tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84255107077464805822024-03-06T02:15:22.455+00:00Paddle Peru 2012A team of 6 British university kayakers heading to Peru for 3 months this summer to paddle the best whitewater we can find...Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07244642528570997477noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-24917438355944850752012-12-28T14:47:00.002+00:002012-12-28T15:14:50.599+00:00Film<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/56365524" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/56365524">Paddle Peru 2012</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5064356">Adam Holland</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />
This is the film we edited for the trip, hope you enjoy it!Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-89052673927046484592012-09-20T21:11:00.004+01:002012-09-24T11:50:51.610+01:00Back in the UK<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are all safely back in the UK and our epic adventure has come to an end. We want to thank a few individuals in Peru who made our dreams of paddling some of the world's greatest rivers a reality and really helped us out:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gian Marco Vellutino of Cola de Mono <a href="http://www.canopyperu.com/" target="_blank">http://www.canopyperu.com/</a> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cusipata Rafting Perú (Santa Teresa)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Julio Cesar Baca Vargas - all round Peruvian kayaking legend (Cusco)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Paul Cripps of Amazonas explorer <a href="http://www.amazonas-explorer.com/" target="_blank">http://www.amazonas-explorer.com/</a> (Cusco)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Daniel Rondon and family of Expediciones y Adventuras Rafting (Arequipa) </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Girls at Hitchhikers Backpackers Hostal, possibly the best hostel in the world! (Cusco) </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And of course to thank our sponsors from the UK whose support was invaluable:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Imperial College London, Armourgel, Dam Watersports, Lyon Outdoor, Kent Canoes, Canon, Hereford Cathedral School, Old Centralians' Trust.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stay tuned for the film we our currently editing of the trip! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-24619905929122335012012-09-09T14:03:00.000+01:002012-10-31T14:24:29.175+00:00Two Tits Travel To Titicaca<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two intrepid explorers ready to brave the mighty Lake</td></tr>
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In the last couple of weeks of the expedition there was a
division of forces in the team. whilst Adam, Alex and Tom decided to stay in
the Urabamba valley and continue to chase the white water dream Alby and myself
took a different adventure to lake Titicaca.</div>
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06/09/2012 - 09/09/2012</div>
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Heading back to Cusco we paid a visit to Paul Cripps at Amazonas
Explorers to collect Derf’s Mamba as I took the decision to sell my beloved
Jefe to Gian Marco back in Colo De Mono. Having retrieved the boat we jumped on
a bus and whipped down to Puno where we planned to begin our journey across the
lake. Arriving late in the evening we quickly sourced a tasty polleria meal
before heading to bed for an early start in the morning.</div>
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By 11 o’clock we were underway and on the lake having acquired
supplies. In the taxi to the port we asked our taxi drivers if we needed a permit or license to paddle on the lake. He didn't seem to know but radioed his HQ to find out - the operator on the other end shouted (in Spanish) “Sir we are a Taxi company. How should we know?!. Guess not then.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim enjoy the mighty reed beds</td></tr>
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Heading off into the reed beds we quickly made our way to
the Islas Uros. These stunning man made floating islands are made from dead
reeds which are matted together to create a floating structure for people to
live on.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby approaching the Islas Uros</td></tr>
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The first islands we visited are a tourist attraction and as
such are not lived on in a traditional manner, however we heard that behind the
reeds there are islands where people live as they have for years. Great we
thought, we shall paddle there and spend the night! Stopping for a quick spot of
lunch and a chat with a couple of locals to find the best way to get to the none
touristy islands we were met with worried faces. The locals tried to dissuade us from leaving as the islands
and were adamant that they were too far away, we would get lost, the lake was choppy, we would drown, etc.
Having finally convinced them that it would probably be fine we set off.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby considers swapping his boat!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuEvsd6GaHrwH8G06dnt-cLyqD4o515OboCERts7CLGZJx5_HLL5tjox6kKKv3KZ8nCFgDe23bFHFGoM3G5yhuTMNE3_-X1GJF6Rg1Q1eBlSxUXfG2XWVZfnnYdRgM3oKnBitWjgz_4Cm/s1600/P9081043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuEvsd6GaHrwH8G06dnt-cLyqD4o515OboCERts7CLGZJx5_HLL5tjox6kKKv3KZ8nCFgDe23bFHFGoM3G5yhuTMNE3_-X1GJF6Rg1Q1eBlSxUXfG2XWVZfnnYdRgM3oKnBitWjgz_4Cm/s1600/P9081043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>After 2 emotional hours of navigating the narrow channels
through reed beds the lake proper finally appeared. Turns out it's pretty big.
Skirting around the huge expanse of reeds looking for a village to stay in it wasn’t
long before we saw some islands and headed in to speak to the inhabitants. First
paddling into the village we were ignored but then the children spotted
us and came across for a chat. After negotiating with the children to speak to
an adult we started asking around trying to find somewhere to sleep. The
question “is it possible to stay here” was answered with “si” so you obviously
ask “we can stay yes?” however the reply was “no, not here go and find
somewhere else”. It was now 5 o’clock and getting towards sun set. In the end
we found a couple of buildings on stilts, a sneaky look inside showed them to
be the school, and was surrounded by an expanse of floating reeds.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun setting over the not so friendly village</td></tr>
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Excellent - a camp site! As it was getting dark we decided to
bivvy out on the school and leave at first light the following day so as to avoid any unpleasant confrontations. It should
be mentioned that we brought some beers to share with anyone who would put us up, however as we were on our own it was an obvious chore to drink
them and watch a beautiful sunset!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Camp-site!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8t_qcSZRWK0dXJ92TO0qR9Nv9V7IV79Y6RJg6uX7i-zIMdrvidd31YePGTHsluD3cs-QV4cDrkZwwOGtrzP-lxZ5lepByIc7is2zLYsPbIfwL2DPHqpuQ_nIfSyAnbgr9_nUYaBNMYAD/s1600/DSC_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>At 5.30 the following morning we arose, packed up and escaped
from our bivvy/school site. The plan
was to paddle across the lake to the Peninsula de Chuquito (opposite) and from there
possibly on or find another camp site depending how far and tired we were. A
quick breakfast of biscuits and the long flat slog began. Unfortunately the
weather had turned and it had become quite overcast, but with some paddling we
were soon warm and within an hour and a half across the lake to the town of Luquina Grande. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim has a healthy breakfast</td></tr>
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so now at about 8 in the morning we were greeted and welcomed into a party,
given beer and soup! Spending an hour relaxing and chatting to the locals who were very excited to have two heroic kayakistas in their mix! As much fun
as it would have been to stay we still wanted to see more of the lake so
returned to the boats and paddled on around the peninsula, a brief coffee stop
at 11.30 at the next town along, Luquina Chico and the decision was taken to man up and charge across to the island of Taquile.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hosts at the fiesta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgc1Ea1RpVEPEuJLgiIuaP5ydBngiRclU23_QQ1zzuyYI89UdhdkFC1RJ_rQ7hdhw-pT94xcqjaCeYprhrx3ieZ1SghOM43_CpV_HJ0fGwXDwnQHKhXdSTuE9ZEbSb9wnWLRpq8qwtyay/s1600/DSC_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgc1Ea1RpVEPEuJLgiIuaP5ydBngiRclU23_QQ1zzuyYI89UdhdkFC1RJ_rQ7hdhw-pT94xcqjaCeYprhrx3ieZ1SghOM43_CpV_HJ0fGwXDwnQHKhXdSTuE9ZEbSb9wnWLRpq8qwtyay/s1600/DSC_1230.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby point to the island "it can't be that far!"</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgc1Ea1RpVEPEuJLgiIuaP5ydBngiRclU23_QQ1zzuyYI89UdhdkFC1RJ_rQ7hdhw-pT94xcqjaCeYprhrx3ieZ1SghOM43_CpV_HJ0fGwXDwnQHKhXdSTuE9ZEbSb9wnWLRpq8qwtyay/s1600/DSC_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMn0LVxomtlFMiuwkSAWIV9n0eWKyD5hTiAmEGyWXCle7gnwmwJug5xL3lNACRrd2KWh9egQYY5bQWHbMV0OXEXYp2BEpQLmF48_VJ4m5sS3V-NtzsKocbgt_pycy1B1DzSWuruS5tiwoQ/s1600/DSC_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgc1Ea1RpVEPEuJLgiIuaP5ydBngiRclU23_QQ1zzuyYI89UdhdkFC1RJ_rQ7hdhw-pT94xcqjaCeYprhrx3ieZ1SghOM43_CpV_HJ0fGwXDwnQHKhXdSTuE9ZEbSb9wnWLRpq8qwtyay/s1600/DSC_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTqu-ElqQ0mD_8Gl5lkrJlJN0p4GQObAruEpCkQwfrXIo94lblU8kmG2PJzF4UFZ8SsoKWE4Dc3_U2PaCmzNbeGzaGSgH810CgpUbRZdoUGSMJ5ZdWDmsCb5GpUb1d1VZhjaxHtstYgYL/s1600/P9101109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZvAwtOdr7TRoNba06uw0xUmxHYejjpGTU0vLw-3HdX-nmu6HB1UgXqtHdE-1decIXatGOxVp1uQ3Ozs-pti1I9m6WK7s4nGmjiByEefxiqWWmpCSD-p1N5ObmSQIcqzo2i6xXlvRRw9h/s1600/DSC_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
The island looked quite small, however it is in fact 7km
long… Paddling away in the afternoon sun it took us three and a half hours to cover
the distance but we were rewarded with a very excited harbour master who
was very surprised to see us and impressed that we had paddled from the main
land. He kindly offered to hide our boats in his shed before giving us directions to a homestay up in the main
town.</div>
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After an amazing night sleep and the best breakfast in a long time (fried bready dohnuts, coffee, eggs and pancakes!) we went
off to explore the island. The people that live on Taquile continue to wear traditional (and very unique) clothing
and fish and farm the lake itself.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The island complete with terracing</td></tr>
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Obviously the water was too inviting to turn down, but we
had both forgotten our trunks!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuff said</td></tr>
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After lunch we caught a local boat back to Puno as we couldn't face the thought of the paddle back! After a swift shower it was time polleria, beer and
salsa dancing!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim relaxing on the boat back to Puno</td></tr>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14466957612242245546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-67011158749928002992012-09-06T21:05:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:26:45.320+01:00Rio Urubamba - Hydroelectrica to Santa Teresa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">06/09/12 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Don't forget your handbags and makeup ladies... today we paddle class 5" exclaimed Gian Marco as the remaining kayakistas prepared their balls for this difficult section of the Urubamba. Steep, high-volume, continuous rapids provided the most intense and difficult river experience of the trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After visualising some fantasy lines on the enormous man-made waterfall which marks the end of the Hydroelectrica section it is then possible to paddle to the confluence with the Santa Teresa. We paddled the run in about 3 hours, though without Gian Marco leading us it could have taken twice as long as inspections would be necessary.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZEmaop1YjkVGoo1YuTGT1fUoI_YECXY_MapMk2LF9uaXQ5FQiIJ1TPr4YhWO6YntK0-3DbQINnCkhgC3Uj6Cj8YT75_3BCi7wImwFu8DP87CO_MDtHLaSsFtnGT5uKWx4Xk7jTLrrQ/s1600/DSC_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZEmaop1YjkVGoo1YuTGT1fUoI_YECXY_MapMk2LF9uaXQ5FQiIJ1TPr4YhWO6YntK0-3DbQINnCkhgC3Uj6Cj8YT75_3BCi7wImwFu8DP87CO_MDtHLaSsFtnGT5uKWx4Xk7jTLrrQ/s640/DSC_0752.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GM and el Mono just after Hidroelectrica</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With Gian Marco demonstrating some big lines, eddies were only available every hundred metres or so: arrive in the eddy, get your shit together and then quickly turn to see how GM avoids the next set of big holes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The river didn't let up so we couldn't even think about taking any bank-footage or photos. Check out this quick edit of my Go Pro footage to get a feel for the beast instead:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dCpT0fUQ0B0?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07244642528570997477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-3009232047897801302012-09-02T19:49:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:26:24.657+01:00Rio Lucumayo - Alex´s cumpleaños<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKjIz-8lkFHUhIDXXmgb1BNCmmbMVKucqp1dUwgyIn76JTi-3Q0dw63W5ERAAIrtNYADh5ASbck9c88CoCAQQRXSk11qWHq1ECQZO_1wovBASG8RkIPm9bpoJBN7YwVAyLVXh_IRVesWm/s1600/DSC_0812a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKjIz-8lkFHUhIDXXmgb1BNCmmbMVKucqp1dUwgyIn76JTi-3Q0dw63W5ERAAIrtNYADh5ASbck9c88CoCAQQRXSk11qWHq1ECQZO_1wovBASG8RkIPm9bpoJBN7YwVAyLVXh_IRVesWm/s640/DSC_0812a.