned out the the level was perfect. but it seemed that as we were checking the level. Luis, and the bulldozer operator had passed a few foul words. And subsequently, the operator had to decided to take his lunch early, in the dozer, in the middle of the road. he explained that he eventually would finish, but we would have to wait. He eventually moved after a series of delegations pleaded. and only, when we were back on the road did Luis disclose, ¨how that stupid motherf€~@er had been acting.¨ it all made sense in hind sight. So we had a great day on the river. easily my best day in Ecuador.
As the sun began setting we hit the flooded cofluence of the Napo and headed to the next jungle town down stream. We had already missed the last bus by several hours, but it had been a great day. so, what are you going to do? We paddled up to the beach, and before we could even get out a friend of Gynner´s walks up and they began laughing. and speaking spanish so quickly that it was tough to pull a word out. And as life often goes, Gynner´s friend was a cab driver who happend to be heading back to Tena. He told us to keep our mouths shut, so as not to let on to how deperate we really were. So the saga continues......

Cabin Fever

Jay, Ryan, Jason, Laura and many others have left the sanctuary of the Southeast for warmer climates and warmer water. I'm currently in the Southeast relaxing before I leave for my next trip. The southern US has been in a drought this past fall and winter. Due to low water I started to develop a case of cabin fever. Thanks to 4+ inches of rain this past week my cabin fever was cured.

Last weekend parts of the southeast were blessed with 4+ inches of rain. Last Monday I met good friend Jeremy, a.k.a Herm, at the West Prong for some Great Smoky National Park kayaking. Upon arriving we found the gauge above 2ft and rising. This is a high level and with rain still falling from the sky we decided to head upstream to the Alum Cave stretch of the West Prong. This is a busy class IV stretch with 1/2 mile of non-stop class V/V+ whitewater. We paddled down to the last rapid and decided to call it a day. After taking off the river and changing into dry clothes we realized the water had rising another two feet on the gauge. Tuesday I met up with Swain local Little Joe for some boating. The two of us decided to make the long drive to the Elk River to meet up with some buddies. The Elk was at a primo level and delivered some of the best whitewater I have seen ever. The run starts off with a 50+ foot waterfall that we decided against running. The waterfall has a reputation for causing more trips to the hospital than not, No Thanks! After about 1/2 mile of warm up the fun started. The first rapid was a double drop that was kicking ass and taking names. I passed through without mishap however the double drop was beating people like a drum. For the next stretch of river there was eight of us lined up like baby ducks following Adam and Caleb down the river at a fast pace. Before we knew it we were through the first stretch of river and found Twisting Falls. Twisting Falls is a gigantic rapid with an impressive Waterfall, canyon rapid in the crux. As of now Twisting Falls is considered a mandatory portage. This portage got my heart going just as much if I were to be in my boat paddling through the rapid. We hiked our boats high along the cliff walls then lowered them back down into the river below. Just downstream was a series of three more drops including a meaty ledge hole, a 15 foot waterfall and a 35 foot waterfall. We made our way downstream to the "big one." I was the last one in the eddy above the waterfall and hopped out of my boat for a quick look. As I "peaked" over the edge it felt like somebody just poured a 50 gallon drum of excitement over my head. My scout was greeted by seven loud ass boys cheering for my to fire it up. I got in my boat and told myself one last time to turn my face and don't land flat. In the eddy I visualized my line one last time and then I was past the point of no return. For those who can relate to running big rapids I say, "the point of no return is my favorite part of kayaking." What a feeling! Slowly drifting over the edge I spotted the landing zone and pulled the slightest stroke and tucked for impact. Before I knew it I was at the bottom upright and on top of the world. This waterfall was not a hard move but it was big compared to what I have run before. From here to the takeout is a mile of class III boogy water, a wonderful way to cool down from the day.

The next day I hooked up with some other friends Chris, a.k.a Sawed-off, and Zuzana for a trip to the Horsepasture. Sawed-off gets his name because he prefers to kayak with only 1/2 of a paddle. Weird! ;-) At the river we met another friend of ours and C1 kayaker, Scott. This was every ones first time down except Chris'. Chris explained the lines and would start off his explanation with, "do ya wanna trust me?" Well I can't say this for everyone but I do trust Chris and his rapid explanations. For those of you who know him, you know he reads water on a different level than most of us. We made our way down the river and everyone was having the time of their life. This was the most fun I have had in.... since yesterday. My favorite rapid was called stairway or stairstep. This was a serious of five consecutive slide/waterfalls. This day was just pure fun. The horsepasture is a beautiful river with some really big rapids. When we finished the river we had lunch at the best lunch spot in the world, Windy Falls. Check out the photo. After lunch we started the wonderful four-mile uphill hike back to the car.


