The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 170

ThePaddler 170

Peru has over 70
million hectares of
the rainforest; the
fourth largest area
of topical forest in
the world

pool-drop rapids, which kept us on our toes. Just
like clock work we arrived at the towering gates of
limestone rock, which marked our second gorge.
Matthew Klema, our team geologist, had an
optimistic view of the make up of the canyon. “It
looks to me that the rocks which have fallen into
the river over time, creating rapids, cannot make it
into these narrow limestone gorges.” Ironically, a
few moment latter, we heard a shotgun like crash
and thunderous roar as kayak-sized rocks careened
into the river. The constant drizzle throughout the
day had caused the steep jungle walls to let loose
of rocks held precariously in vegetation. While it

was awesome to watch the morphology of the
canyon take place, our already sketchy situation
had now become a game of Russian roulette.
Ryan, our team navigation leader looked at the map
and scanned the air with the GPS unit looking for a
signal. Sure enough, we were making our way
through the Great Bend of the Pongo Aguirre. It
looked as though we were beginning a turn to the
north towards the Amazonian flat lands. As the light
misty rain continued, worry began to spread among
the group. From our vantage point there were no
signs of vertical drop, so we continued down river in

I pondered
why we must live so close to death
to feel alive. For us, seeking out
first descents has become a drug, and
its euphoric affects are so invigorating
yet so temporary.