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tom deep in the jungle gorge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;">02/09/12</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">And Tom asked of Gian Marco "Will we have enough daylight to finish the run?", "Well you are English kayakistas; I hope you have your head torches!"</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />After another sporting run down the Urubamba from Santa Teresa to Santa Maria, we met Gian Marco in Santa Maria. From here it was a 45 minute drive to the put on for the Lucumayo, a tributary that meanders down the valley before entering the Urubamba at Santa Maria. This run was also to be Alex´s birthday treat. And he was certainly treated to an enchanting jungle gorge and some great kayaking. However he was also treated to a heinous walk-out from the river in the dark after we missed the painfully obvious take-out!</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYEYbhGMHJ0Zi6jUEBb64DZN9eccJevcXUdBWfp8opymwGiCo58g06ReYkhhalcvZ-3cxjy2I3jdQ0QvXBhwzvAOCCCcpw5BlXLLBbEXCO4HylfYrrWe8HvklwUaLs42k8j4MvWVqx1ae/s1600/IMG_3611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYEYbhGMHJ0Zi6jUEBb64DZN9eccJevcXUdBWfp8opymwGiCo58g06ReYkhhalcvZ-3cxjy2I3jdQ0QvXBhwzvAOCCCcpw5BlXLLBbEXCO4HylfYrrWe8HvklwUaLs42k8j4MvWVqx1ae/s640/IMG_3611.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Adam awaiting Tim´s signal</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After hiding our boats in the jungle bush the night before, the next day we trecked down a steep side trib from the road to retrieve the boats - quite a slog, but overall a great river experience.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Trekking in to retrieve the boats</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaopTlqa5XE8Z4ZbRAw8ScOv4SseulhGCkShZ66U5_LsGHcr5tt7QeZd-e16VyMSdatPKOfI8e5F87K_-TYgEJvwZrlBI2JIGPGqbvWDMARxj_R82EDOEWvjn6GpmAHZQXqTf95t5AShJ/s1600/P9030907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaopTlqa5XE8Z4ZbRAw8ScOv4SseulhGCkShZ66U5_LsGHcr5tt7QeZd-e16VyMSdatPKOfI8e5F87K_-TYgEJvwZrlBI2JIGPGqbvWDMARxj_R82EDOEWvjn6GpmAHZQXqTf95t5AShJ/s640/P9030907.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And back up again!</span></td></tr>
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Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14670872407632312014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-41308843712322176592012-09-01T18:34:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:25:23.607+01:00Rio Urubamba - Paddling in the shadow of Machu Picchu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-XVSoeQsa-yo-atLnUe3-OTzD0MViHv4duLwrqw5jzZ6j_S_-t_5igzjKqTilY34esCxEpgYfsWTrYQTXNCNXq9A227rE79Gu7mhZyHx4mZhYnqdqmrnrfPgYmUhR7NO4xSiI1W-0Zs/s1600/Panarama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-XVSoeQsa-yo-atLnUe3-OTzD0MViHv4duLwrqw5jzZ6j_S_-t_5igzjKqTilY34esCxEpgYfsWTrYQTXNCNXq9A227rE79Gu7mhZyHx4mZhYnqdqmrnrfPgYmUhR7NO4xSiI1W-0Zs/s640/Panarama.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The paddleable section of the Urubamba begins on the left of the picture, with Machu Picchu to the right!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">01/09/12 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This day section of the Urubamba begins close to the train station for Machu Picchu and ends at the waterfall where the water extracted for the hydroelectric power station re-enters the river. The removal of water from the river here has turned an otherwise un-paddlable stretch of whitewater into a great low volume class 5 creek with some great boof drops amongst giant boulders!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WPxPEwcK5PSGqcBYWTqpNKG3qEUXFAZHBErS41Aki1A_8dr6SPzNPVh65Wl723szOj0cR3JwnrVIEgZB2nQlpBOIAmyX7gteL3PsDKCymhmHIZpZ7ku24lFmWk3P7sdY1k9F70OHVnY/s1600/DSC_0497a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WPxPEwcK5PSGqcBYWTqpNKG3qEUXFAZHBErS41Aki1A_8dr6SPzNPVh65Wl723szOj0cR3JwnrVIEgZB2nQlpBOIAmyX7gteL3PsDKCymhmHIZpZ7ku24lFmWk3P7sdY1k9F70OHVnY/s640/DSC_0497a.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tom</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WPxPEwcK5PSGqcBYWTqpNKG3qEUXFAZHBErS41Aki1A_8dr6SPzNPVh65Wl723szOj0cR3JwnrVIEgZB2nQlpBOIAmyX7gteL3PsDKCymhmHIZpZ7ku24lFmWk3P7sdY1k9F70OHVnY/s1600/DSC_0497a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>We paddled this section with Gian Marco, who pioneered the first decent last year! We expect we made the first British descent of this section.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gian Marco</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqAO-41yh1-SaMEtEnMBwmENh12DCnVRMPFWtJTgAOVx0dKd-PHAUfkBx5TLQ5tvlM_7TIxRATrubhQTbzc8xEI9zg9tc007tAHTEQDgHqHQoU2sjmMQ30BqR7JTGRQ-BOMqqR_m9zO0/s1600/DSC_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqAO-41yh1-SaMEtEnMBwmENh12DCnVRMPFWtJTgAOVx0dKd-PHAUfkBx5TLQ5tvlM_7TIxRATrubhQTbzc8xEI9zg9tc007tAHTEQDgHqHQoU2sjmMQ30BqR7JTGRQ-BOMqqR_m9zO0/s640/DSC_0623.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alby</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sfivw-P4AZbzDUp3HjGfV9KRRLrxiRf05DsdeqDR1ziJK6f1_5BW2uyq1vAKNbyoQ-sEPVZWSgNCACav3Q3F6PXY0P7xwNoUSfxeN924SHJGL5YWq2k5V8VyEZM0jACEoThpqoLj-V0/s1600/DSC_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sfivw-P4AZbzDUp3HjGfV9KRRLrxiRf05DsdeqDR1ziJK6f1_5BW2uyq1vAKNbyoQ-sEPVZWSgNCACav3Q3F6PXY0P7xwNoUSfxeN924SHJGL5YWq2k5V8VyEZM0jACEoThpqoLj-V0/s640/DSC_0692.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The team watch Alex</span></td></tr>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-32085583145032353652012-08-31T16:46:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:24:59.807+01:00Rio Santa Teresa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">31/08/12 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Rio Santa Teresa is a tributary that flows into the Rio Urubamba at the town of Santa Teresa. We paddled a 10-15km section of this river to the confluence. It took a few hours and was continuous grade 3 read and run. A very pleasant run! Unfortunately no photos this time.</span></div>
Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-28205576252301892012012-08-30T16:57:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:24:17.756+01:00Rio Urubamba - Santa Teresa to Santa Maria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZWmFStaMZcWVxHPU-kG4XLzpulkOVNAjROwktxv3dB7VdQzIShL50rN0BU-gyk5TFHYfPonf3Eef9i4y8Z6i_BI0qXTCNQCT-PQsKF04qL6OowdT1thYCpYJ9hcLU43SfiRepQet-ms/s1600/DSC_0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZWmFStaMZcWVxHPU-kG4XLzpulkOVNAjROwktxv3dB7VdQzIShL50rN0BU-gyk5TFHYfPonf3Eef9i4y8Z6i_BI0qXTCNQCT-PQsKF04qL6OowdT1thYCpYJ9hcLU43SfiRepQet-ms/s640/DSC_0444.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mono, our Colombian kayaking friend</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">30/08/12 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The section of whitewater between Santa Teresa and Santa Maria became one of our favourite day runs in Peru. A non stop roller coaster ride of continuous IV+ (V) that didn´t let up for 20km! We ran this section 4 times as read and run with no portages. What also makes the section particularly special is that part of the way down there are some hot springs where filthy kayakers can take a much needed bath!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOuBq1LC71VTi-iVFylKxI6mfmNiIsF1jjMzrzJd1x1IMBuf9Vg__Yw3sDEb-qHYMJZ71IeRzVUJlbtR94cTKTxJvbYcfHUJLwp_Z569sDGY4_Pe6njeMIloQDvRjd4xfStEx6pijvYM/s1600/DSC_0453b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOuBq1LC71VTi-iVFylKxI6mfmNiIsF1jjMzrzJd1x1IMBuf9Vg__Yw3sDEb-qHYMJZ71IeRzVUJlbtR94cTKTxJvbYcfHUJLwp_Z569sDGY4_Pe6njeMIloQDvRjd4xfStEx6pijvYM/s640/DSC_0453b.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alby and Mono</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscOW7KKT8VFAqlUHQDN-8lOWC-L5rp9RA5CqroLOU5OxDGWMyYXnWlVDFHuY6SpzcRx9j1iDf-qHmZBtFQSYasolKPJU-ACYboPWMcqFniK7sXIp_OAUgJ3RMNWzrg5VdFFguxGvJRjM/s1600/DSC_1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscOW7KKT8VFAqlUHQDN-8lOWC-L5rp9RA5CqroLOU5OxDGWMyYXnWlVDFHuY6SpzcRx9j1iDf-qHmZBtFQSYasolKPJU-ACYboPWMcqFniK7sXIp_OAUgJ3RMNWzrg5VdFFguxGvJRjM/s640/DSC_1097.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6wY2pUk1HQcwwZ9ZYQ8ZQnbvhAxU7vKPTEgQPdifA3Ri_PcW47x8NKEFvY6jBgq3zYYxLV1RO8UHMzQOuvC29Qtjh3OGzSGaMx6qKy5zcmpHizZw14Tf5y1coew1bXbPJO88bp4yfYg/s1600/DSC_1082a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6wY2pUk1HQcwwZ9ZYQ8ZQnbvhAxU7vKPTEgQPdifA3Ri_PcW47x8NKEFvY6jBgq3zYYxLV1RO8UHMzQOuvC29Qtjh3OGzSGaMx6qKy5zcmpHizZw14Tf5y1coew1bXbPJO88bp4yfYg/s640/DSC_1082a.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Three Amigos Alex, Tom and Adam</span></td></tr>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-56475303176687262042012-08-29T20:40:00.000+01:002012-09-23T11:57:48.058+01:00Cola de Mono<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRVNmNQRcM-tzVJxhSwmYhr6i2Jfu6VZBOOtJP7R0H8KNd0w4MshG8IfxyjVEhrp9IpiAsXT2HxFEHeSHkStnQFvphkMa2RvXvyJbNnsxByJGVdzCA6GrZyii_US8-IrmM0dasXhTyRQ/s1600/DSC_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRVNmNQRcM-tzVJxhSwmYhr6i2Jfu6VZBOOtJP7R0H8KNd0w4MshG8IfxyjVEhrp9IpiAsXT2HxFEHeSHkStnQFvphkMa2RvXvyJbNnsxByJGVdzCA6GrZyii_US8-IrmM0dasXhTyRQ/s640/DSC_0459.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cola de Mono campsite</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For our final leg of the trip we were lucky enough to stay at Cola de Mono camping and Zip line, run by Peruvian kayaking legend Gian Marco Vellutino. We spent 10 days here and the campsite is ideally placed for kayaking different sections of the Urubamba and it's tributaries as well as visiting the great Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and Vilcabamba. If you are ever in Peru on a paddling trip you should definitely pay Cola de Mono a visit and paddle some of the fantastic rivers the area has to offer!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The man himself - Gian Marco Vellutino</span></td></tr>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-38697887998024138872012-08-20T23:26:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:22:56.558+01:00Rio Colca - Lunar Canyon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team paddling towards the impressive "Condor shower"</td></tr>
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14/08/12 - 19/08/12<br />
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The Cañon del Colca is a stunning canyon which is beaten in depth only by its nearby cousin the Cotahuasi. Unlike the Cotahuasi the banks of the Colca are totally deserted and uninhabitted - even the Incas coundn´t muster the strength to build along it´s infertile and vertical walls. We found it a truly remote and exhilerating adventure through moonscape rock formations and azure blue waters.</div>
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Day 1-2 </div>
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The Lunar Canyon section of the Colca took us 3 days to paddle and 3 days of transport to get to the put-in from Arequipa. The journey began with the team pilling into a bus from Arequipa at 2pm to Cabanaconde where we checked in to a hostel for the night. The following morning at the less sociable time of 5am we took a second bus to the town of Huambo. From Huambo the plan was to hire <i>Burros </i>(donkeys) to carry the boats down to the river.</div>
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Arriving in Huambo at 7am we where greeted off the bus by a group of Spanish kayakers with there tales of woe with regards to hiring donkeys to get to the river. They pointed us in the direction of their donkey driver in the hope he could aquire a few more and get us to the river with them. Unfortunately this was not possible and we spent a day wandering around town under intense negotiations to try and reach the river the following day. By evening there was still no confirmed plans so after checking into a hostel alarms where set early to get organised and leave Huambo the following day. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex in negotiations with a donkey man.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4e0Xp1tPuofXhKLWDKTL2gX4jJhxdU7R3fJGzsEpiE1JBQfXKc9DnZTYhulqna0Omm6dam9X-noznXCcZAvj8ytcUz0dfYcnvDa10uLaOnTeCcC9OijrHt3DiwUH4oCPNlBgX1tlLCI/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4e0Xp1tPuofXhKLWDKTL2gX4jJhxdU7R3fJGzsEpiE1JBQfXKc9DnZTYhulqna0Omm6dam9X-noznXCcZAvj8ytcUz0dfYcnvDa10uLaOnTeCcC9OijrHt3DiwUH4oCPNlBgX1tlLCI/s640/DSC_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huambo all became too much for Alby</td></tr>
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Day 3</div>
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Awoken before the sun was up we were out and continuing our search for
donkeys, within minutes we found the man used by our Spanish compardres!
By the time the Sun was properly up over the surrounding mountain peaks
plans where in place to take a truck to the end of the road before
loading the boats onto donkeys and then trekking down to the river, all
that was left to do was have breakfast! A dose of egg sandwiches and coffee later and we were ready to move.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkvM9OwUvGXbEON0c3jswdT83c5fUnjNAbzRq6GmRqfw1ZWSYU3KouRCEGFCH4JBGgRNEpWDFZ7zjLYeQNMom4AEpt6xrBMWyUVTvng0EU5Cl9HBMbCfVHvSLblnk579XCPK0rY_4e5g/s1600/DSC_0098.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkvM9OwUvGXbEON0c3jswdT83c5fUnjNAbzRq6GmRqfw1ZWSYU3KouRCEGFCH4JBGgRNEpWDFZ7zjLYeQNMom4AEpt6xrBMWyUVTvng0EU5Cl9HBMbCfVHvSLblnk579XCPK0rY_4e5g/s640/DSC_0098.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam with Derek the Donkey</td></tr>
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By 11am the donkeys were all loaded and the 6 hour trek down to the put-on hamlet of Canco could begin. The first km or
so was nerve racking with boats falling off donkeys about every 100m.
