The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 106

ThePaddler 106

The Terminator, Inferno Canyon, Zeta and Throne Room

Futa day two is hot again and we have a fairly
solid plan in place. Gradually building up to a
Todo Futa day later in the week. After a quick
stop in the picturesque town of Futaleufu we hit
the bridge to end section and luckily we even
manage to pick up a hitch hiking local kayaker
on the way there who volunteers to drive our
shuttle. The section deals out some carnage to
Marco who takes an
unlucky swim as he
adapts to the different
style of river.

The section is longer and
has a couple of noticeably
bigger rapids but we take
it slow, scouting and
working our way down
through fantastic waves and
chunky holes.

Day three is a slower start
and the plan is to head up to
the Terminator section and
finish at the camp. Some of the
crew are suffering from
tiredness and decide to sit this
one out leaving just me and
Wookie Joe to head up to the put
on and ‘Get her done’. Taking it slow
again we opt for the sneak line on the
Terminator. One of the biggest rapids I have ever
seen, the river is so wide the line looks confusing
even from the bank. Right after the sneak we
tackle another set of sweet rapids, slightly bigger
than the previous day and just as fun.

The morning of day four, there is a palpable
tension in the air as we eat breakfast and drink
tea. Marco has already decided not to do the
whole but to meet us at the Terminator section
put in. At the put in, Wee Joe decides he doesn’t
really fancy committing to Inferno Canyon
either, so we hatch a quick plan for the two of
them to run the Rio Azul and meet us at the river
confluence. We float off on the easy flat paddle
to the start of Inferno Canyon. We are all excited
and nervous. Wookie Joe has told us the story of
how he swam here a year ago and it sits in the
back of our minds as we paddle on.

The entrance to Inferno Canyon is tall and
ominous, the river constricts into a tall gorge and
the grey day only adds to the tension. We scout
and dispatch the first rapid pretty quickly, then
rally down the second without a problem. The
third takes a little more scouting and a lot more
climbing to see the rapid. Back to our boats and
we all take down the rapid, which caught Joe out
last year without a hitch. The last rapid is fairly
straightforward and we make our way out of the
canyon on an adrenaline high through the next

flat
section
before the
next big rapid
named Zeta. Zeta is really
big and we all elect to portage
and head on down the flat section to
the next big rapid, Throne Room.
Throne Room is big and takes us a while to scout
but I decide to fire it up first. I paddle my line
perfectly but it still feels like being a tiny boat in
a big stormy sea. As I crash through waves and
avoid the big hole I am buzzing and excited to
???A???????????$??????????????????)????????????????????????????????????)A????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????A??????????????????)????????]??????)????????????????????]?????)??????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????)???????]???)???????5????()=??????????????????()$??????????????????)?????????????((