The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 159

I arrived at the start of the Zanskar Canyon with
the weather worsening, by the time I reached
camp thunder had started and the noise the
rebounds was making was immense. The little
clear blue stream that I was using for water
turned into a red brick coloured mud torrent, the
noise of all the rocks tumbling into the Zanskar
just added to the atmosphere.
The next day saw me running some huge waves,
negotiating tricky currents and get-ting
occasionally tailed in the box canyons. I got to an
oasis in the canyon, water was spurting out of the
canyon wall bringing a piece of green to the
dusty arid environment. As I came close to the
village of Chilling, the weather turned on my
again, thunder, heavy rain and lightning. I had
exited the canyon just over an hour ago and I had
made camp noticing the water was getting darker.
An hour after stopping one of the side streams
must have broke as the river was getting higher,
darker and the wood started to mount up in the
eddy down from my camp. Firewood would not
be a problem tonight!
This carried on for most of the night meaning the
final river day was fast and bouncy all the way
down to Splash Rafting Camp close to the
Zanskar and Indus confluence. I was offered a lift
back to Leh which meant of a hot shower, clean
clothes and a beer watching the day finish over
the grand Leh Palace.
A 300Km white-water solo journey through an
amazing canyon and one of the remotest places
on the planet, next...Well that was going to be
Peru!

ThePaddler 159