Eventually we refined our tieing-on technique and continued down the
valley of the Rio Huambo which after 12km meets the Rio Colca. The scenery was stunning and the donkeys easily negotiated the difficult terrain with the boats - traversing scree slopes with precariously balanced kayaks on the back of tired donkeys above an almost shear 400m drop into the whitewater below was a testing experience.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsFA_bRFxTH4tYGwJuq-j8DoXKmONKUGGoY2ly1ufwpHfKoUrNb97fRCnl1tj3Y7vkpar2Cw3W9Gp32NE5GLKDbmvFjMsGnXWMR2ryEmY6I3lQk8oYYERi301hrxW_EBj0MUIh8Fyj_Y/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsFA_bRFxTH4tYGwJuq-j8DoXKmONKUGGoY2ly1ufwpHfKoUrNb97fRCnl1tj3Y7vkpar2Cw3W9Gp32NE5GLKDbmvFjMsGnXWMR2ryEmY6I3lQk8oYYERi301hrxW_EBj0MUIh8Fyj_Y/s640/DSC_0218.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam ensuring the donkeys went the right way</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikVL8l1D-Y3feetUE_lgoquWsFxfK1A-pzRSjKME1Z2RA4Pg-kLP6Gc_qFFaiTI-kqdbbpNJX46Uj3JJDxjsJjPVKRQ0rOFWC7MhiqA4wAc5vkZdeabWg3QThbASaX1Qxa9wGtEoU7Rc/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikVL8l1D-Y3feetUE_lgoquWsFxfK1A-pzRSjKME1Z2RA4Pg-kLP6Gc_qFFaiTI-kqdbbpNJX46Uj3JJDxjsJjPVKRQ0rOFWC7MhiqA4wAc5vkZdeabWg3QThbASaX1Qxa9wGtEoU7Rc/s640/DSC_0163.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view down to the river</td></tr>
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We reached Canco at 5pm having decended a total of 2000m from Huambo and after a brief discussion with the locals headed to the <i>aguas calientes</i> (hot springs) in the river! The only access to the springs was via a rope bridge but getting into the hot springs, I say hot springs but perhaps "tepid eddies" is a better description after the day of stress in Huambo followed by the arduous trek was bliss!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKaCJxlpbfbwd2I_nHmXjA1Pxs8lNjVS5_Vynv7qcalsSPVqg7xxpRtoGjmOtiXvyyPzr8KLS6ETtcXgdh7f9ZtdpZLoBlHK4jWwBIkit4fAcpV7jtQQVJzQJsnE7_iejMdY9RiUehi8/s1600/DSC_0237.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKaCJxlpbfbwd2I_nHmXjA1Pxs8lNjVS5_Vynv7qcalsSPVqg7xxpRtoGjmOtiXvyyPzr8KLS6ETtcXgdh7f9ZtdpZLoBlHK4jWwBIkit4fAcpV7jtQQVJzQJsnE7_iejMdY9RiUehi8/s640/DSC_0237.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom bravely crossing the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66eYMwnJ55ZYJWLCL2fKHFhJxTpIfjKAb7crzfpZW_Y8-Lt0LfypO8nNHN8QLxZuXuQXqXvb-s2nnCiDDDl0L8NY2__0BgBC5-q9lGB_lmLsNIqyOj8wTIBAXALAquW6W1hUu9eIM6Zo/s1600/DSC_0239.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66eYMwnJ55ZYJWLCL2fKHFhJxTpIfjKAb7crzfpZW_Y8-Lt0LfypO8nNHN8QLxZuXuQXqXvb-s2nnCiDDDl0L8NY2__0BgBC5-q9lGB_lmLsNIqyOj8wTIBAXALAquW6W1hUu9eIM6Zo/s640/DSC_0239.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quick spot of male bonding in the hotsprings</td></tr>
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Day 4</div>
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After the long couple of days the decision to have a lie in until 8 was made. However we were all woken during the night by rock falls down the face of the cliff on the opposite side of the river. At one point sitting up in the tents we could see sparks flying down as the rocks bounced into the river.</div>
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After a lesuirely start we were on to the clear blue waters of the Colca. The river started with pleasant grade 3 white water through massive cathedral like structures gouged out of the rock walls. After a few kilometers the Rio Mamacocha enters and the warm crystal clear waters and doubles the flow of the river. The rapids now start to pick up and the gorge opens slightly. Here we came across our first big rapid of the trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsZUx4DR77BMmMwlrMg1Onkljd8juiR4EGz8eAXiDWqOljHe0C3T_lVFSdB60YgDGYzf1D5ha8XYICB1Eul3sGMWUyNTcitflRxEUR9AjdU_DBwd1rkuTy4IWxBm496lcbf-VIxoFKIk/s1600/DSC_0353a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsZUx4DR77BMmMwlrMg1Onkljd8juiR4EGz8eAXiDWqOljHe0C3T_lVFSdB60YgDGYzf1D5ha8XYICB1Eul3sGMWUyNTcitflRxEUR9AjdU_DBwd1rkuTy4IWxBm496lcbf-VIxoFKIk/s640/DSC_0353a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom leading the way</td></tr>
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This rapid began with some nice grade 4+ boulder gardens before rounding a corner and forming 3 terminal looking holes up against a huge wall. Not knowing what lay in wait around the corner we all dropped into the first half of the rapid before jumping out to inspect round the corner. No one fancied the questionable line weaving through the huge holes on the second half of the rapid so we had a quick walk followed by lunch!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWNSltnMeo0nQTWR_thopisuq_n8reLG4AyBEUO5GNaw5ucNTIM_otQiUfotuatEolI4PJCJuBs_4txLi26P_aP5eIvzI9eukUbGK5igPKyHVlOLbbbXwODEi-5ga4Pe5AEKmsJH5vmU/s1600/DSC_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWNSltnMeo0nQTWR_thopisuq_n8reLG4AyBEUO5GNaw5ucNTIM_otQiUfotuatEolI4PJCJuBs_4txLi26P_aP5eIvzI9eukUbGK5igPKyHVlOLbbbXwODEi-5ga4Pe5AEKmsJH5vmU/s640/DSC_0264.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team enjoying the first big rapid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPIghaRbgdwz3KtYlejEWdWoelgnvd24zPec8Nn5AknNtLTXpD3ruTiqVHYu3K7YxOKUdLBAkLH6HXl-7f9RciSzGjInaqbHO7_ZL0jdIPmirTRcXdkPF-6IJv1HhJgyq_NgYSj7MHlA/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPIghaRbgdwz3KtYlejEWdWoelgnvd24zPec8Nn5AknNtLTXpD3ruTiqVHYu3K7YxOKUdLBAkLH6HXl-7f9RciSzGjInaqbHO7_ZL0jdIPmirTRcXdkPF-6IJv1HhJgyq_NgYSj7MHlA/s640/DSC_0252.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby charging in</td></tr>
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After lunch the gorge began to steepen up around the river and the rapids became fun read and run grade 4, giving out to some absolute gems within stunning surroundings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2h52ZQwK3j78gZiwbWS_TjNLqQ5xhT1v2OBPLzokQ7wp7l2MrABedREFiUIKOFyBiD_2aL7HSxgKd2ngJT8aA2dN6INZi-bFILQrBzg1_liMGKD2Ro3B7RCtnj54lwxDmvU7q8-Ces0/s1600/IMG_3299a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2h52ZQwK3j78gZiwbWS_TjNLqQ5xhT1v2OBPLzokQ7wp7l2MrABedREFiUIKOFyBiD_2aL7HSxgKd2ngJT8aA2dN6INZi-bFILQrBzg1_liMGKD2Ro3B7RCtnj54lwxDmvU7q8-Ces0/s640/IMG_3299a.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim enjoying the fun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0HrMuxSRrcFKlpQjHfkebDXM5a7iy8bwFCLXk8yNr9Z5hno74eiIIsvKcwFCgLUu-Njudj7JwL65W9dlNZ_cQNjWhJdkHncTKxkpOs_vW1e9mpc0oNjW9qTKipiSI9kG2UNqMt6cz-U/s1600/DSC_0302.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0HrMuxSRrcFKlpQjHfkebDXM5a7iy8bwFCLXk8yNr9Z5hno74eiIIsvKcwFCgLUu-Njudj7JwL65W9dlNZ_cQNjWhJdkHncTKxkpOs_vW1e9mpc0oNjW9qTKipiSI9kG2UNqMt6cz-U/s640/DSC_0302.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam</td></tr>
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The day ended when we found a nice grade 5 where the water dropped between some huge boulders, the left hand side held some slotty mess whereas the right had a nice clean toungue charging into a big curling wave. Alby, Alex and Tim elected to run the rapid in the evening, perhaps to avoid carrying their boats from the campsite in the morning, whilst Adam and Tom saved it for the following morning.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBF6GaUC0nRip-O5rozAmVhHVjIiTAYqP-F_qXHAx-4PW8YgTJ4_vaPy8WeZI18iXHs0IyAeh-i88w6zbH6Lw9aGnukSlDEviAy9aTVbN_BV0saFAKEApxapqbmHIILpybRypcVesuxM/s1600/IMG_3340a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBF6GaUC0nRip-O5rozAmVhHVjIiTAYqP-F_qXHAx-4PW8YgTJ4_vaPy8WeZI18iXHs0IyAeh-i88w6zbH6Lw9aGnukSlDEviAy9aTVbN_BV0saFAKEApxapqbmHIILpybRypcVesuxM/s640/IMG_3340a.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim barrelling down the last rapid of the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaqj4NCEJqdAyu64ofZlfsawa7AJ-iMo1s4PDXs_inKTWREwa9lHpc8rPx1cEQqaNBS60oyN2X3xpqfCdQ7N1xbqLNeNrvC48_LX1PWV7tw2TEK_N-Pd5jRMduMAaXFlLLkis19cU36s/s1600/DSC_0382a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaqj4NCEJqdAyu64ofZlfsawa7AJ-iMo1s4PDXs_inKTWREwa9lHpc8rPx1cEQqaNBS60oyN2X3xpqfCdQ7N1xbqLNeNrvC48_LX1PWV7tw2TEK_N-Pd5jRMduMAaXFlLLkis19cU36s/s640/DSC_0382a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby doing the same</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso14hry24Ctn5rZjkUyH0BBiBfx4K39ylcThPcR0S8z44HmdK1-5GBUNgcommNkh8vaf7sJnqBWQWTzid1Fc8eFhqd3peETVdUop5YmSNH83B_MXJvKhCOQFqFICkfVpUZVIQ-By8JZ4/s1600/IMG_3354a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhso14hry24Ctn5rZjkUyH0BBiBfx4K39ylcThPcR0S8z44HmdK1-5GBUNgcommNkh8vaf7sJnqBWQWTzid1Fc8eFhqd3peETVdUop5YmSNH83B_MXJvKhCOQFqFICkfVpUZVIQ-By8JZ4/s640/IMG_3354a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim savouring a birthday cigar!</td></tr>
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Day 5</div>
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This morning we awoke early to our morning gruel as we still had a lot of ground to cover in the canyon and after yesterday´s late start wanted to crack on. Sliding into the river from the campsite we were to discover a huge landslide had formed a massive grade 5 rapid, it looked fairly recent as there were still smaller pebbles on top of the boulders. After a good hard look and soul search everyone decided it was too early to attempt something this big so boats where shouldered, roped and dragged round.</div>
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Below the big rapid the river continued to give more classic read and run grade 4 for a few kilometers until the canyon opened up and we reached the spectacular condor shower. This is a water fall which crashes down the entire canyon wall, giving off nothing more than a fine spray at river level. We had been told that in the afternoon Condors fly through the spray using it like a shower! Unfortunately none made an apperance whilst we had a chocolate break on the rocks below. Past the condor shower the canyon again gorged up and the rapids came thick and fast. Before long the walls had become a chocolate brown colour and we were deep in the Chocolate Canyon. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex heading away from the siphon!</td></tr>
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We stopped for lunch at a grade 5 rapid, although the line was not the hardest half the flow went under a rock and into a siphon on river right. Because of this only Alex stepped up to run the rapid the rest of us snuck past sheepishly on the bank!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex adding to the excitement of the rapid</td></tr>
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As we continued through the canyon the walls really closed in into a steep sided gorge with the gradient picking up some rapids required bank scouting with everyone making their own desicions on what they wanted to paddle and walk.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A classic steeper rapid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBS5DcdmL2v84i5l7GpmgP3ucMd9mNiwrWLiz4OT8WY4VzT-kElPt3UeE2QucF5rqHc2m33D_wJeJ1KfBFVS_2Gg3nYVgR0tZUioPbtcQqpLELiRhiHXJuJF6taH5wETnWb2ORRBIIzyY/s1600/DSC_0498a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBS5DcdmL2v84i5l7GpmgP3ucMd9mNiwrWLiz4OT8WY4VzT-kElPt3UeE2QucF5rqHc2m33D_wJeJ1KfBFVS_2Gg3nYVgR0tZUioPbtcQqpLELiRhiHXJuJF6taH5wETnWb2ORRBIIzyY/s640/DSC_0498a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam getting his gurn on</td></tr>
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Finally the walls closed into an ominous looking gorge with a corner we could not see around, Adam snuck into an eddy and clambered out onto rocks and peered into the depths of "Reparaz" - the must portage siphon hell at the end of the Chocolate Canyon. Everyone jumped out in the last eddy and we started to pace the boats through the bouldery caves fromed by various landslides across the river.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIuvNTWJK9gVXYfgXFO56UHRnzJIjtJUcAz5Ly1NcmHdI_-hHtRv-xNrov2l3ghH8XzASUQMZTfY6oS4Cb2UvPKMUCxS3AQePCovFyBHvM5g4eRDC9R3EuLnM7Dmns3aRUTd47038l8Y/s1600/DSC_0504.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIuvNTWJK9gVXYfgXFO56UHRnzJIjtJUcAz5Ly1NcmHdI_-hHtRv-xNrov2l3ghH8XzASUQMZTfY6oS4Cb2UvPKMUCxS3AQePCovFyBHvM5g4eRDC9R3EuLnM7Dmns3aRUTd47038l8Y/s640/DSC_0504.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby waiting for the boats</td></tr>
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It took us about an hour to complete the portage and below it we were rewarded with the canyon opening out and soon found a sandy beach to set up camp on. Having been on the water by 8am and only stopping at 5pm this was our longest day on the river and everyone was excited about the dinner of pasta, sausage with tomato sauce!</div>
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Day 6</div>
