A rolling style expedition is something I’ve had in mind for a long time but have never found the right destination. That is until the idea of kayaking in Borneo came on my radar.
Dusk in overlooking the jungle. There’s a river down there somewhere!
It’s the 3rd biggest island in the world, 3 times bigger than the UK, got loads of mountain ranges and best of all – enough to put a smile on any kayakers face – the geology is mostly granite. The images we found on google searches and the number of rivers on google earth were enough to encourage me that the island would be the perfect size and place to have a 3 month expedition in the oldest rainforest in the world.
Rob Moffatt styling a nice bit of bedrock pool drop in the first week.
What is the rolling expedition all about?
Basically at the end of each month new kayakers join the expedition bringing fresh motivation and energy (and money!), and the departing crew leave behind all the contacts they’ve found along with transport, accommodation, and knowledge of which areas are best to paddle in different conditions..
There are 2 seasons in Borneo. The 3 month expedition will also mean the team started in the wet season and will finish at the start of the very wet season making the most of all the Borneo has to offer.
This is a roundup of the 1st leg:
The first leg has recently returned to the UK after making a successful start. Hari Raya celebrations for the end of Ramadan caused a delayed start to the trip because a 4 day public holiday meant organising transport was impossible. But with invites to loads of local parties providing copious amounts of delicious food and rice wine we made sure we weren’t wasting our time!
Kayak Borneo Blog:
http://www.kayakborneo.co.uk/1/post/2013/08/the-tortoise-not-the-hare.html
We soon managed to negotiate a good deal on transport for 3 months and were ready to hit the road!
We paddled loads of rivers that first week, and established another partnership with Sabah Parks which was a pretty sweet deal lasting the whole 3 months of the expedition. They have allowed us free reign national parks, gave us a shuttle driver and in return we give them suggestions on how they can establish environmentally friendly outdoor activities.
Dom surfing on a previously unrun section of river near Marcelo’s house, flowing off Mt Kinabaloo which stands at over 4000m.
Unfortunately, despite being in the rain forest, it didn’t really rain much…if at all! There were some awesome rapids which hinted at the delights Borneo holds, but the phrase that was constantly repeated was “Another foot higher”. These rivers really would be awesome continuous boulder garden fun with more water, but we’ll have to wait until the 3rd leg hits the monsoon season before the expedition catches these rivers at their full potential.
Finally on the road in the truck we’ll be using for the full 3 months
Eventually we realised we needed a change of tack and find some rivers with a better catchment.
That’s when Marcelo’s tip off came good. At his suggestion we had the upper reaches of the Padas river in mind. And Padas in Malay means ‘Spicy’…so we had high expectations for this river!
There are no roads heading to this part of the Padas, and the only way to get there is on the only train in Borneo. The Padas is actually another river that Riverbugs raft. It is big volume, dam release, and actually isn’t too dissimilar to some of the rapids on the Nile. But the big draw for us was actually the Upper reaches of the Padas, from directly below the dam down to the rafting get on. A section that has been inspected many times but never taken on.
Dom swamped by one of the Padas rapids
Expeditions generally make you have to get creative with transport, but this next 48 hours were some of the most surreal journeys I’ve made.
We ended up missing the passenger train, but fortunately we were able to jump on a small engine transporting sand down the valley where some building work was being completed….
Avoiding the train when inspecting the river on the tracks
This was all a bit rushed mind you, after negotiating this transport we only had 5 minutes to unload our truck, grab all our kit and get it on board.
The next morning there were more interesting transport methods. We had to punt on ‘trolley’s 8km back upstream – turns out this is actually very hard work!
Jonny having a surf on the raft run the next day while coaching some of the Riverbugs raft guides
The Padas river was unlike any the team had paddled before. We’d all paddled big volume, and we’d all paddled boulder garden. But this combination of the 2 was something new to us. And exciting. …and scary. It was very easy to get carried away eddy hopping downstream only to find yourself in the middle of the river with a terminal hole on one side and a huge strainer on the other.
Big volume boulder garden – a new style of boating for the team
We changed tactic and chose one side of the river at each horizon line in the knowledge that we’d be able to then walk upstream and ferry glide across to the other side of the river if that was the only line down.
