PADDLER 84
PADDLER 84
THE UPPER PIATUA
Let ’ s look at the Upper Piatua , then . Yes , lets ! Into the trucks once more , and we turn off the tarmac onto gravel roads ; pretty soon , we pull up , the road did go further , but currently , it doesn ’ t ; floodwaters broke the bridge in style , and this will be today ’ s put-in .
Alex advises that this section keeps changing , and they don ’ t paddle it as often as other , more local river sections . Pancho will be our probe , scouting ahead and signalling to Alex , who will be leading us down . Pancho has already demonstrated his approach to rapids ; if there ’ s a line choice , he will take the harder and style it ; he is smooth , moving around the river effortlessly .
We are advised there will be about a 100m warmup before we are into the action . We eddy hop down then break out river right , Pancho probes , then signals , Alex is off taking two with him , we lose line of sight , Andy is out , stood on top of a rock . He signals Brian and me down ; the river twists and turns , with no indication of our route , so we assume we are good to go ; we are ; we drop down to river left , a dam that was steep , technical and fun .
We re-group . Pancho disappears out of sight , and one by one , we drop down , moving as the boat in front leaves its eddy . As I head downriver , I see Pancho eddied out river right , holding his position to advise on the line .
I drop into Pancho ’ s eddy ; it ’ s swirling , and we cruise around in circles , watching over our shoulder as Brian leaves , taking a left line and disappearing out of sight . Pancho asks me if I want to boof . Pancho , I am happy to be surviving , but I shrug my shoulders and say , “ Yeah , why not ?” “ Follow me then .” Another lap of the eddy , Pancho goes right ; after telling everyone else to go left , he smears a rock , and an eight-footlong boat disappears fast . Gulp . Another lap of the eddy , a glance downstream , and a raised set of blades indicates it ’ s good to go ; I break out , smear the rock , and gravity takes over ; the right line is the smoother route ; if you nail it , I drop into the eddy all smiles .
NO WORDS NEEDED
Pancho speaks excellent English , I speakio noio spanishio , however , this language is different to what non boaters would understand , this is the language of the river , different backgrounds and cultures but no words needed , big grins all round , a shake of hands , man that was cool .
A mandatory portage ahead , a tree in the river , is on the obvious line . We carry our boats under a blue , sun-filled sky ; it is hot . I can feel my energy levels are low , and the situation is not going to improve until both Alex and Pancho supply me with bottles of Guayusa , containing more caffeine than coffee . Drugs , in liquid form , in reality , it ’ s a local tea with a punch .
This is day nine of boating . The war of attrition , paddling back-to-back days , is beginning to show . Add to that the bug issue that usually happens in foreign climes , and the fuel tank is approaching empty . I am making my lines , though . The moves are happening , but I walk a rapid I should have , could have paddled . We stop for lunch . The Guayusa begins to have an effect . The caffeine I usually avoid rushes around through my veins .
THE PLANETS ALIGN
The river becomes the culmination of over 20 years of paddling , from a shaky start at Plas Menai to a long list of classic white water rivers in different countries , Chile , Nepal , India , and Europe . I have not boated much in recent years , life factors and the usual guff that gets in the way . But , today , all those years , all the practising , training , the Treweryn , days on the Tees , ferry glides , eddy hopping , it all forms , focuses , the planets align , and we are cruising .
Alex takes the lead , Pancho sits mid-group , and we go , only stopping if a key piece of information needs to be imparted . Otherwise , we are off , downriver in a flurry of strokes , and must make lines , eddies , and signals . Pancho tells me to boof right ; a hand gesture indicates where . I follow the suggested line , land on a low brace , carve into an eddy behind a rock , and hold my position until Brian clears his eddy below .
We are running late ; Alex increases the pace and is back on his regular run of the river . I watch five boats in front of me criss-crossing the river , indicating where I need to be , but each feature is run on sight , all be it with an idea of where I need to be . For whatever reason , I like paddling at the back , last man , it allows me to see the lines , perhaps watching someone getting hammered and electing to go a different route , but there ’ s no backup , and that ’ s OK . We must accept that we are alone , even in a group , and this group is good ; everyone is paddling well and making their lines . Eyes like bin lids greet me as I drop into an eddy , but I can see the joy in faces , smiles , nods of heads , a few words exchanged , and we ’ re off again .