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This would be our third day on the water and we awoke to find everything covered in dew. The stove was lit and we sat with coffee waiting for the sun to get up and dry out thermals for the day´s adventure. With everything packed away the team was on the water by 9am. After a few kilometers of grade 3 warm up we rounded a corner to discover a steep walled gorge with another ominous horizon line. This was Poles Canyon - eddying out we discovered an unrunable boulder jumble with no way to portage from our current position but a promising looking ledge on the opposite side of the river. A must make ferry to a small eddy on river right and we were underway roping the boats up the vertical cliff to the ledge before carrying them down to an even smaller eddy above an unscoutable must run grade 4 drop.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The portage in full swing</td></tr>
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Unfortunately Tim had an explosive bowel movement midway through the portage and then had a tactical chunder in the eddy above the must run rapid! He made the line and everything was fine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom and Alby enjoy the must run drop at the end of Poles Canyon</td></tr>
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After the portage the gorge again opened up and the river contined with beautiful rapids in stunning scenery down to the confluence with the Río Andamayo. From here down to the take out village of La Central was, for me, some of the best read and run grade 3/4 rapids so far on the trip!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The canyon walls open out</td></tr>
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Arriving in La Central we luckily managed to grab a lift from a cattle wagon from the river bank up to the main road. From there we flagged down a local combi who took us to the larger town of Aplao, 30 minutes drive away, from where we caught a 4 hour bus back to Arequipa.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Peruvian transport with the gringo Kayakistas</td></tr>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-46180078490353753982012-08-10T00:20:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:22:24.441+01:00Rio Cotahuasi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team amongst Inca ruins deep in the canyon</td></tr>
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05/08/12 - 10/08/12 </div>
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The Rio Cotahuasi flows through the deepest canyon in the world and offers a phenomenomal kayaking expedition experience. Great whitewater with historic Inca ruins. From Arequipa the whole trip took us 6 days - 2 days of travelling and 4 days of kayaking.</div>
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Day 1-2</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiReOqluTOldUu4j0Fv3F77mCbnU10SQeWxrKI-Bnntw_i2UP2zC_j0YK4FIvbYMnvD5nTllniwJ2-eBdujxBkLWj-PbD17P5t6G55cxkMuyz2jfw6er3gsacOUXvHybTZl2xjWygIEY/s1600/DSC_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKiReOqluTOldUu4j0Fv3F77mCbnU10SQeWxrKI-Bnntw_i2UP2zC_j0YK4FIvbYMnvD5nTllniwJ2-eBdujxBkLWj-PbD17P5t6G55cxkMuyz2jfw6er3gsacOUXvHybTZl2xjWygIEY/s640/DSC_0290.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We got the interestingly named "Immaculate Conception" bus from Arequipa to the town of Cotahuasi, leaving at 4.30 in the afternoon and arriving a full 12 hours later at 4 in the morning. The boats were not able to come on the same bus as us and had to come on a seperate cargo transport. This created some confusion as Tom´s boat did not arrive with the rest of ours! After a worrying few hours it transpired that his boat was stuck in the Cotahuasi bus depot and we were reunited.<br />
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A few hours sleep in the square and a breakfast of "pan con huevo" later we continued our journey down the valley to the put-on village of Vellinga (where the road ends) in a pick-up truck which we hired in town.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPnYoM11ffGDoKYbDo1ANIe1uNVPqNbPnA4KuTv1KyMXtyej85cSk_GL7zfEbQ2AZh5VVPdTtT2mn027bwNiWd4VvPGfNbrSH8mmjMDZ9HImBp-ROEf9xJkIs1o-bsAX2BDNAoGtEu5M/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPnYoM11ffGDoKYbDo1ANIe1uNVPqNbPnA4KuTv1KyMXtyej85cSk_GL7zfEbQ2AZh5VVPdTtT2mn027bwNiWd4VvPGfNbrSH8mmjMDZ9HImBp-ROEf9xJkIs1o-bsAX2BDNAoGtEu5M/s640/DSC_0040.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayakista tramps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflKafAtySSyj09D1MZeZKEZiCnLMVknma2rbI2uSrOYrw_f8QQhYnd8XvHMol4YRbml5u77jSFfaqVB7oZ5_8qSUSaxJ2DGv8rUpSe021-boPrhiiS5OtQvYpXXD6hcB0Xw9XJnmDqdo/s1600/DSC_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflKafAtySSyj09D1MZeZKEZiCnLMVknma2rbI2uSrOYrw_f8QQhYnd8XvHMol4YRbml5u77jSFfaqVB7oZ5_8qSUSaxJ2DGv8rUpSe021-boPrhiiS5OtQvYpXXD6hcB0Xw9XJnmDqdo/s640/DSC_0049.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby letting the girls in on his little secret</td></tr>
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On the way to Vellinga we made a quick detour to visit the spectacular 150 metre Sipia waterfall.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5t27j_khXhvBSISfOK-R63LQcwweGtdQs-e1JCS1e8fuGjjDSzxwR2WorgJoA0coZXp-W9ADiYXfzita6vL8B8pdCe3ABiptu6aNVl2UfeHigRUGLwX2_Z3Tk96KMM8RKCgLPf57D1fg/s1600/DSC_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5t27j_khXhvBSISfOK-R63LQcwweGtdQs-e1JCS1e8fuGjjDSzxwR2WorgJoA0coZXp-W9ADiYXfzita6vL8B8pdCe3ABiptu6aNVl2UfeHigRUGLwX2_Z3Tk96KMM8RKCgLPf57D1fg/s640/DSC_0099.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contemplating Sipia falls</td></tr>
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Once at Vellinga we carried our boats the 100 metres or so down town to the river. By this time it was 4 o´clock so we paddled a kilometre downstream to find a nice beach to camp for the night.</div>
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Day 3</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UqkrJSwH_fgJ-DToqoowpnqvrcxkUARpuHTtVtq9bGsoTooE1bhP0fvavOL-mY5JfoeBYSlfl_xUwpa2ZVomfMRUS4pinWftzThST_GybJJ1JVqZRNjfiTU2TXIZ6EeIyjaf1vZtK1s/s1600/DSC_0311a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UqkrJSwH_fgJ-DToqoowpnqvrcxkUARpuHTtVtq9bGsoTooE1bhP0fvavOL-mY5JfoeBYSlfl_xUwpa2ZVomfMRUS4pinWftzThST_GybJJ1JVqZRNjfiTU2TXIZ6EeIyjaf1vZtK1s/s640/DSC_0311a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby on a typical Cotahuasi rapid</td></tr>
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A great first day of paddling in which we covered approximately 20 km. The first 5 km started out as grade 3 read and run, progressing to grade 4 read and run later in the day. We inspected and ran a few harder grade 4/4+ rapids. After a lunch of tuna and pittas we paddled the first named rapid - "The Wall" a long rapid against a left hand wall with a tricky boof half way down.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDwBPvWLPHoWE5ef5mJ3wBqVXUYvasU3kHwhFDriEaYDN2oAiAOT78o6_Rx5qjKJZYzZg150w-Zar8E1dz5eqWUrRUDpatfcWBCljrTgRvFMNTWGlORklFdMlh00g_F70J3StV5xekfc/s1600/DSC_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDwBPvWLPHoWE5ef5mJ3wBqVXUYvasU3kHwhFDriEaYDN2oAiAOT78o6_Rx5qjKJZYzZg150w-Zar8E1dz5eqWUrRUDpatfcWBCljrTgRvFMNTWGlORklFdMlh00g_F70J3StV5xekfc/s640/DSC_0144.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex between a rock and a hard place</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz04_ObQu5IxUg26hI4dS2ZWFsK7Zsq-SRWspYD93KXrZILGOCpOGgqmAuK7jxer3_LV6GHC0Zaruxp_73pbSSxxISTP1T07lujMbyUmbeRARfpbJNM0MJOZ15NzBrruAqEDnjxARxx1k/s1600/DSC_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz04_ObQu5IxUg26hI4dS2ZWFsK7Zsq-SRWspYD93KXrZILGOCpOGgqmAuK7jxer3_LV6GHC0Zaruxp_73pbSSxxISTP1T07lujMbyUmbeRARfpbJNM0MJOZ15NzBrruAqEDnjxARxx1k/s640/DSC_0180.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3RmV84OVWk513Lpw1inMSE9zMCRw7G5pKTgPx3klNJumS_UfyT6Gfe0A3EdaHqW-FsWxqhYjufDxmWY3EW5uH0w9TgOu1YoqaI8HYGIjhmfn_86RoSIEo_EDZOD_s-ohy8QmqcHo4qM/s1600/DSC_0319a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3RmV84OVWk513Lpw1inMSE9zMCRw7G5pKTgPx3klNJumS_UfyT6Gfe0A3EdaHqW-FsWxqhYjufDxmWY3EW5uH0w9TgOu1YoqaI8HYGIjhmfn_86RoSIEo_EDZOD_s-ohy8QmqcHo4qM/s640/DSC_0319a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ6rKL8_1rWZGjwybl5ylG6hALEmHa14eUIY4G_kd3m11wrpv1lBgjTbLc9nL6NE5qePiqTccseKkpzDLl1WOqYufKHyZrXSgheBUrpCx1tlRtnllmi9JwQZceCwiIo1cTCGGeTcq_OM/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ6rKL8_1rWZGjwybl5ylG6hALEmHa14eUIY4G_kd3m11wrpv1lBgjTbLc9nL6NE5qePiqTccseKkpzDLl1WOqYufKHyZrXSgheBUrpCx1tlRtnllmi9JwQZceCwiIo1cTCGGeTcq_OM/s640/DSC_0244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmANpec9jBp2Q0yCg1j6YaW3RjX6ZRljUumdPsjEC2h3wXojexHN7j8C8aEQO2QMFbKa8srrFHniCBT2Mevrf081-pENnO1UtZGH547i3q2SVN9_o_Niwsj7wISHXV0AiV8fKCjGygJE/s1600/DSC_0247a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmANpec9jBp2Q0yCg1j6YaW3RjX6ZRljUumdPsjEC2h3wXojexHN7j8C8aEQO2QMFbKa8srrFHniCBT2Mevrf081-pENnO1UtZGH547i3q2SVN9_o_Niwsj7wISHXV0AiV8fKCjGygJE/s640/DSC_0247a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom boofing the "Wall" rapid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaCEHDLpGqhuhoRHYsKNVTmiEAl25EQWaxJzIecG1gpLm1O21_1kOC9Ie1g5g9LIxZViz9PM953QjzmfNpCNSms66h8pKEnMxhftXLRUk6IZdpwImJQd9DzDRHwpU1Be26YFtk0eWHRo/s1600/DSC_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaCEHDLpGqhuhoRHYsKNVTmiEAl25EQWaxJzIecG1gpLm1O21_1kOC9Ie1g5g9LIxZViz9PM953QjzmfNpCNSms66h8pKEnMxhftXLRUk6IZdpwImJQd9DzDRHwpU1Be26YFtk0eWHRo/s640/DSC_0251.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim posing for Typhoon´s next drysuit catalogue at the camp on day3</td></tr>
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We set up camp above a hard grade 5 rapid which none of the team decided
to run and quickly relaxed into the multiday routine of pasta and
sausage in tomato sauce before an early bed at 7 o´clock under the
stars! To save weight we opted to only take the tent inners and leave the pegs, poles and flysheet in Arequipa - this proved to be a good decision as the <i>moscas </i>(flys) were relentless and the night was warm.<br />
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Day 4</div>
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This was the best day of paddling on the trip. The day started with several hours of high quality grade 4/4+ read and run rapids until we reached a long technical rapid called "Marpa". The rapid was perhaps 200m long with a number of must make moves and a sweet boof half way down. Alex and Adam elected to paddle the whole rapid with the rest of the team putting in half way down. The final drop catapulted the paddler into an impressive walled in gorge, which three of the team rolled on!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRxUxmx6ocAHpCXaBarhC_ex79og9WBxh8MQDJQ1JCV9iH8RfCmBmJQLbi5Ujt7gYySKuTL2imIxg31iSzK9xL6U5pkOTgHPWSeo6makscWZXfmhYnaI4ZVbVjYd8hVHUeUcf37A92Ak/s1600/DSC_0265.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRxUxmx6ocAHpCXaBarhC_ex79og9WBxh8MQDJQ1JCV9iH8RfCmBmJQLbi5Ujt7gYySKuTL2imIxg31iSzK9xL6U5pkOTgHPWSeo6makscWZXfmhYnaI4ZVbVjYd8hVHUeUcf37A92Ak/s640/DSC_0265.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam paddling "Marpa" one of the best rapids on the trip</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9BfI1XX_k_hMY55CerYoJlswYLWl0tcKOaV8M-vJ9x1mCxBUHXq_T8TUWabRaYu1efVdNpr-SJiArdCXyiYIVnn98WnclmY8xgRmxv622rkQVgu5LV8Wy8SXiWZhFp999peMGO57-fY/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9BfI1XX_k_hMY55CerYoJlswYLWl0tcKOaV8M-vJ9x1mCxBUHXq_T8TUWabRaYu1efVdNpr-SJiArdCXyiYIVnn98WnclmY8xgRmxv622rkQVgu5LV8Wy8SXiWZhFp999peMGO57-fY/s640/DSC_0274.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex on "Marpa"</td></tr>
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After lunch we reached "Metre Canyon" and "Centimetre Canyon". Each of these rapids are given their name as the river passes through a narrow slot at the end of the rapid. Metre Canyon was particularly impressive as it was lined with ancient Inca ruins which the team had a careful peek at.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR48-eZLBLydWY77uSdgJhwvSBWCNRioetDxoGln642repRwZuBqm79xckoVNSezRODoo0anvqggd-ft02pa_YUw_Ta-gXh-UN30hF_iiXaza7kIgzC6VmOJ9hlTZLVnrjQf3BIGipL6A/s1600/DSC_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR48-eZLBLydWY77uSdgJhwvSBWCNRioetDxoGln642repRwZuBqm79xckoVNSezRODoo0anvqggd-ft02pa_YUw_Ta-gXh-UN30hF_iiXaza7kIgzC6VmOJ9hlTZLVnrjQf3BIGipL6A/s640/DSC_0276.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metre Canyon</td></tr>
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The canyon´s walls started to open out slightly and we began to see sparsley spaced houses with vineyards now growing on the ancient terraces. The wine made from the grapes of the Cotahuasi canyon is a local speciality. A roaring fire fuelled evening was enjoyed before another early night.<br />
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Day 5</div>