Marcelo eventually got on the river and joined us when he felt he was more in his comfort zone, and on we went. More big volume boulder garden eventually turning into simply big volume wave trains with some huge holes to avoid – something we were all more accustomed to and something we all know and love.
Kayak Borneo Blog:
http://www.kayakborneo.co.uk/1/post/2013/08/spice-up-your-life.html
Dave having fun and games on the Ulu (upper) Padas
Curiosity soon got the better of us and we found ourselves asking ourselves where the Padas got its water from. This lead us checking out our maps and Google earth and our eyes were soon focussed on the Crocker Mountain range.
Another lovely rapid on the Ulu Padas
The Ulu Padas and Tolokoson river in particular captured our interest. We got a bit of local knowledge on the Tolokoson which really got our ears buzzing. “Air Terjun” was commonly repeated – waterfall. Marcelo, acting as our translator soon confirmed this. A 20 footer and a 25 footer apparently awaited our descent. We couldn’t wait!
Lovely read and run on the Tolokoson
We weren’t disappointed. 16km of continuous portageless grade 4/5 river with some awesome rapids and a bit of freefall thrown in. A non stop world class day run that wouldn’t be out of place in Norway. …except the thick jungle surrounding us offering no chance of escape.
Kayak Borneo Blog:
http://www.kayakborneo.co.uk/1/post/2013/08/if-carlsberg-made-rivers.html
Dom getting the first descent of a tricky drop on the Tolokoson
Rob Inspecting the 25 footer
Jonny on the lead out of another tricky rapi
The past week and a half had settled our expedition nerves. We’d found some absolute peaches that we were quite sure would go in most river levels. By this stage we’d paddled over well over 10 first descents and marked out many more that had a great gradient but we’d left of a wetter day.
Dave Burne loving life on the Tolokoson
We were satisfied…but with only a few days left there was still time for another!
It was marked CM18 on our Google Earth system, locals know it as the Kanayah, we simply refer to it as the Mission River…
A locolised thunder storm the night before the mission
To get more of an idea of what this river was about, the best thing to do would be to read Doms awesome blog post below.
Kayak Borneo Blog:
www.kayakborneo.co.uk/1/post/2013/09/the-adventures-of-three-boys.html
Dom takes on a beatiful clean slide deep in the oldest rainforest in the world.
But to sum it up. It was a mission of a river. There were some super smooth bedrock slides miles away from anywhere with only the sounds of the jungle to accompany us.
There were some intimidating horizon lines. One of which hosted one of the most bizarre bits of geology any of us had ever seen, unfortunately meaning our hopes of paddling the 20m fall were put to rest and the steep dense surrounding jungle meaning we had to put our rope skills to good use. Fortunately the palm BAs and throw rope stood up to the challenge.
Crazy crazy geology unlike any we’d seen before.
The great rapids continued for a few kilometres before the good times came to an end, and we had to spend a lot of time on with our boats on our shoulders. But that’s what you sign up for with exploration!
But all in all, an awesome river – just a shame it ended in a siphony mess.
Enjoying the good times on the mission river
Dom sums it up:
“The Kanayah was a truly epic river, not to be undertaken lightly, it requires a long day, good equipment and knowledge and most importantly a good mental state. The total time on the river was 10 hours, with stunning views, amazing rapids, tricky portages, annoying portages, fun slides and a real sense of exploration.”
Dom Burrow leading a coaching session for the Riverbugs raft guides. Hopefully Marcelo will have some play mates in the next few years!
We finished on a high coaching the raft guides at Riverbugs how to but their understanding of the river into use from a kayak. These will be ongoing coaching sessions for the 3 months also providing tips on safety technique. Most of the people we taught have a good understanding of the river and aren’t scared of water, they’re also fit and strong so they learn fast!
Kayak Borneo Partners:
www.kayakborneo.co.uk/our-partners
Hopefully by the end of our 3 months in Borneo Marcelo will have more people to go exploring with, and hopefully at some point it will be the Local boaters exploring first descents in their own country.
The strange nosed Proboscis monkey – an endangered animal that needs the Bornean rainforest to survive.
We’re also working together with the award winning Heart of Borneo charity, and the money that comes from the sale of our boats at the end of the trip will go direct to them. Check out the awesome work they’re doing exploring and the rainforest and protecting the species and lifestyles of the nomadic tribes who live off it:
www.heartofborneo.org
Kuching – a beautiful city in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Keep your eye out for more posts from Leg 2 and Leg 3.
