PADDLER 22
PADDLER 22
DAY 2
We awoke to a stunning day with an endless blue sky. Although it was sunny, the temperature was still very cold, with each night and morning being chilly. We started the day with tea and porridge before breaking camp and loading the canoe and paddleboard. We had rapids and a few rock islands to navigate past, as well as some calmer sections where we could watch the eagles soar on the thermals.
The day ended with a brutal half-hour rock garden. It felt like a never-ending series of slaloms, pivots, and quick decisions to avoid boulders; the rapid eventually ended with a series of large waves and holes. The last set of waves swamped the canoe, but Phil kept it upright. The nose of my SUP disappeared into a hole, sending me dancing along the deck. By the time we emerged, we were physically and mentally drained, having covered over 40 km of unfamiliar flowing river. We were meant to paddle 34km, stopping before the long rapid, but we had been feeling fresh and wanted to get a bit further. Once in that section, we had to keep going.
DAY 3
The river has calmed down; it still has waves and rock gardens, but it isn’ t at the same level as it was on day one or two. The valley is changing shape and opening in places. We set up the tarp at camp again because the sky has been threatening rain. We could see the hills in the distance being hit with heavy rain. Phil had his fishing rod out at camp, trying to catch us dinner, but he had no success. Clean drinking water became a surprising challenge. The main river was brown with clay sediment, which quickly clogged our filters, and many‘ streams’ marked on maps were dry in summer, only flowing during spring snowmelt. Whenever we found a clear side stream, we filled every container we had – including the empty beer bottles from earlier in the trip.