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Today was also packed with lots of great grade 4 read and run, with 3 (runnable) portages. We spent a while looking at the rapid called "High side for your life", but in the end decided to walk it. All the portages involved some interesting seal launches back into the river!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsi4c7PGxEsrtJ2vGXrQfZ84sXDcomdHiv1NbZiBd-4AlQ_KCYDQc3ohRwA17KSnk6qFUyDtNF9Ee9vjOvN5pDyaCUATg0p0kQPVKfuk6UicYHDe-7TKWnvNhme1q78uvuLJTwV4zyPg/s1600/DSC_0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsi4c7PGxEsrtJ2vGXrQfZ84sXDcomdHiv1NbZiBd-4AlQ_KCYDQc3ohRwA17KSnk6qFUyDtNF9Ee9vjOvN5pDyaCUATg0p0kQPVKfuk6UicYHDe-7TKWnvNhme1q78uvuLJTwV4zyPg/s640/DSC_0325.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walled in gorges are a feature of the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8YuzALX_FRSR-1Sc3FHHXQ-yJz1rsUGHPIcll6yywn2N0Bcl3FNUuESvZo7JMh1HcHpG7tPZ857mbKxnXiaxs_Hjy32jAOln6_TlrS9jqbm27wP4BQM9oK4OR8CEr30fVoSwiThay5I/s1600/DSC_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8YuzALX_FRSR-1Sc3FHHXQ-yJz1rsUGHPIcll6yywn2N0Bcl3FNUuESvZo7JMh1HcHpG7tPZ857mbKxnXiaxs_Hjy32jAOln6_TlrS9jqbm27wP4BQM9oK4OR8CEr30fVoSwiThay5I/s640/DSC_0319.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High side for your life<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At lunch time we
reached the confluence with the Rio Maran which signalled the end of the
seroius whitewater. Ahead of us lay 70 km of grade 2-3 on the Rio Ocoña to the take-out
town of Iquipi. Here we faced a strong head wind blowing up the valley,
which made the paddling particularly arduous.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JeTmbgbbmmrIiCYc_-MiwWiiQJw2GVjwdGh_0YniO99YocpafijfOCWdLKiBvnyUVvcIbjVq-GkCtZ8TdPU_dJWUPb5Xf4l8tXsaFSrXqI3sWsV2t62hU31LoYEMxvnCbTtGFtsoEX4/s1600/DSC_0331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JeTmbgbbmmrIiCYc_-MiwWiiQJw2GVjwdGh_0YniO99YocpafijfOCWdLKiBvnyUVvcIbjVq-GkCtZ8TdPU_dJWUPb5Xf4l8tXsaFSrXqI3sWsV2t62hU31LoYEMxvnCbTtGFtsoEX4/s640/DSC_0331.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The confluence with the Rio Maran</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSdOqQHtz-LlPpzd1_fZbpJIGtCpPR_XoZyXScMsoGdsWq8LrLsq592D1m0MXtUGFWX0a2HQEaoSxo7LMV6G9mIhgqL9Jf0Sqv9FYciZDcSCCEkchaMDNEdtE6FX9cPUfbpRzOVzdQ10/s1600/DSC_0335.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSdOqQHtz-LlPpzd1_fZbpJIGtCpPR_XoZyXScMsoGdsWq8LrLsq592D1m0MXtUGFWX0a2HQEaoSxo7LMV6G9mIhgqL9Jf0Sqv9FYciZDcSCCEkchaMDNEdtE6FX9cPUfbpRzOVzdQ10/s640/DSC_0335.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final camp on the banks of the Ocoña</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Day 6</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
A full day of paddling and a 1km walk out across farmers fields saw us reach the small fishing town of Iquipi mid afternoon. We travelled the bumpy road along the remainder of the valley to Camana in a local bus which took us 4 hours. After some time was spent hunting down a bus to Arequipa we ended up getting a ride in a brand new Mercedes Sprinter still with the new car smell and an owner who fancied making a quick buck. With boats and all stuffed in we made it back to Arequipa at 3am!</div>
</div>
Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-25932192780214442392012-08-03T23:23:00.000+01:002012-10-05T23:21:15.249+01:00Rio Chili<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dKJqFKcckmx-nCjt_WTkjdEdRSLwv4r9H04Iub7q0XaJ-Pj38Tw6ok9vw-GaEXVuAjk1EMeIMqmMfgBA6vWabFg1rPMQqMzb6Nk61A31AaPQvoQzbB9A1o8gk7IwvIbaxpc-fEsyFf0/s1600/DSC_0284.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dKJqFKcckmx-nCjt_WTkjdEdRSLwv4r9H04Iub7q0XaJ-Pj38Tw6ok9vw-GaEXVuAjk1EMeIMqmMfgBA6vWabFg1rPMQqMzb6Nk61A31AaPQvoQzbB9A1o8gk7IwvIbaxpc-fEsyFf0/s640/DSC_0284.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they thought it couldn´t be done</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
03/08/12 <br />
<br />
After the excitement of the Chilca section of the Urubamba it was time to say goodbye to Derfogail who was flying home to the UK. After one last day in Cusco (spent like all proper rest days - eating) Adam, Alex, Alby and Tom caught the bus to Arequipa. Much ticket faff and a glorious eight hours on the bus later we found ourselves in Perus second city.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Tim planned to meet the team in Arequipa flying from London via Madrid and Lima. Luckily he managed to blag his kit and boat onto all three planes. Despite his strict instructions to meet him at the airport Tom and Adam managed to turn up late, leaving Tim to make his own way to the hostel (ooops).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQgC5pQRHN0HQ530rojiJa3BGsTTB0L5pCd97jmAEf1FlW5wNfjIM_nKzinf-y-u2eGmT7ap-xF0U8AwCphkf2Eb1yM1fF2FB8QcH8VVCFePfqHLla-H1dNt4_JQkMitUbzyNEq8wBlQ/s1600/IMG_3086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQgC5pQRHN0HQ530rojiJa3BGsTTB0L5pCd97jmAEf1FlW5wNfjIM_nKzinf-y-u2eGmT7ap-xF0U8AwCphkf2Eb1yM1fF2FB8QcH8VVCFePfqHLla-H1dNt4_JQkMitUbzyNEq8wBlQ/s640/IMG_3086.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
With all five kayakers reunited it was time to take on a new river, the Rio Chili. Tim was given a generous 12 hours to recover from his epic journey and then shoved onto what turned out to be a beautiful class 3/4 river on the outskirts of the city. After spending hours travelling all over Peru it was fantastic to be able to paddle a river that was only half an hours drive from the hostel.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61SGzWiW-aVLqdQEAudQBsck3kvMur4Qd5_BB-06UKL9ylWxAx9vMayG5oyKaKJjQ2FgWeTp1SBFMzF_oL_Ne7Lrzd17ykj-8WrlampghsuVAjjTSpZceMCIsJerJibRkLT1JIlJZlGY/s1600/DSC_0287a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61SGzWiW-aVLqdQEAudQBsck3kvMur4Qd5_BB-06UKL9ylWxAx9vMayG5oyKaKJjQ2FgWeTp1SBFMzF_oL_Ne7Lrzd17ykj-8WrlampghsuVAjjTSpZceMCIsJerJibRkLT1JIlJZlGY/s640/DSC_0287a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel watches Alex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn56MaSdFhftnVSw_wbg8xMmRIo3430SpfLi7MsNTSnL3weFlKvWusmef0t2x6wvKCZM42GV7EvyMycVFnAintKN5yBL9Lq8Na7wbuBMBGQvALPBQzOMfhzDefvM3a__fTMr26OVSynQ/s1600/DSC_0285a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn56MaSdFhftnVSw_wbg8xMmRIo3430SpfLi7MsNTSnL3weFlKvWusmef0t2x6wvKCZM42GV7EvyMycVFnAintKN5yBL9Lq8Na7wbuBMBGQvALPBQzOMfhzDefvM3a__fTMr26OVSynQ/s640/DSC_0285a.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Against local advice Alex went skins!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv3ocCVZNN6qrOyzd2hM7OEl-XbbDUda81HGiQDbmDqE5l7PRpVyvmw9TLYc-hbWJ3RT_gnimgc0W4CT7UVN07gesWHpdL4Ipdpqek32WM0Mki-SiFpJk0LaOqEAjBXa4uTU7i3adH-M/s1600/IMG_3115.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv3ocCVZNN6qrOyzd2hM7OEl-XbbDUda81HGiQDbmDqE5l7PRpVyvmw9TLYc-hbWJ3RT_gnimgc0W4CT7UVN07gesWHpdL4Ipdpqek32WM0Mki-SiFpJk0LaOqEAjBXa4uTU7i3adH-M/s640/IMG_3115.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We ran the river with Daniel of Expedicionas y Adventuras and a couple of his rafts. It was a great 2 hour run, and a nice change to feel relaxed on the river after the more challenging Chilca. We ran this river on two consecutive days. Next stop, Rio Cotahuasi!</span></div>
Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14670872407632312014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-81587761713145129902012-07-30T20:00:00.000+01:002012-08-01T00:55:03.702+01:00Rio Urubamba - Chilca section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4cPLDqgIOouYb2g06_P2aOIVIVh9wYf2Z6sPKglNQtvHW7KZNOmnIiAyHWZkkoJvIJJc_1Rj9bwKKY9sL8tcwOMAPKjJLH32nW549YRjqyA0OZ9GIwsMg5ce5GCJJPO6Spbqtde5tVE/s1600/DSC_0251b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4cPLDqgIOouYb2g06_P2aOIVIVh9wYf2Z6sPKglNQtvHW7KZNOmnIiAyHWZkkoJvIJJc_1Rj9bwKKY9sL8tcwOMAPKjJLH32nW549YRjqyA0OZ9GIwsMg5ce5GCJJPO6Spbqtde5tVE/s640/DSC_0251b.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tom and Alby's Grade 5 warm-up</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30/07/12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the advice of local kayakista Julio, the team ventured to the Chilca section of the Urubamba, the river which runs alongside Macchu Picchu and through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There was no time to admire the ancient archealogy and vistas however as the river promptly served up a rock hard portion of Grade 5. This is without doubt the hardest river we have run so far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Putting on in the rain, the river rapidly became essentially a single long Grade 5 rapid with small and difficult must-make eddies. We had fun paddling some very hard rapids and stood in awe as Julio ran a very long, very challenging 5+.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHKvJVS9IGHLyH0lkenBVQU0twMRArcY4LZ7nHbPKLLf3OnsBhJxhzH4udMj_K2KrkiHVy_aHO0r8gUefVx56AHjthu8f_FzIeE85XW34fJ5mBUtlSIMt1wVgGyKuuLQjW9833NKNqb0/s640/DSC_0257a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Julio shows us why he's the boss</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHKvJVS9IGHLyH0lkenBVQU0twMRArcY4LZ7nHbPKLLf3OnsBhJxhzH4udMj_K2KrkiHVy_aHO0r8gUefVx56AHjthu8f_FzIeE85XW34fJ5mBUtlSIMt1wVgGyKuuLQjW9833NKNqb0/s1600/DSC_0257a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gkhiavqChbWGZ3OIXso0WuwxkNpfI7GbEB2276IVXQ2J07gboAO_bRI4G9-cYvcDXBXJj8cNuFotcNJGKZae0bMBpdIBwh95K_ZyxengY10RQf3leYfOF2KdjIftKDWZc-GUwaBELUg/s640/DSC_0275a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And again</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gkhiavqChbWGZ3OIXso0WuwxkNpfI7GbEB2276IVXQ2J07gboAO_bRI4G9-cYvcDXBXJj8cNuFotcNJGKZae0bMBpdIBwh95K_ZyxengY10RQf3leYfOF2KdjIftKDWZc-GUwaBELUg/s1600/DSC_0275a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DVM_GzvaaraLURN1PBUZ6dtsJSzoEiAe-z42gyhS_0u_JTEl21FDti8jKFzlIorQS_O-YXT0yTkWU1DkbB1uEphcKPUGmWi1RejpUXpJ_1yzEYdgJcCNsZQgUkFgt3cYC5o8-y-w9tk/s640/DSC_0282a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And again</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DVM_GzvaaraLURN1PBUZ6dtsJSzoEiAe-z42gyhS_0u_JTEl21FDti8jKFzlIorQS_O-YXT0yTkWU1DkbB1uEphcKPUGmWi1RejpUXpJ_1yzEYdgJcCNsZQgUkFgt3cYC5o8-y-w9tk/s1600/DSC_0282a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Challenges of all forms struck, as Alex broke his temporary split paddles twice (both times in the midst) and Adam took a refreshing swim. With the odds mounting we were forced to make a heinous, steep portage off the river.</span>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-16646391663379300912012-07-28T21:22:00.000+01:002012-09-20T16:41:45.888+01:00Rio Apurimac - Commercial Section<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN7LvfR3Hmv3Ai36PKNu5bIvJYXjeRtyvUenLUUNgUbFBrgeecMnN9FVBym2EEcXhsizoq676dr1l5C_zYk1JmiYE92kWI4ho8vjIgHpzsP1WXWhv-BI_H03tS8ukmaY1Fkt3BbEwE_w/s1600/DSC_0433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN7LvfR3Hmv3Ai36PKNu5bIvJYXjeRtyvUenLUUNgUbFBrgeecMnN9FVBym2EEcXhsizoq676dr1l5C_zYk1JmiYE92kWI4ho8vjIgHpzsP1WXWhv-BI_H03tS8ukmaY1Fkt3BbEwE_w/s640/DSC_0433.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alby Paddles 'Purgatory'</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHFynRZHzYsJd50g99NwLwLOu0V7HCg7PPiJekBGDkrv8uBX8K1A0mvY80QQ7JTfiI3vklPmLRp3Dqru-ci9swwFGHAyscZKvGP91BdkkZfuCoYr8m3liE9IxZUBIExzb6qqDruLzokU/s1600/DSC_0870a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHFynRZHzYsJd50g99NwLwLOu0V7HCg7PPiJekBGDkrv8uBX8K1A0mvY80QQ7JTfiI3vklPmLRp3Dqru-ci9swwFGHAyscZKvGP91BdkkZfuCoYr8m3liE9IxZUBIExzb6qqDruLzokU/s640/DSC_0870a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom paddling 'Moyla'</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">28/07/12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a couple of rest days in Cuzco, with some long sleeps and salsa lessons, the team arranged to return to the Apurimac to complete the final section. In trying to find someone capable of removing Derf's boat from the tricky pin we spoke to many of the rafting companies and met Julio, a local kayakista and raft guide, who offered to help us find transport for the run and accompany us down the river. The commercial section is around 40km long and takes most rafting companies 3 days to complete - again we have heard that in a kayak it is more than do-able in a day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As arranged, the taxi arrived at the hostel at 3am to pick us up. Unfortunately due to an eventful night of gastric distress neither Tom nor Alex could face the river, leaving Alby, Adam and Julio to tackle the beast alone. Four hours later we arrived back at the river and put on just under the bridge we had taken out from a few days previously.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF8A9h7V5JiNZUuCQD6Bc8FAJN7UBwuz_ZdvFaPOj7C0Q69a08I2btzVS9TSFoJZ_bPYVYjSDC-cTxz66BTsXXSjwVrBejWPGhr_wfYkwZVaaYOOVUrt4ObRZrl2R-dXnfH37jQ68uhQ/s1600/P7280446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF8A9h7V5JiNZUuCQD6Bc8FAJN7UBwuz_ZdvFaPOj7C0Q69a08I2btzVS9TSFoJZ_bPYVYjSDC-cTxz66BTsXXSjwVrBejWPGhr_wfYkwZVaaYOOVUrt4ObRZrl2R-dXnfH37jQ68uhQ/s640/P7280446.