Can’t wait to see what they get up to!
Follow the blog or give our facebook page a like to find out more:
www.facebook.com/KayakBorneo
http://www.kayakborneo.co.uk/blog.html
Dave Burne
Pictures: Rob Moffatt and Dave Burne
“A group of 6 kayakers from the UK are out in Sri Lanka on an expedition to explore the white water potential, and help out the fledgling kayaking community.
There have been a couple of previous trips to Sri Lanka before, but this one was the first to be held in August, during the heart of the monsoon.”
The expedition was a great success on both accounts!
And here are the video’s to prove it:
Short (4 mins) – http://vimeo.com/32395293
Long (20 mins) – http://vimeo.com/40822148
Enjoy!
Dave Burne
www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk
Niamh Stack entertaining local kids
Previous Blog Posts about the Sri Lanka Expedition
1) Steep Creeking With Leeches:
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/steep-creeking-with-leeches-sri-lanka/
2) First Descents and Last Descents:
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/first-descents-and-last-descents-sri-lanka/
3) The Country that Keeps Giving:
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/the-country-that-keeps-giving-sri-lanka/
4) Leaving a Lasting Legacy:
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/leaving-a-lasting-legacy-sri-lanka/
Click the link for more info on the Lasting Legacy, or read below for an overview of the whole expedition.
The expedition saw the team searching out rivers in the Southern Central mountain range. Some rivers, such as the world class Kokmole Oya, have had previous descents. However, there is still so much to discover on the island and the expedition claimed numerous first descents.
There was another major aim to the expedition though – to leave a lasting legacy in Sri Lanka. This was achieved with the help of Borderlands, a Rafting and Outdoor Education company.
Amongst other things, the team ran coaching and safety sessions for the raft guides and safety kayakers. These sessions helped change the attitudes of staff from that of kayaking being a job, to playing the river and enjoying kayaking as a hobby. The training also raised their awareness of current safety and rescue techniques.
Thilack had a steep introdution to boof!
The highlight of the expedition for the team was paddling the Goorook Oya, a probable first descent, with Thilack, one of the Borderlands staff. Not only was this was the first time any of the team had completed a first descent with a kayaker from the host nation, but it also turned out to be an amazingly clean grade 5 steep creek which (aside from the green rainforest scenery) wouldn’t be out of place in California. And the best thing? Thilack nailed it. His third ever river and his first taste of waterfalls – this guy has got bottle!
The team would like to thank Palm Equipment Europe, ZET Kayaks UK, Lyon Equipment, and of course, Borderlands for their support.
To find out how Dave, Tom, Niamh, Sean, Nick and Will got on, check out www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk
We’re sad to be leaving Sri Lanka. In our short time here the island has provided us with an uncountable number of clean slides, boofs and flares in amazing settings. Not to mention a culture of hospitality and generosity.
Admittedly we’ve also come across our share of dammed rivers, a difficulty for kayakers that will only get worse.
Slides and falls are all through out Sri Lanka, this time on the Kokmole
Seans dreads really needed a trim by the end of the exped
We have tried to give back to the country as much as possible and leave something lasting behind in various forms… inluding a Niamh, who is currently working for Borderlands and will be for the next 2 months!
Returning hospitality the only way we can – with a postcard of Will & Kate
Though our kayaking sessions we’ve tried to inspire the locals to view kayaking as a hobby, not just a job. We really want to change the mentality of the staf to playing the river, not just surviving the rapids. We’ve also starred in an adventure travel documentary to be aired around Sri Lanka and South Asia in the hope it will provide more exposure to adventure tourism.
Kayak coaching in the monsoon rain
Successful kayaking is all proportional to the size of your bust...at least this is the suspect advice Niamh gave to the MTV presenter!
Then there’s the pictures and advice we have offered the Ministry of Tourism who are keen to promote adventure tourism in the Sitawaka valley (a valley with so much potential, but we were the first Western tourists to have found ourselves there).
The last of the 7 waterfalls in the Sitawaka valley
Our first meeting with the Tourism Board out on the road
We’ve also managed to help Borderlands out directly. Again, the kayaking and safety sessions, but also we’ve been able to offer a couple of recommendations of potential alternative rafting runs which will be required when the Kelani river (Borderlands current base) is dammed (building has not started yet).
