The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 87

Indian locals recommended
not to continue paddling
the Rio Maranon because
the river disappears in a

huge rock fall

Abyssmo Canyon
We talked a lot about the lower canyon of the Rio
Apurimac and that we really would like to run it.
It is called ‘the Abyssmo’. We asked Alonso, the
boss of the company ‘Apurimac Explorer’ and the
man who is sharing his home with us, if he would
like to join us. He just answered, "Yes, no
problem, let's go. We need just one day!" We were
little bit confused. The other local guys told us it is
the hardest whitewater in the Cusco area and you
will need about three days. As Alonso promised us
that it is possible and that he already ran the
Abyssmo three times, we packed our stuff and
went to the put-in at 5am in the morning.
We packed our boats with stuff for two days –
just in case and because we will sleep at the takeout. There is a six-hour walk out waiting for us.
So we started our trip.
Very excited about what we will find on the next
30km. The first 22km is just whitewater class III
with a few rapids of class IV. After every rapid
there is a huge pool where you can relax and in
the case of a swim, where you can get all your
stuff back. We thought we could get an idea
about what is coming next. But the only thing
that didn't change was the absolute remoteness
in a deep and impressive canyon.
For the last eight kilometres there was not a single
pool and maybe three or four rapids a little bit
easier than class V. In this place the Rio Apurimac
shows its complete power and danger, but also its
beauty. Steep class V rapids one after the other
with a lot of siphons and undercuts. And if we say
“a lot” we mean “a lot!” Especially \?H?\?????Y\???Y?H]X\??YH[Y\???TY\?
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