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Published: January 31st 2011
im the captain!
this had to be repeated several times!
since i was trying to take over the leadership more then once!Finally we where on our way, the day before a group had set off, the river was still high and the flow was very quick, they had the misfortune off snapping a canoe and one of the group had to be airlifted to hospital with hypothermia.....
what laid ahead was 142km of river with 4 planned camps along the way, our chosen method of transport was a canadian canoe.
Once we had packed our belonings into water tight barrels, and secured them with our best possible grannie knots into the canoe, we slid into the relitively calm water. Our plan for the day was to paddle from Cherry grove to Poukaria campsite, a distance of around 36km. We set off around 10.30am and arrived at around 16.00pm, which was not bad going, but the truth is this was not due to our great technuiqe, more due to the speed of the river, around about 7-8kph.
Arriving at 16.00, unpacking the canoe, setting up the tent and cooking, all by 17.30, all very efficient.
HOWEVER.........the day had not gone without incident......................................
Earlier that day 10.35 am
After sliding the loaded canoe into the calm water, we paddled out into
the main river, immidiatley we felt the canoe accelerate forward, the water speed was still quite fast, we rocked and rolled as we tried to steer through the first few rapids. We were both a little rusty, and i was trying to work out where we where on the map as well as steer the boat.
Looking ahead all that we could see was a mass of white bubbling water.
Now i may add that most people who kayak this river usually do the 3 day section which is lower down the river and a lot less rough. This section has 49 of the 250 rapids across its length.
As the boat shifted we tried to pick the easiest line through the bubbling mass, suddenly we had it all wrong, our weight shifted and we where under water, somehow we were both still clinging to the upturned canoe, and travelling at great speed through the rapids,
did we remember to fasten our life jackets?? i asked myself. Things get a little more serious when you are not the right way up in a boat. We kicked our legs desperatly trying to propel the canoe into calmer water and
hopefully to the safety of the river bank, suddenly my shoe came off and quickly disappeard down the rapids. excellent, i really look forward to wearing one shoe in the native bush for 5 days!
600m later and we are still upside down and trying to beach the canoe, we arrive around a corner and on the left river bank another couple, who have also flipped over in the same rapid are coming to our aid and all four of us manage to drag the canoe on into shallow water.
well that was a baptism of fire!!
The german couple introduce themselves and we survey the damage, and help empty the water from both boats, before setting off again. Minus sunscreen and one shoe.
Same day, same river 11.45 am
Here we are again, but this time the canoe is hanging from a tree....and i am not joking.
We checked the guide sheet and map, it did not really mention the massive looking rapid in front of us, with a pile of rocks seperating the two flows, we quickly suspected this was due to the fact that the river was in such a high flow.
we quickly opted to
take the less ferocious looking flow on the right.
Now when i say quickly decided, what i mean to say is we looked at it and the river decided we were going that way.
All was going well, untill we were hit hard by a side current and directed into a row of low trees.
Ilona, in the front seen what was coming while i wrestled with the oar trying to use it as a rudder.
I looked up, just quick enough to see Ilona limboing underneath a large branch, i was not so nimble. I covered my face with my arms just in time in order not to loose my freshly brushed front teeth. This branch was as thick as an elephants leg.
Now using your face, as a brake, in these circumstances, seems to work quite well, however i think it slightly lifted the front of the boat, which in turn again flipped us over but also propelled the canoe upside down into another low tree.
our water container then decided enough was enough and also joined my shoe and sun screen on the increasing list of equipment we were "giving " to the river.
the current was
so strong at this section it was difficult and very dangerous trying to free the canoe, it was still loaded with 5 days of food, our tent, cooking utensils, and clothes.
My legs were stuck in a large tree branch under water, the river forever trying to topple me over backwards.
Ilona managed to climb over the canoe, and tie a rope around another branch, securing it and therefore letting me relax a little and not worry about the heavy canoe braking free and going straight over the top of me! resulting in certain knockout with capive legs in a fast river, not good!
Eventually i freed my legs, but not after loosing a lot of body heat in the fast flowing chest high river.
Ilona lowered the canoe, using the rope, and i directed it to the river bank, to again empty water. We were begining to think we should have brought an electric pump.
Just behind us came the German couple who we had met earlier in similar circumstances, they opted to beach the canoe and carry it by hand along the river bank in order to avoid the rapids, and the difficult tree manouvre.
We arrived
at the first camp with the german couple not far behind, they did not seem happy, and with good reason too, their "water tight" containers had in fact leaked, so all of their equipment, tent and sleeping bags etc was completely soaked. They had flipped twice today, amongst their food rations they had a lot of eggs, which had now become more of an omlette. Another German guy arrived in a kayak named Sabastian.
That night we had a few beers and told our stories of the river and our journey so far.Later that night a Possom raided the camp and ate the Germans spagetthi.
That day we became good friends.
Day 2 Poukaria to Mangapapa camp 32km
We woke up, to the smell of death. a lot of animals had been washed down the river the last few days and something close by was d.e.a.d.
we paddled through similar land scape to that we had the previous day, high valley walls. it was heart breaking to pass two seperatley stranded calfs on the river bank, they must have fallen into the river at some point and managed to crawl out on to a small ledge, not enough
grass on it for more than 2 days.
We arrived at camp, very similar to the one the day before, and we again camped with our new German friends.
Our rations were not really enough for the activities we were doing, consuming only 3400 calories in 3 days while kayaking, an average person needs 7500 for 3 days!!!!
Day 3 Mangapapa to John Couill Hut 27km
3 days with out a shower so we rigged up a camel back water container and took an improvised shower under that, i had to scrub my feet as i had no shoes and i had walked around with bags on my feet!! that was until i found a disgarded pair of flip flops in the forest at one of the camps!! They were about 8 sizes to big so i modified them with some string! my transformation into a tramp was almost complete.
While paddling this day we came around a corner with Sebastians boat just up ahead, as we got closer we noticed it was upside down, with no movement! We paddled as hard as we could fearing the worst, we could see the bottom of the kayak, and his
head, but his legs were still inside!
By the time we got to him, he had freed himself, and looked a little shaken!!
At every camp as soon as the sun went down you could hear the bush come alive, animals would appear from the trees to steal any food they had access to.
That night a rat chewed its way into a big fat americans tent and ate all his hidden stash of food.
Day 4-5
most of the terrain now seemed so similar we were in a trance, the river was quite still now but we constantly had to work hard due to the head wind. The mornings and evenings around the camp were the best especially watching the inexpierienced koreans arrive and depart, it took them almost 3 hrs to load and unload their boats, and when they arrived you could see them spinning round and round in the boats, the only thing that was missing was the music Motzarts " last waltz" from the movie 2001 space odessy, which we would all hum when they where approaching!!!
Thier guide was really earning her money............
our last day we were picked up, and dropped
stop it ilona!
richard threatend to smack me with the oar several times! off at the Tongariro national park, but not before wittnessing some of the Koreans fall into the river on the very last rapid of the day........but they looked like they enjoyed it.
143km done and dusted and new friends met along the way, now we are set for the 2000m mountain crossing...........
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richie carr
non-member comment
Loving your flip flops nipper..!!