Bridge jump at the start of the Sitawaka - potentially Borderlands new base (along with the Upper Kokmole)
Something else we’ve managed to do with Palms help is to kit out the raft guides and safety kayakers with some of the best gear around. With better gear hopefully they will be able to push themselves harder and progress beyond the Kelani.
Mahesh our driver (photographer, chef and all round legend) with his new shiny Palm Extreme BA
Boderlands is also trying to build an outdoor community of people with similar interests. With this in mind Wade (Director of Borderlands) set up an expedition wrap up event with some press, and many friendly faces of people we’ve met along the way in Sri Lanka and have helped us out in any way they can.
Will describes why we love the type of kayaking that we do to the audience
With half a day to make a video and slideshow (due to power cuts in Colombo), I reckon it was a massive success! The night out that followed was also pretty entertaining…
Will with the poster of his descent down the 7th Sitawaka waterfall
Check out our website for more information on our expedition: http://www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk/
There’s also the previous Palm Blogs for an overview of what we got up to:
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/steep-creeking-with-leeches-sri-lanka/
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/first-descents-and-last-descents-sri-lanka/
http://79.170.40.166/palmequipmenteurope.com/blogs/ww/the-country-that-keeps-giving-sri-lanka/
What a place! Be sure to get in touch if you want more information on the island – still so much more potential to be discovered.
Cheers, Dave Burne
Our last week in Si Lanka has been just as busy as the first. The exploration has continued and the quality rivers have kept flowing.
Still more highlights on the map that we just don't have time to explore
Convenient rainfall has come at the right time and in the right places, it is almost as if the country is guiding us up the right valleys and making sure we make the right choices to get the maximum possible boating done with our limited time. Life is more than alright right now!
Sean squeezing through a tight line on another river less than an hour from Borderlands camp
Another scenic river
But watch out for this guys bigger brothers!
Not all super hardcore, but variety is all part of the game!
The only real disappointment we’ve had is that we missed high flows in a little creek near to the Borderlands (Rafting Company) camp. A scouting mission showed us a clean 30 foot park and huck with some more slides downstream, some nice, others a little on the dirty side!
Inspecting from the top...
This super sweet little gem we’ll have to leave for a future expedition to conquer. Or who knows, with the coaching sessions we’ve provided for safety kayakers at Borderlands maybe it will be a Sri Lankan who claims this first descent!
...and from the misty bottom!
Check out our website for more info: http://www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk/expedition-blog.html
Things are going well in Sri Lanka! More first descents, waterfalls and slides!
Getting one the Goorook through the tea plantations
We left our base at Borderlands ready for our next exploration after going to the Perihara ‘Festival of Lights’.
This takes place in Kandy, where a huge procession of musicians, dancers, fire spinners and of course, 85 elephants in fairy lights! The major reason for the festival is to parade Buddha’s tooth. It is said that this tooth was pulled out and made Buddha cry, so signifies the start of the monsoon season in the North of the country.
Young fire spinners at the Perihala festival
The suggestion of more rain is just what we needed to top up the rivers in Sri Lanka, so we were in high spirits. Unfortunately, after scouting a few dry river beds, we were beginning to worry that Buddha wasn’t crying hard enough. This all changed the evening after we scouted the Goorook Oya river. It looked good to go from the road, and as we camped near the put in, the dark clouds gathered. It was only then that we realised the tent we’d borrowed from Borderlands was one that was marked for repair. Error.
We emerged in the morning soaked to the skin, but buzzing with anticipation. We wern’t dissapointed! Boofs, flares, grinds and cheers made this a birthday for Tom to remember and a river not to be missed if you ever find yourself in the wonderful country.
Clean slides in jungle settings
Tom enjoying his birthday first descent
This world class (probably) first descent was made even more special because for the first time in any of our paddling careers, it was a first descent with a team member from the host country. Thilack, born in the village of Kitugala near the Kelani river paddled his 3rd ever river with us. And nailed it!
Thilack celebrating after nailing a chunky waterfall (his first one!) on the Goorook Oya
Dam projects are becoming an increasing problem for us searching for new rivers to paddle. More than once we have arrived at one which looks from the maps to have a good catchment, good gradient, and good road access, but a mini hydro project has thwarted our plans.
