PADDLER 24
PADDLER 24
DAY 7
The day was short; we had gained enough distance that we could have a short river day. We paddled into civilisation, where we found more huts, yurts, and gravel / mud roads. Our plan that night was to stay at Five Rivers Camp, a ger( yurt) site. The land was once a farm, but is now run by the family as a site for cross-country cyclists, bike tours and sometimes canoe groups coming the opposite direction from us on the Delgermörön.
When we started the day, we were on the Ida River, but we ended paddling up the Delgermörön after a brief visit to the Selenga. The Five Rivers Camp was living up to its name! We spent the night here, enjoying the family’ s hospitality, swimming in the river, and preparing for the following day. We were also joined in the ger by the calves and a herd of goats who wandered through the camp.
On the final day, we packed the paddleboard and loaded everything into the canoe. We started paddling back down the Delgermörön and onto the Selenga. The Selenga flows east at the point where the southflowing Delgermörön and the north-flowing Ida meet. This day was meant to be a 31km day and the following day a short 16km but we had lost a day.
From the information we had, we were expecting a headwind and shallow, braided, slow channels. This was the first day with real-time restriction. We had to get to our pick-up point so we could get to the train station early the following day. With the SUP deflated and two paddlers in one boat, we made swift progress, and we reached our pick-up point on time. We spent one last night under canvas and in the eye of a storm. Our expedition started in the rain and ended in the rain.
The following day, our driver brought us to the train station to catch the overnight Trans Siberian Railway back to the capital.
PURE SATISFACTION
The Chuluut Valley delivered everything I hoped for – challenging whitewater, remote landscapes, encounters with nomadic culture, and the satisfaction of a first SUP descent. It’ s an expedition I’ d gladly repeat.