The next day feeling a little tired and not real motivated due to the hike with a boat the day before I decided to travel with Zuzana from the gorge to the Tellico River. The Tellico isn't super hard whitewater however it is a classic. Zuzana is training slalom and she did her workout while going down the river. The two of us decided to get our money's worth so we ran the river three times. Baby falls is a great rapid to work on waterfall technique and big boof technique. After three runs we were both exhausted and made the drive back to Swain.

This week of kayaking was awesome. I had the chance to paddle four classics and got on three new rivers. This area of the world has unbelievable amounts of quality whitewater. This is why I call Swain County home. I always enjoy traveling to other parts of the world but it is always good to come home. Tomorrow I leave for Chile, look for updates at teamswain.blogspot.com Ciao!

Jungle update

So we have been in Tena for a week or so, and have been having a blast. There are so many rivers in this region that it is a bit overwhelming. One of the first nights we arrived, a local friend named Tobias, arranged a full moon rafting trip on the Jatunyacu. The trip started with a bit of skepticism, due to the fact that the moon was completely veilded by heavy storm clouds. We went anyway, and as we arrived at the river the clouds burned off creating a white canvas for the moon. The reflection was very bright, as we cruised through the jungle. The Jatunyacu river sits athe the base of the Llanganatis, which provided an incredable backdrop. and for history buffs, one might recall that this is the region that the Incan Empire is belived to have built a city of gold to honor el sol. As we sat in the moon Tobias´s wife, Lindsey, translated a series of mythological stories along with personal encounters he had in the region.

It had been raining almost everyday, which helped maintain most of the river levels giving us a wide variety of creeks to explore. We paddled the upper Misahualli several times, traveling to the Jondachi between. My first trip to the Jondachi almost crossed the threshold into misadventure. We put on with great water levels, after spending a few days waiting for the water to drop to a managable level. After putting on, we were greeted with torrential rains that subsequently caused the river to flash. upon entering the main upper gorge the rain came creating waterfalls of mud that seem to come from everwhere. plummeting from two hundred feet. it was very dramatic and caused the river double in just a few minutes. not sure when surge would stop, we excercised our only option. And began bombing down stream in tight formation. Eventually the rain stopped and the river leveled out. and we were going so fast that by the time we reached the take-out the water was clear again. We paddled the Jondachi again yesterday and had a much more mellow trip. Jason, Ryan, Gynner, Matt, and myself took our time and enjoyed the incrediable beauty that exists inside the gorge.

2006 Ecuador update

So it seems that all good stories contain the element of adversity, and this story is no exception. Though it all arrived in a burst and then vanished. Arriving at the airport i discovered that my luggage was incompatable with all the airplanes departing. so after a few hours of negotiating my options i choose the logical solution. take the six a.m flight out of Nashville to Miami and wait for my flight the following day to Quito. So after 21 hours in the Miami airport i boarded a plane for Nicaraugua at four-thirty in the morning. At that point my patience had reached guru status, and i felt levitation was not unobtainable. so a few hours in Nicaraugua, along with another couple of hours in Costa Rica didn´t seem that long. Flying into San Jose we encountered heavy crosswinds that tossed the small plane as we made our approach. the sound of seatbelts tightening was accompanied by deep breaths that seemed to be held until we hit the ground. Upon landing, the entire plane erupted into applause for the pilots valient effort. Which at the time i wasn´t sure how to feel about. But once we landed in Quito, the pilots also recieved a loud applause. So i took it as a cultural gesture, and happily exited the plane.
As i came through customs, i heard someone yell ¨hey, Jay¨ from within a crowd of cab drivers. And my friend Rob emerged from the crowd. I was excited to say the least to see a familiar face. Especially due to the fact that all i had was a name of a hotel and my spanish was very minimal. We stayed in Quito for the night, and the next morning caught a bus for Baeza which is a beautiful mountain town about three hours east of Quito.
We spent several days in Baeza exploring some of the wonderful rivers in the area including: the Quijos and the Oyachachi. Baeza is a very small town nesteled in the Quijos drainage, and is ussually very quiet. But it turned out that the Miss Quijos was due to be crowned, so we went to witness the festival. It was classic to say the least, and it seemed that everyone from the six surrounding townships had shown up to support their canidates. Ryan and Jason showed up a few days later and we had a great time paddling together on the Oyachachi and the casa de queso section of the Quijos.
So yesterday we traveled away from the mountains into the township of Tena, which sits at the edge of the Amazon. One of the best rivers in the area is flooded and everthing else is low, which is a bit weird. So hopefully tommorow the Jondachi will come down and we will be able to access the upper reached of the drainage. So until then.....