One river we planned to paddle was the Kotmale Oya. Parts of it have previously been paddled by a group of Russians. This was before the massive dam project which is currently very near to completion. Fortunately we managed to get there before they completely stopped the flow. Who knows, this could be a last descent!
A mellow section of the Kokmole above St Claires falls
Boof central on the upper Kokmole
Now that's something everyone can enjoy!
Despite the long bush whack, getting on just below the impressive St Claires Falls was pretty cool, and the full 15km of class 4/5 made the section all the sweeter! This river just kept on giving!
The calm before the storm
Inspecting a big slide
Boofs & slides, Californian style
Check out our website for more details: www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk
Palm Trees and Paddy Fields
A group of 6 kayakers from the UK have been in Sri Lanka for just over a week now, & with only one day spent without taking our boats for an outing things are going well!
Not only are we exploring the rivers in the country, but we have also been working closely with the rafting and outdoor education company Borderlands to try and develop the kayaking scene in Sri Lanka. This has become of increasing importance with the news that Borderlands main rafting river, the Kelani, is to be dammed.
Sunset on the Kelani River
Our mission, since we’ve chosen to accept it, is to try and find a suitable river for Borderlands to move to. The first few days of our expedition were spent with Sri Lankan kayakers on rivers that had previously been run (if rarely!). The lower Sitawaka seems to have potential as a rafting run a step up from the current norm.
One of the bigger rapids on the Sitawaka
After discussions with a friend of Borderlands (called ‘Chunky’) we decided to head up to the rivers upper reaches.
Here, we found lots of smooth bedrock slides and even more boulder garden fun. The rivers can rise and fall fast here which has taken some time to get used to (think 2 foot rise and fall whilst on a dry day run, and water colour turning from clear to orange in a matter of minutes). August is the run off of the monsoon for the South West of the country (where the Central Highlands are), so there is alot of water about (a nightmare for drying out kit!). The rain showers are quite intense, but wierdly really localised. Much more so than expected.
A new sight in the valleyWill on a sweet rapid on one of the Sitawaka tribs
Will on a sweet rapid on one of the Sitawaka tribs
Entering a tricky drop at the top of the canyonThe kids in the village were super excited (now there's asurprise!)
Park and Huck, Sri Lanka style
Despite one pretty epic day getting stuck in the jungle after a long leech infested portage, everything has so far(!) been as efficient as could be hoped. Our big 4×4 truck and nails driver have been getting us everywhere we need! Cheers Mahesh!
One of the cleaner rapids before the portages started!
But things were a play park on the stretch we paddled on the second day
The Borderlands truck is a top paddle wagon!
We are currently back at Borderlanks base to help saftey kayak for a group of 100 who will be descending the Kelani river over then next weekend. Following that, we’ll be heading to the rivers near Kandy to explore the river drainages there.
Check out our website for more details:
www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk
Cheers for reading!
Shuttles in Style
With the expedition drawing to a close our last week has been packed with boating (and therefore driving, red tape, police check points, bribes, homestays, U-Turns etc). Got to make the most of it though while we’re out here.
Ben making it through another steep rapid on the Iskanderkul
Dave on the Varzob
The rivers are still on the high side, and with Danny and Hugh back in the UK its left Ben and myself footing the bill for the miles we’re clocking up.
Half way down a long long rapid - knackering work!
Its been worth it though, and we’ve managed to enjoy some cracking runs of the Fondarya, Zerafshon, Iskanderkul, Varzob. All boasting unique geology and a whole range of types of boating.
More amazing scenes on the Iskanderkul
We’ve also managed to hook up with some more British boaters (Tom Parker, Dave Hollins, Rich Brooks) for a days boating, and some force feeding of Vodka by some Russians!
Tom Parker on the Karatog...
...a river that wasn't without its portages!
All in all, Tajikistan will work you hard but reward you well.
We’ve had some successes and some disappointments but its all worthwhile in a destination which provides some interesting cultural experiences, spectacular scenery, and of course, quality boating.
-
Big big thanks go to our translator, Umed. Arguably the best Tajik boater in the world right now. The expedition would not have been as successful without your help.