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam and Julio at the bottom of "Purgatory"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The river threw us continuous grade 4+ rapids from the start but with Julio to show us the lines made it to the first (aptly) named rapid "portage" in record time. After a swift portage around the grade 5 siphon garden we continued down the river with few inspections and some great lines provided by Julio's boss-like memory. Paddling with such a skilled kayaker who knows the river like the back of his hand was a great experience and meant we finished the section in less than 7 hours! A great days paddling enjoyed by all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We paddled this section of the Apurimac a total of 3 times on different occasions, joined by the whole team!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YDAISamRse8FD5mr4IwZoNFlCjIqS63NS5fOquU8ZWxrDShIVYgE-KZLNwLn4-aESPTmshcO-lXFJYXbnCieKiLa_GOnFLNbuCIiIkWJVM4-wMcWPERxUuvS57mbE7JaL1pXeY6TAlM/s1600/P7280461.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YDAISamRse8FD5mr4IwZoNFlCjIqS63NS5fOquU8ZWxrDShIVYgE-KZLNwLn4-aESPTmshcO-lXFJYXbnCieKiLa_GOnFLNbuCIiIkWJVM4-wMcWPERxUuvS57mbE7JaL1pXeY6TAlM/s640/P7280461.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alby and Adam paddle into the canyon</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjYE9_LpsY75iYKWoZtSSs7zFGgZkPBPPMKIjZ3CEnYuigFDWZuw-3kO4_V3aGKBQizApgVmO2NcWF0Vx6cpOR9hu2gb1eTqRneSCo3Go1uIJkrF8cD6Tfg_peRs0sPJgiLf6rMPn_xk/s1600/P7280454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjYE9_LpsY75iYKWoZtSSs7zFGgZkPBPPMKIjZ3CEnYuigFDWZuw-3kO4_V3aGKBQizApgVmO2NcWF0Vx6cpOR9hu2gb1eTqRneSCo3Go1uIJkrF8cD6Tfg_peRs0sPJgiLf6rMPn_xk/s640/P7280454.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam drops into "You first"</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LBmNT1pqY7zMuZor3b5ToOQLCKERXheDLWXqbpifdQgxCqL6PCJYcvhLjhoPnrxmN8Q_PhCdqK0tS3vN_tkcyi1PExuCv4DslRl6JLpw5B8sDXySLtdrIjgqTDewTHD-KvAXCYvUAdY/s1600/P7280467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LBmNT1pqY7zMuZor3b5ToOQLCKERXheDLWXqbpifdQgxCqL6PCJYcvhLjhoPnrxmN8Q_PhCdqK0tS3vN_tkcyi1PExuCv4DslRl6JLpw5B8sDXySLtdrIjgqTDewTHD-KvAXCYvUAdY/s640/P7280467.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alby enjoying "The last laugh"</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNPJInnJUFRc7Y5jjZbsQtX4WEqVlbthxFojTnqLZaSqQLsVJh_WuBpccSHC0nhcRnLwyEyVc9n30WNxjx9V3lSfQOTXxYj7srgBGkSfPwEtd70Ck4hvvhIno3kjO3soPmnaYYtvrK6o/s1600/P7280464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNPJInnJUFRc7Y5jjZbsQtX4WEqVlbthxFojTnqLZaSqQLsVJh_WuBpccSHC0nhcRnLwyEyVc9n30WNxjx9V3lSfQOTXxYj7srgBGkSfPwEtd70Ck4hvvhIno3kjO3soPmnaYYtvrK6o/s640/P7280464.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam punching the same hole</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-42755467406717318102012-07-24T20:36:00.000+01:002012-08-21T22:18:04.408+01:00Rio Apurimac - Black Canyon Section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb1OkzzSZwaBqVnowh9JfwG4jrefpaL38LO9SKy_g9faA93OOH4azT2Oco9QVFwXi9nio5MERZ6WFtmAI9rikZDLsKHth2itH7NLpyUTQBQanj10ufIFko-WxoljfQic8NT6WeOYa2Fg/s1600/DSC_0223a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb1OkzzSZwaBqVnowh9JfwG4jrefpaL38LO9SKy_g9faA93OOH4azT2Oco9QVFwXi9nio5MERZ6WFtmAI9rikZDLsKHth2itH7NLpyUTQBQanj10ufIFko-WxoljfQic8NT6WeOYa2Fg/s640/DSC_0223a.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam enjoys a dynamic breakfast</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">23/07/12 - 24/07/12</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a day of rest in Nayhua topping up our food supplies, enjoying an evening beer by the camp fire (the first ever multiday with beer?) and bidding farewell to Derf the remainder of the team embarked on the Black Canyon section of the Apurimac. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The canyon owes its name to the dark rock of the surrounding mountains and lack of sunlight the gorge experiences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This infrequently rafted section starts at Nayhua and follows the river through an amazing gorge for 60km until the get out bridge Puente Hualpachaca. By raft the section takes 3 days however we predicted it should take us no longer than one and a half days in our kayaks. The commercially rafted section of the Apurimac lies directly beneath the Black Canyon section and we planned to continue on the river and paddle the whole lot in one go.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5eynC1npHdZHyNIhJmbZhDhCZenXftgiGxJPb5f4DcFV8EtMBy2iC08REMkZItXZQW88ZZsTDltexnNsgrkRKkgrAumPJgpimbiR6bXgprQaN2f_ruNaAVXNYmIh97qSw-3DsFMlwsA/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5eynC1npHdZHyNIhJmbZhDhCZenXftgiGxJPb5f4DcFV8EtMBy2iC08REMkZItXZQW88ZZsTDltexnNsgrkRKkgrAumPJgpimbiR6bXgprQaN2f_ruNaAVXNYmIh97qSw-3DsFMlwsA/s640/IMG_0220.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bustling metropolis of Nayhua</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8stpoK16Pgm_UWyR6fCl3ekGVG-phrPKptJML7dcCbTzRVTnZQ5qu7FY0WcQxbUgIxk8Y9Ne1G7R3h40szrOi3GYFmdkDk5FjJRCe_NWCNE582JhZhRI8IRIdjcJlxm7BJVM4PY1Hig/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8stpoK16Pgm_UWyR6fCl3ekGVG-phrPKptJML7dcCbTzRVTnZQ5qu7FY0WcQxbUgIxk8Y9Ne1G7R3h40szrOi3GYFmdkDk5FjJRCe_NWCNE582JhZhRI8IRIdjcJlxm7BJVM4PY1Hig/s640/IMG_0233.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The team puts their degrees to use: Innovative tent solutions due to the loss of poles and pegs</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first rapid of the day, dubbed "breakfast rapid" was perhaps one of the best - a clean bouncy grade 4 to get the team buzzing. The rapids (mostly grade 4 read-and-run) continued to provide us with a good amount of entertainment for the first 10km including only one portage which with what Adam could only describe as a "difficult and heroic boof" could be run. The gradient slowly began to level off and with only one stop for lunch we continued to a nice beach about 30km downstream where we set up camp. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately due to the loss of the
water filter the team were subject to river water boiled in the sardine
pan which, when enjoyed luke warm, prompted a disgusting fishy acid
reflux.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd392lnvzutGW1FQXrKmi9e5yBPKUG1PbrFGvauYCweg9tVOzf-hBuEyk82DWKfiiCyFZxnoFPI8jzE65P22pT29IRGOCrZbHa2syVa7bOa86boA6pGkrlf42ad_4CqqvN31rnKE7KNxc/s1600/DSC_0228a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd392lnvzutGW1FQXrKmi9e5yBPKUG1PbrFGvauYCweg9tVOzf-hBuEyk82DWKfiiCyFZxnoFPI8jzE65P22pT29IRGOCrZbHa2syVa7bOa86boA6pGkrlf42ad_4CqqvN31rnKE7KNxc/s640/DSC_0228a.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tom balls deep</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQavqOAhAzN_avz2DYeVYUmztPXlZQf5yau3PG5DCVOJClWAfTHgmqkpqGJHWyRxW-i6bRQ9ouhYMMM2DhHyhaYkNj6UvlbybxLZUITMziN16EDosys6pOrmC5SZXb4amnL2yD2u9EzBY/s1600/DSC_0235a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQavqOAhAzN_avz2DYeVYUmztPXlZQf5yau3PG5DCVOJClWAfTHgmqkpqGJHWyRxW-i6bRQ9ouhYMMM2DhHyhaYkNj6UvlbybxLZUITMziN16EDosys6pOrmC5SZXb4amnL2yD2u9EzBY/s640/DSC_0235a.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex pounding the meat</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 2 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately both Tom and Alex had picked up some river bug from the day before and were not feeling their best, the perfect conditions for finishing off a committing grade 4 run. The breakfast rapid today provided us with less amusement than the day before - Adam and Alby reached the eddy at the bottom from where they watched both Tom and Alex drop into a sticky hole following a large pourover. After a couple of back loops and some intense side surfing mania swims ensued and a swift rescue was complete, all that was left to do was find the boats and paddles. An hour of chase boating and Adam and Alby managed to retreive both boats and but only one set of blades. The group was reunited and continued down the river to enjoy (Adam and Alby) and simultaneously paddle and vomit (Alex) down the remainder of the grade 3-4 rapids.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ5Xk0K6V4Qns-MPL-33fT66lE6KOxZhnnI17QtkFYHgRVa1k5E3WbER-Xhn2ApBPjPAexIbHpZMBnQMrHTSC9HLRvH3tGdNDmUCZ0gixi79Vr6K_yh12ynqwYcOvGqJSojHQAuRG8Bo/s1600/P7230384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ5Xk0K6V4Qns-MPL-33fT66lE6KOxZhnnI17QtkFYHgRVa1k5E3WbER-Xhn2ApBPjPAexIbHpZMBnQMrHTSC9HLRvH3tGdNDmUCZ0gixi79Vr6K_yh12ynqwYcOvGqJSojHQAuRG8Bo/s640/P7230384.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Black canyon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On reaching the Puente Hualpachaca, the get out for the Black Canyon section, we decided to abandon our plan to continue down the Apurimac due to episodes of violent vomitting and the lack of toilet páper. A rough night camping by the bridge later and we managed to catch a cattle truck back to Cusco - a mixed 6 hour journey across an amazing Andean landscape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIRdZmQgttmMBj2bzdZJx682quONT9mWRgiL6BvI5xw0Y_HtAh-z2fB_5VTiYbooZrjf2wISxzqoNRWyjbmAXF9jJqcLrzVAlAP2E7b9PJUzJTLamIgWonwe4a0U84rofa7LIa4-JjaI/s1600/P7250399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIRdZmQgttmMBj2bzdZJx682quONT9mWRgiL6BvI5xw0Y_HtAh-z2fB_5VTiYbooZrjf2wISxzqoNRWyjbmAXF9jJqcLrzVAlAP2E7b9PJUzJTLamIgWonwe4a0U84rofa7LIa4-JjaI/s640/P7250399.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grim return journey in a cattle truck</span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-26738714201955788642012-07-20T00:45:00.000+01:002012-08-22T00:07:50.483+01:00Rio Apurimac - Upper Section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsgGFTETwE9WBtbxswVoIYjAVgB_Snu5zNz6MdnI82aR_bTW16ZS0IfnhycRFgUwq3qdkrTd5WgYBkt24wYITmrIBta1CuVlHVWKCYjJBi9IWeLXWnMt98Qa9JNOjVg1fV8zJRJ68rn0/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsgGFTETwE9WBtbxswVoIYjAVgB_Snu5zNz6MdnI82aR_bTW16ZS0IfnhycRFgUwq3qdkrTd5WgYBkt24wYITmrIBta1CuVlHVWKCYjJBi9IWeLXWnMt98Qa9JNOjVg1fV8zJRJ68rn0/s640/IMG_0179.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam leading the charge down one of the first rapids of the section</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">20/07/12 - 22/07/12</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Upper Apurimac is an intense 7km section of grade 5 that is paddled from the villages of Tincoc to Nayhua. The trip took us two days and to say that our descent was an epic would be an understatement!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 1 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Tincoc, the river is initially flat before rounding a bend where the gradient rises sharply. Rapids are formed around and over huge boulders, with long and complex lines and the constant hazard of siphons- we inspected every rapid and set safety, our efforts were rewarded with some amazing lines and aesthetic moves in this kayaking game of chess.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnnIUdWobvQ_3IUSvhl1Gb1OstCM2mu6caGIqa5v2kBe7ij5o92vBfQ0vucO4-1FOA5yM1swBEEPBlb5LhvhSuyDrSbY1QIFbAqKgR5QXpTfJgdQuri8XmeQjDQHawxxt49wvOhMDpKY/s1600/P7200349a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnnIUdWobvQ_3IUSvhl1Gb1OstCM2mu6caGIqa5v2kBe7ij5o92vBfQ0vucO4-1FOA5yM1swBEEPBlb5LhvhSuyDrSbY1QIFbAqKgR5QXpTfJgdQuri8XmeQjDQHawxxt49wvOhMDpKY/s640/P7200349a.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A clean boof move</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvufT_dNGpSzasWrzGb_dWD2Tii68m_3U32T9r2rzv_VU2LrUkeXZ-DYXp3obtAxKHdUm-AeLLJbsohofujMcqf4-FdodnsOQRS-yXKxzvSgK9M5cGQyh3QP8CRznYZCCfzsd-su3Olms/s1600/IMG_0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvufT_dNGpSzasWrzGb_dWD2Tii68m_3U32T9r2rzv_VU2LrUkeXZ-DYXp3obtAxKHdUm-AeLLJbsohofujMcqf4-FdodnsOQRS-yXKxzvSgK9M5cGQyh3QP8CRznYZCCfzsd-su3Olms/s640/IMG_0189.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tom lining up</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7laKL6e81Oz5EgUZmseki4HfNQedH3JXBDxdJlAxsov6isdlXuGsR1ejN7snLOra_pla6ONVivjD9X-k4X6zQnJ8aAyN4MyPiwXNY9qhBFjZzFtAOBTCqjVBSc_UsQ-LSHj4anQWBYJQ/s1600/482014_210671335728554_572088418_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7laKL6e81Oz5EgUZmseki4HfNQedH3JXBDxdJlAxsov6isdlXuGsR1ejN7snLOra_pla6ONVivjD9X-k4X6zQnJ8aAyN4MyPiwXNY9qhBFjZzFtAOBTCqjVBSc_UsQ-LSHj4anQWBYJQ/s640/482014_210671335728554_572088418_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> At the end of day 1 we were buzzing. We had paddled a series of great grade 5 rapids with no portages. The final rapid of the day stands out as particularly rewarding. A long 300-400 metres grade 5 with a complex set of moves around huge boulders. We have some good video of this rapid which we will put together back in the UK.