Loving the Southern Hemishpere

As a member of Team Swain, please allow myself to introduce myself. My name is Jason and I also call Swain Co. home. I moved to Swain Co five years ago to work as a river guide and kayak instructor. I no longer work on the the river nor do I spend as much time as I would like in Western NC. Now days I'm traveling more than being at home.

Last Winter I had the opportunity to work and play in the country of New Zealand. NZ was on the top of my, "list," due to its pristine beauty and top-notch kayaking. I spent a total of three months splitting my time between work and play. I worked on the North Island for One and one-half months, then went south for one and one-half months of holiday/kayaking. The water levels were perfect and we had a solid group of people. After NZ I came home broke and sunburned. (just a personal goal of mine)

Day after I got back I was waiting tables in a restaurant I have done time in more than once. Luckily I found river work soon after back so I only spent one week waiting tables this time. In the spring I worked as a kayak instructor and also did some raft guide training. As soon as summer rolled around I met up with a German friend of mine and the two of us rolled out to Colorodo for a month of kayaking. This was a wonderful road trip, and it was a pleasure showing my international friends my home country. Susanne, my German friend, after Co decided she like the gorge (our little paradise in Swain Co) so much she would stay a little longer. I got to show Susanne the Southeastern U.S. I also showed her lots of local rivers, including the Green, and Overflow. I always enjoy showing a friend down a new run.

After the summer I started a new job as a school teacher for a kayaking highschool. This past semester we traveled to Canada, NZ, and all over the Eastern U.S. It was great to be back in NZ. On this trip I paddled several rivers that I didn't have the chance to on my first trip. Can't say enough good things about NZ. NZ is now over and I'm back home to see the boys in Swain Co. (That's why I'm writing this blog) After my winter holiday we are heading out to Chile. Chile is a place I have wanted to visit for an extended time now. Hopefully it will offer some nice adventures and epic kayaking. I also hope to bring home a little Spanish dialect. I'll drop a line and let you know how it's going. Until Next Time, Peace.

winter 2005

I had the opportunity to spend most of last year on the South Island of New Zealand, which was an incredible experience. I arrived in June with the intent of spending the ski season in the Southern Alps. We eventually landed in Wanaka, and immediatly decided this was the spot. Lance Parker and i rented a caravan, and set up shop in Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka. Glendhu Bay is located half way between Treble Cone Ski resort and the town of Wanaka, so its a pretty cruisy location. the season was great, and we enjoyed lots deep days! We spent most of our time exploring around Treble Cone, and hunting trout in the valley. But also had a chance to spend an incrediable week snowed in at two different club field's that are located within Arthurs' Pass. These clubs are incrediable, and essentially are series of small backcountry lodges that have rope tow access. 30 people snowed in and the lifts are running. what else is there to say.....

Fresh Air_Treble Cone

As the snow season came to a close, i began
a series of seasonal jobs in anticipation of the
summer on the horizon. Two friends of mine
were coming down from North Carolina, and
we were all eager to experience the wonderful
whitewater that New Zealand is infamous for.
I Picked Andrew Wilmot up after the new year,
and we began a six week creek boating odysey of the South Island of New Zealand. Two days after Andrew arrived we flew into the Taipo, with an overnight stay at the lower hut. We then traveled down to Hokotika, where we based for a week or so. the Kokopathai, and the Arahura were certainly highlights. Great water levels allowed us to fly into the Upper Perth, for an absolutely spectacular two days of whitewater. After emerging from the Perth, we traveled to the Fijordlands which is located in the southwestern corner of the island. The dramatic landscape of this region is often veiled by clouds and rain. So, when the sun comes out the scenery can be a bit overwhelming. we camped at Murry Gunn's camp for a week, which is located at the takeout of the Hollyford. After a few days of lite rain, the hollyford dropped to a managable level, and the unimaginable happended.....The sun came out. Sunshine along with the crystal blue water of the Hollyford is truely a remarkable combination. The next day, a little more rain brought the hollyford back up. And tim, rob, and myself attempted the uppper section of the hollyford, known as the monkey creek section. not as classy as the lower section. but one of the regions steepest creeks, and still a lot of fun. Leaving the Fijordlands we headed to the southland in a second attempt to paddle the Waikaia river. The river had a very alluring description: big clean drops, set in a series of pristine gorges. Though there were some great rapids. there were also a lot of large rocks that had fallen into several of the gorges, essentially blocking the exits. a good long day, and certainly not in line with the character that we were hoping for. so much for assumptions. leaving the Waikaia we headed to Queenstown to dry out...well, kind of. TO BE CONTINUED.........

Jason Aytes-Perth River

Tim Johnson_Amongt it_Hollyford River

Jesse Sears @ Dent Falls, Arahura River

Jay, somewhere in the Arahura

Setting the sling @ Perth River

Nolan's Hutt. Perth River

Jay, unknown rapid. Perth River