Cheers
Dave Burne
(written on expedition, uploaded post expedition. Less time on the internet means more time on the water!)
Ben at the top of another long rapid - Iskanderkul
...maybe another time!...
So the Yagnob was our plan. Expected time, 5 days. Drive as far as you can up a 4×4 road, get to a village, and walk the rest.
Up the valley to the bottom of the pass
Unfortunately that ‘walk the rest’ part meant 25km up over a 3300m pass. Boats, gear, camping equipment, food, the lot…
Time to barter for a donkey.
Starting the Stroll
It turns out in Tajikistan its cheaper to buy a donkey than to hire a donkey. Each with a leg of a donkey (called Shakira) to our name, the four of us set off on the hike. Turns out its not easy to lead a stubborn cheap donkey…
Shakira doin her thang
Its a long way up!
2 gruelling days later and we made it to the riverside.
The calm before the storm
5km downstream we had our first surprise. A 6km long gorge with a massive entry rapid not portageable at river level greeted us. More walking – not what we needed!
Back down at river level we paddled the rest of the spectacular gorge in the sunshine.
Yet another portage
5km downstream of this we had another surprise. Another gorge with a runnable entry but unrunnable exit. This wasn’t supposed to happen!
It was what we all feared – the river was too high!
Big portages interspersed with a few nice rapids
After a couple of days of long scouts, long portages interspersed with some good paddling we saw our first signs of civilization. Our Phrase book wasn’t much use since they speak an ancient 8th Century language in this valley, however we managed to get a room and some local food for the night.
It was here that Hugh twisted and severely sprained his ankle. After a lot of use of the Sat phone, debate, broken conversation and scouring over maps, Hugh prepared for a long uncomfortable donkey trek to the nearest road.
Only a Sprain?
Donkey to the rescue
On the river we were down to 3, but the river gods seemed to throw and apology in our direction. The sun came out and the levels seemed to drop slightly. Everything cleaned up and became runnable with some spectacular scenery.
The next few days were bliss…for those of us on the water.
Beautiful weather..
..Amazing scenery
and some tasty rapids to compliment!
Danny and Hugh are heading home soon so we’re trying to cram some roadside boating in for the next few days, where we know that the river levels are up to!
An audience on the Fandraya
The steep sides of the Zerafshan
Follow the leader...if the river will let you...
Dave Burne
(written on expedition, uploaded post expedition. Less time on the internet means more time on the water!)
It has been a week since we arrived in Tajikistan, and through all the red tape and driving we’ve met some great people and found some cracking runs.
The ‘usual’ (if you can call it that) season for kayaking in Tajikistan is between September and November. We decided to go a little bit earlier to try and kayak some tributaries that are usually too low later on in the year.
Huge cascade
After a quick warm up not far from Dushanbe we took the long scenic journey over to the Pamirs in the East. We were hoping to paddle some of the major rivers and explore some of the tribs.
High water warm up
Plans have had to be flexible as some rivers are too big and some insignificant tribs have turned out to be well worthwhile! There have been uncountable generous offers of riverside chi and bread which have also added to the requirement of fluid plans!
Chi, bread, and babies in helmets.
We have brief river notes for many of the rivers, and due to water levels grade 4/5 rivers are out of the question. The only real disappointment so far is that the power of the Gunt was a bit too intimidating for us! With a huge lack of eddies individual rapids lead into one another meaning scouting your line a km at a time. No thanks!
Ben getting swallowed on the Shirkent
After spending some time in the Southern Pamirs, we headed along the impressively huge Panj river (the border between Tajikistan and Afganistan) to the Vanch (by road, not river!)
After driving half way up the spectacular valley the river started to become braided and looked unlikely to gorge up again. After paddling a fun fast flooded trib we paddled about 5km of braided grade 2, before things picked up. And they really picked up! In the limited translated river notes it was grade 2 with bits of 3. They’d obviously not been there in August! Huge crashing waves with many a pourover to keep you on your toes. The best grade 2 I’ve ever paddled!
The best 'grade 2' around
Danny facing off another huge surging wave on the grade 2
We’re now back in the capital Dushanbe getting ready for a 5 day multiday. Bring it on! Lets hope the levels are lower than in the Pamirs…
Dave Burne
(written on expedition, uploaded post expedition. Less time on the internet means more time on the water!)