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnrEbiJZAY0idDG5-1gawBQm9ftC9DqdzeB20iP4V5Q80HngEk1tmzxKlxqxcsCYWVpX6KviiYOe3WFhnzpYJFiYmQpHujauwWEwGVrlXHvVNqfnB6iWTK0CIbKRQaeLp56X-Bilu0jU/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnrEbiJZAY0idDG5-1gawBQm9ftC9DqdzeB20iP4V5Q80HngEk1tmzxKlxqxcsCYWVpX6KviiYOe3WFhnzpYJFiYmQpHujauwWEwGVrlXHvVNqfnB6iWTK0CIbKRQaeLp56X-Bilu0jU/s640/DSC_0208.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Camp</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 2 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 2 was to turn out to be a more nerve-racking affair to say the least. We began by making a grueling portage around a messy bouldery rapid, which is possibly paddleable, but non of us fancied it. Unfortunately on the next rapid Derf swam, and despite being quickly rescued her boat sailed off to be pinned 500 metres downstream. The extraction of the boat involved Derf live baiting to a rock in the centre of the river and then hauling the boat out from the pin. Some photos below show the difficulty of the boat extraction.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Derf being live baited to her boat</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4lFCQQAo4fIbq9Q6SMqR1vUfAPR6QVVtkrOHBKrOFwQNtJJunKG2FW9Dail-YvEu3xRtDSD29nsQV8wW_aeUMVWiJD_j14SeIU5D7QbUonREIJstH-5OHhaLgbbaBOoRoHdkgTjcwOM/s1600/IMG_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4lFCQQAo4fIbq9Q6SMqR1vUfAPR6QVVtkrOHBKrOFwQNtJJunKG2FW9Dail-YvEu3xRtDSD29nsQV8wW_aeUMVWiJD_j14SeIU5D7QbUonREIJstH-5OHhaLgbbaBOoRoHdkgTjcwOM/s640/IMG_0200.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many ropes!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continued down the river with several more good rapids, but with two more portages that were physically very demanding. By this point the team was very tired, even though the end was almost in sight only 2 km away. Sadly Derf had another swim, and whilst she made it to the bank safely, we chased her boat for about a km down some read and run grade 4 / 4+ but we couldn´t retrieve the boat before it became pinned in the middle of the river above a grade 5 drop. At this point the river was 60-70 metres wide. With the boat in the middle of the river, there was no easy way for us to get to it. We decided to set up camp and have another look in the morning. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuR2Ejk6rkBEznUUt0bqJ-hrbCbrrnOGITN_73-bVFJYh0RgdZKA1GdtFfZKdTIttXTydEw6FNOB6oPragtGSBlJ8U2b3IMFfSdJ2NjrWz7ICRVcTUfPYCCNtkHGcmtafrJSe2vpCkmc/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuR2Ejk6rkBEznUUt0bqJ-hrbCbrrnOGITN_73-bVFJYh0RgdZKA1GdtFfZKdTIttXTydEw6FNOB6oPragtGSBlJ8U2b3IMFfSdJ2NjrWz7ICRVcTUfPYCCNtkHGcmtafrJSe2vpCkmc/s640/IMG_0212.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tricky pin</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 3 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Due to the width of the river at this point it was not possible to live bait a person to the boat. The only option was a tricky break-out and ferry glide above the main drop to get to a small rock where one could potentially clamber onto the rock and try to attach a line to the pinned boat. We elected to leave the boat and Derf made her way back to Cusco, in the hope that we might come back to retrieve it some time soon! </span></div>
Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-13275553407629039232012-07-18T21:01:00.000+01:002012-08-21T22:21:00.126+01:00Rio Velille<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">18/07/12 - 19/07/12</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took us two days to make the long trip from the Pozuzo valley back to Lima in what was quite an efficient journey. Once in Lima phase two of our trip was put into action as we booked tickets for the bus to Cusco and got all the maps we needed from the <i>Instituto Geographico Nacional</i> in Lima. The bus took 22 hours and we were soon in Cusco for the second leg of our trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Put on bridge at Occotuna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Velille is a tributary of the Apurimac and to our knowledge only several kilometres of the upper stretches had been previously paddled. The information we had suggested that the part of the river that had been previously paddled was similar in nature to the Apurimac, but at lower volume. Fresh from the success of our first descent on the Mallampampa our plan was to run the 15 km stretch from the village of Occatuna to the confluence with Apurimac, completing this first descent. From here we would continue down the Apurimac.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking down into the canyon of the Velille</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 1 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After studying the map we calculated that the river dropped 20 m/km over the 15 km. One 4 hour bus ride from Cusco to Accha and a half hour taxi ride to the river and we daringly put on. The first couple of km were read and run grade 4, but soon enough we encountered a large landlslide that had fallen into the river. Several hours of walking over huge boulders revealed half a km of unpaddleable boulder chokes and siphons. Before attempting this mammoth portage we decided to scout a further km or so down the river to see what was in store. Suddenly the river chaged character and entered an almost sheer sided gorge. This posed a real problem for us as we did not know what rapids lay down stream within the gorge. Once in, there would be little chance of walking out of the gorge if we came to an unpaddleable rapid. It appears that the gorge lasts for above 7 km before opening back out again. Due to the landslides that we encountered before the gorge and the possibility of further unknown landslides within the gorge we decided not to carry on with the river and turn back. This was to be an arduous task in its own right.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Entrance to the 7km gorge</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex walking back after the landslide rapid inspection</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-pvomtfHrYA9qBN69jOUuA8iHueUhbVkLoc5hHnH8W1Csif-kL-2DXnW1GLT0U87uq3N6-6HFY2Z0YCgXURaLBDaRm2ryGjwPwo8JYTEnethgGFL6M7ZEURyE1Aq-BCo2NLDf05BH4I/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-pvomtfHrYA9qBN69jOUuA8iHueUhbVkLoc5hHnH8W1Csif-kL-2DXnW1GLT0U87uq3N6-6HFY2Z0YCgXURaLBDaRm2ryGjwPwo8JYTEnethgGFL6M7ZEURyE1Aq-BCo2NLDf05BH4I/s640/DSC_0200.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alby paddling back up river to exit the canyon!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 2 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We camped the night at the entrance to the gorge and the next morning began hauling the boats 2km back upstream over huge boudlers and constantly ferrying to the other side of the river to continue our journey. It was hard going but we completed the portage in half a day. Once back in Accha we chartered a cattle truck to take us to Tincoc that evening, the put on for the radical upper stretch of the Apurimac!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD-xrqu9JjK9u6CYEzZjAuUT44xVhl6SDbTdUr6wMfhmPoyr11WU5TLGev3gA2neWoTCy2XvSUVNvk376e4MJX1ffHr_PeToA0_bTAW7pEixo1OljSwAPUBUz_jvk8qpwyFNXsCWTTDw/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD-xrqu9JjK9u6CYEzZjAuUT44xVhl6SDbTdUr6wMfhmPoyr11WU5TLGev3gA2neWoTCy2XvSUVNvk376e4MJX1ffHr_PeToA0_bTAW7pEixo1OljSwAPUBUz_jvk8qpwyFNXsCWTTDw/s640/IMG_0168.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Travelling in style to Tincoc</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-87000378046829647612012-07-11T23:05:00.000+01:002012-08-21T22:23:10.338+01:00Rio Huancabamba - Upper Section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnehzG0ztSBbtTFP-KBzglaTbIwxjEOzO4l6LB7c2BCaTdKcdfWIBX1bRnChdzNq3S5RoFyYK2A2BcI1Joo49BuLMSVaYJSGphg2_RrmjHu9seyEpJ2qXy7pV1xINTtb0wNvv_YB293HE/s640/DSC_0182a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alby picks his way through a boulder garden</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnehzG0ztSBbtTFP-KBzglaTbIwxjEOzO4l6LB7c2BCaTdKcdfWIBX1bRnChdzNq3S5RoFyYK2A2BcI1Joo49BuLMSVaYJSGphg2_RrmjHu9seyEpJ2qXy7pV1xINTtb0wNvv_YB293HE/s1600/DSC_0182a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
11/07/12</div>
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<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leaving camp at the confluence of the Huancabamba and Mallampampa, we paddled this 10km stretch to the national park at the Quebrada Honda which turned out to provide some glorious class 4 rapids. No portages, great kayaking... ’nuff said.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf9eQ_VTtNm53ut5BeWm17WWgGFz8_DN5WRwQrakqTISDQ-nysrM18TUZWUiI9PBgiSc_J4OX8s30hDwfOOjGlUc-d3zhIDRs2XNgP-V45P5edGoc-5uxbt0o6VQVgF7MIreKeH4PRFw/s640/DSC_0185a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex pícks his line on a meaty rapid</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf9eQ_VTtNm53ut5BeWm17WWgGFz8_DN5WRwQrakqTISDQ-nysrM18TUZWUiI9PBgiSc_J4OX8s30hDwfOOjGlUc-d3zhIDRs2XNgP-V45P5edGoc-5uxbt0o6VQVgF7MIreKeH4PRFw/s1600/DSC_0185a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdluiKgTVVkNSfCbo4hiwebUpU_O155BsND9Xfu-tHxzkGkgmEB4dFwnrsDAgRK-3h2tFENrd_QZgihx9rUpwZ6DsNqfKVZpJJJhXFRGLAsvD1luzz7QDTgrBDEznxgV0r-tsJySJJVM/s640/IMG_2949.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam winds up for a sweet boof</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdluiKgTVVkNSfCbo4hiwebUpU_O155BsND9Xfu-tHxzkGkgmEB4dFwnrsDAgRK-3h2tFENrd_QZgihx9rUpwZ6DsNqfKVZpJJJhXFRGLAsvD1luzz7QDTgrBDEznxgV0r-tsJySJJVM/s1600/IMG_2949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT-E918q_7aQts4DJfLT4SsGb7tD6_VhyphenhyphentlV6oj0rBn58LbtkmheGqY7XomuuckMNPCqJyn3Ngm_y6gdjO6BxUKsL_zEQkOsoXq5zaTZiYtzap2Disr6beP0PpeiKPpmoL3e0__94gwI/s640/IMG_2988.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Derf tackles some read and run boulder garden fun</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT-E918q_7aQts4DJfLT4SsGb7tD6_VhyphenhyphentlV6oj0rBn58LbtkmheGqY7XomuuckMNPCqJyn3Ngm_y6gdjO6BxUKsL_zEQkOsoXq5zaTZiYtzap2Disr6beP0PpeiKPpmoL3e0__94gwI/s1600/IMG_2988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-41748120022392983642012-07-10T22:23:00.000+01:002012-07-31T21:30:55.822+01:00Rio Mallampampa - First Descent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgLviwA6Tneuw4DEaXAjKrUynhxsoCqhHY-KVY8Inr69Vugy9A_ui9r9tH1cQ3HxHPNKKDs53GoQcwq5MoNpFqQz2tWXI-uohEJmFt1oKy3IBtw4vbygD5hxeRz5lXKn4fl49StxcQmA/s640/DSC_0174.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex enjoying the run down</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgLviwA6Tneuw4DEaXAjKrUynhxsoCqhHY-KVY8Inr69Vugy9A_ui9r9tH1cQ3HxHPNKKDs53GoQcwq5MoNpFqQz2tWXI-uohEJmFt1oKy3IBtw4vbygD5hxeRz5lXKn4fl49StxcQmA/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10/07/2012</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some
research before our trip lead Adam to discovering what looked like a great
possible first descent of a large tributary to the Rio Huancabamba. The Rio
Mallampampa (or Huaylamayo as it is marked on some maps) winds its way down
from the town of Mallampampa some 15km before it enters the Rio Huancabamba. We
paddled this section in one day, camping that night at the confluence.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzibTgu0Rua39YhvPrUgtOTpFiqc1swMfP-Osst04IpQJ6StaGBOMo28V2O-V0Ve4ERLmNXR3GtuGJzdDOhqIgA3b1wR_CsM7cv-J7e-bhehlg_iIILNch5p2Md090D6nV_UhSzwHook/s640/IMG_2861.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Derf tackles a drop on the first descent</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03T7uB4VFgmAA90s9wdvXIbUmRkr1zE3nmyPJ2l-JDDCZ4T6jGOkfAz43RiEru4BZVHA9ufnzrx-DsT8TP2-MlEqedxdN3-XGe5k3TqtryRjqGxlfFDc2a-kxIEXTqGd0gEk93qoMf4c/s640/DSC_0166.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="424" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The river begins with several km of low volume bouldery grade 3-4 rapids before easing off to mellow grade 2 rapids set in a beautiful valley. The river continues in this way for 10 km or so until the final grade 4 gorge is reached. The beginning of the gorge is marked by a road bridge crossing the river. Below here the river flows between huge boulders with numerous grade 4 drops. That night we camped before heading further down stream to paddle the upper Huancabamba the next day.</span>
</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4ti-8Y1vXVaSCAM8YJ5glqk8pm3ptZtsdDf_bdqszO3LTsXeMExhJd5LvM1BW55mGWGU2VApuTtL4khkXP-hQ-zu_N8rEMS4LGast8Z_ZYQUm3zRtTUAEGcap0-0lTWWf-R3FUxcAuw/s640/P7100269a.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam in the mix</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4ti-8Y1vXVaSCAM8YJ5glqk8pm3ptZtsdDf_bdqszO3LTsXeMExhJd5LvM1BW55mGWGU2VApuTtL4khkXP-hQ-zu_N8rEMS4LGast8Z_ZYQUm3zRtTUAEGcap0-0lTWWf-R3FUxcAuw/s1600/P7100269a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
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</div>Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-26532579157281362942012-07-08T02:12:00.000+01:002012-08-21T22:22:06.836+01:00Rio Pozuzo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ-nTNFp8gXFqTIAxU6nlX4ANLfTzrotpitAATr5l7DUk3TbABXNHhk_NdlbAbED-mLlaLm1pSLQz1xCjw1wDzLd9lEOJYlLGAl3omoKz9Re6IRNpuy4QZiGQd_R_HhH5gMGdwsdBERQ/s640/DSC_0095.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex powering down</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQ-nTNFp8gXFqTIAxU6nlX4ANLfTzrotpitAATr5l7DUk3TbABXNHhk_NdlbAbED-mLlaLm1pSLQz1xCjw1wDzLd9lEOJYlLGAl3omoKz9Re6IRNpuy4QZiGQd_R_HhH5gMGdwsdBERQ/s1600/DSC_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">07/07/2012
– 08/07/2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having run
the Huancabamba a few days before we were keen to experience how the river
developed further down the valley. The 50km stretch of the Rio Pozuzo (the Rio
Huancabamba changes its name as it passes the town of Pozuzo) proved to be a
great warm up multiday for the team. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 1 </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We rolled out of our hostel and got on the
river at Pozuzo enjoying 15km of large volume grade 3 water in relatively open
jungle. After a bite for lunch we entered what was to be a stunning 20km long
grade 4 jungle corridor, reminiscent of the Sun Kosi in Nepal, until we emerged
finding a perfect beach to set up camp on at about 3.30pm. Large cat prints in
the sand and the sight of a couple of Macaws were enjoyed by all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HVFOanfnckn82aBNE6iHUS1ak-OjN_r9L7fQut8i-wVcmoUzGl4YseFp-Zkn4ceq5JQE-nm90kPSBOF-CwBtSytUO0zzyADFAFn5RA12ysRjSb9Hlog2UUPMZx6Mu4Pd0AxSKueAS4I/s640/DSC_0088.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex and Tom </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtnI1ilNS951e1Vui5nJzop21B7OQx-4HgYumkvmi7g6FLEiHsPvZ5ASh6em9eWS8qvyEhOJ9rxVoa5YVq4GRjTfHI2MdRgNbsofnn8NyDpGmsry3oyOafkfsuiqJcJl6RQuSqL1WNHp1/s640/DSC_0102.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The river gorges up a little</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtnI1ilNS951e1Vui5nJzop21B7OQx-4HgYumkvmi7g6FLEiHsPvZ5ASh6em9eWS8qvyEhOJ9rxVoa5YVq4GRjTfHI2MdRgNbsofnn8NyDpGmsry3oyOafkfsuiqJcJl6RQuSqL1WNHp1/s1600/DSC_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We devoured
a dinner of sardines and spaghetti and spent some time stargazing by the camp
fire before hunkering down in tents pitched under the watchful eye of a huge
Tepui – a sharp mountain which protrudes the surrounding flat jungle. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 2 </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One
Thunderstorm and a somewhat soggy night´s sleep later we rose to a breakfast of
porridge and Manjar and got on river again. Within an hour of similarly
friendly whitewater the river flattened out completely and we had arrived at
Codo del Pozuzo – the elbow of Pozuzo – where the river does a 180 degree bend
and continues to meander towards the Amazon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodg9BJJlagE2kXyMc3dRZ6sTMbsWbfYQcYdkHmGgyKc6ucMcpg9GSgyPbk8lbu69i5pVCi8Ko5RYPHZNnLuxoTuH-22RyUeDWgdDiqVWWwWWrO1h9pEVpjq5Hsg9-_wwTHJV5j7pqYG9v/s640/DSC_0114.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A happy team at the end of day one</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The camp under the watchful Tepui</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">We were met at the river bank by a friendly restaurant owner and his family who fed us our first Cuy (guinea pig) and kindly arranged a collectivo for our return to Pozuzo.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our first taste of Cuy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The return journey was an epic undertaking in itself. The thunderstorm the night before had caused all of the tributaries of the Pozuzo to flash and much of the road seemed near impassable. Three hours of nail biting ferry glides in the collective across brown torrents covering the road and driving across some questionable ´pedestrian´ bridges we arrived back at the hostel glad to be home.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crossing one of the swollen tributaries after the heavy night of rain</span></td></tr>
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Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-86953948003590536872012-07-05T02:59:00.000+01:002012-07-31T20:35:34.784+01:00Rio Santa Cruz<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adam at the top of the Santa Cruz</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">05/07/2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Rio
Santa Cruz is a tributary to the Rio Pozuzo. We paddled this 10km section in
about 3 hours, putting on in a village called Tingo del Paso and taking out at
the confluence with the Rio Huancabamba. We believe we made the second descent
of this river. The river was a similar volume to the Huancabamba, but paddled
at a grade or so lower at grade 3-4. The character of the valley was quite
different to the Huancabamba, being slightly more open and less jungle, with
large gravel banks. Again we managed to hitch a lift back to Pozuzo in a
pick-up truck after walking for an hour to find transport. Derf saw a snake on
this run, which was the first dangerous animal we have seen on the trip so far!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We thought
it best to celebrate the beginning of some fantastic Peruvian boating with
customary expedition haircuts. Fair to say we provided much entertainment for
our hairdresser as we tried to describe the ridiculous looks we were inflicting
on each member of the group. Alex has been dubbed the new Richard Branson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alex and his glorious mullet</span></td></tr>
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</div>Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-8885381464807925512012-07-04T15:14:00.000+01:002012-09-27T18:34:08.129+01:00Rio Huancabamba - Middle Section<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom on day one</td></tr>
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03/07/2012 – 04/07/2012
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To get to the Rio Huancabamba we first got a bus from Lima to La Merced across the Andes over a high pass of 4800 metres, which took 8 hours. After spending the night here we then proceeded to travel to the small jungle town of Pozuzo via Oxapampa, completed in a lively 15 seater minivan, known locally as a collectivo. Pozuzo is a very interesting valley and town as it was founded by German settlers some 100 years ago and the architecture and feel of the town is quite Alpine. Many of the people we met were German in appearance with blond hair and blue eyes. Weiner Schnitzel and German sausage were all on the menu!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom</td></tr>
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After spending the night in Pozuzo we got up early and drove for half an hour up-stream to the edge of the National Park, 17 km above Pozuzo. The river gave us no warm up and we were immediately thrown into pushy grade 4+ rapids. We progressed slowly as each rapid required inspection. The scenery was fantastic with the river flowing through steep sided jungle gorge, with the road 75 metres or so above.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex on some bouncy grade 4</td></tr>
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As the day progressed we realised we wouldn´t be able to complete the river in one day, so we left the boats in the gorge and hiked out, hitching a lift in the back of a pick-up back to Pozuzo. The next day we hiked back into the gorge and paddled for 6 hours finishing in Pozuzo. The river was a fantastic medium volume grade 4/4+. With it´s warm, green water, huge boulders and jungle wildlife it was reminiscent of paddling in Nepal!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex</td></tr>
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The Huancabamba was first paddled in 2000 by Kurt Casey of www.peruwhitewater.com and it has seen few decents since then. It was a special feeling to be one of a handful of groups to have paddled the river!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Transport:</i> Take one of the regular (4 per day) combis from Pozuzo to the entrance to the national park on the way to Oxapampa</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Cost:</i> Expect to pay somewhere around S15-S20 per person for transport plus the same again per boat</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Length/Time:</i> 6-7 hours of paddling</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Other:</i> Remember your deet, the moscas on the walk in are relentless!</span></div>
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Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14670872407632312014noreply@blogger.com0Pozuzo, Perú-10.0680289 -75.5516879-10.0992974 -75.591169900000011 -10.0367604 -75.5122059tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-83269736409135808092012-06-29T14:49:00.000+01:002012-07-29T22:00:51.753+01:00Arrival in Peru<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After our battle at the check-in desk at Gatwick with Air Europa we finally managed to get the kayaks onto the flight to Lima! The first drama of the trip happened only moments after arrival when we found one of the paddle bags had been mangled by some heavy handed baggage handling. The result was 3 destroyed Werners, luckily our spare paddles.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The work of some heavy handed baggage handlers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It also turns out that roof racks on cars are not as common as we expected in Lima. This resulted in some hilarious methods for transporting kayaks.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting creative with transport</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It feels great to have arrived!! Next stop is the Pozuzo valley for what we hope to be some great Jungle Boating.</span></div>Adam Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06263899495535002790noreply@blogger.com0Lima, Peru22.3687172 -97.904577422.354034199999997 -97.92431839999999 22.3834002 -97.8848364tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-46858525575961351832012-06-26T14:39:00.001+01:002012-08-21T22:24:43.565+01:00New sponsor!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With only 2 days to go before we set off we are happy to announce a new sponsor! Canon have given us an all singing all dancing D20 waterproof shockproof camera for us to trial. First impressions are great and it will be fun see how well it copes with 3 months on the water, up the mountains and in desolate desert and humid jungle!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8425510707746480582.post-90128854615304991792012-06-13T17:40:00.000+01:002012-08-21T22:25:01.231+01:00Testing our new boats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Having picked up our boats last weekend, Alby and I were keen to test them out on some classic white water. We headed to the beach in Devon for a spot of picturesque outfiting on the sand, before a quick surf over lunch at high tide in Saunton. Early indications were good, both boats fairing well and fitting their new owners like very expensive gloves, but a real river was needed to challenge the boats! With plenty of sunlight and plenty of rain in the middle of June, of we went to paddle the East Lyn with some of the club. Whilst this may be the first Imperial club trip on the East Lyn, Alby and I put the nomad and mamba through their paces in the gorge section - the new small mamba fairing well on all the drops (so responsive!) whilst the nomad suffered it's first cosmetic damage in the form of a dent in the nose... Emerging out of the gorge we slowly met up with the rest of the team, then paddled out to sea to the sound of the nearby Llama festival's jungle beats with sunset not far behind. A perfect end to Derf and the mamba's first outfitting!* Almost as perfect for Alby and the nomad. Photo's to follow.</div>
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*(except for that short OBE and immediate self rescue...)<br />
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Here is a short edit of some of Tom Haywood's GoPro footage from the gorge:<br />
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Derfogailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16730122119494148490noreply@blogger.com0Lynmouth, Devon EX35, UK51.229424 -3.83631551.2194805 -3.8560559999999997 51.2393675 -3.816574