We are planning two trips in Bhutan in the Fall of 2010; a Class II-III and a Class III-IV+. Because resources for tourists are limited, we need to confirm our lodging reservations for these trips well in advance. The minimum number of paddlers for each skill level is eight. If you are interested,  email us for reservation information . Click here for more details.

This remote and benevolent country is surrounded on three sides by India, and to the north by Tibet. The Bhutanese refer to their country as Druk Yul, which translates to The Land of the Thunder Dragon. Few visitors ever make it into Bhutan and so these people are often more curious about us than we are about them. It is quickly apparent that the fun-loving Bhutanese live out their philosophy of “gross national happiness”, which they consider to be an indicator of their wealth!

In October and November of 2008,  two groups of paddlers joined us in Bhutan for our Kayak & Cultural Tours. On both trips we loaded buses and trucks with kayaks and people, and paddled and toured as we worked our way east. On the Class II/III trip we traveled as far east as Jakar in the Bumthang district, and on the Class III/IV+ trip we traveled east and south to paddle the Mangde Chu. Along the way we took time to hike, tour villages, temples and ancient monasteries, participate in ceremonial dances, and of course, to paddle Bhutan’s stunningly, pristine rivers.

The kids, the dances, the architecture, the monks, the attitude; the whole culture blew us away! The foreign and exotic became intimate due to English being the second language for many Bhutanese. We had crisp, sunny fall days and cold nights. The harvest of rice, buckwheat and apples was underway, and so, weekly, the landscape changed dramatically. Throughout our stay, we got to interact with the warm and friendly people of Bhutan. And we can’t wait to do it again.

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Super hombre doing roadwork the hard way.

We recently got some good news from our friends in Ecuador.  After years of broken promises from the Ecuadorian government, false starts, and a pinch of corruption, the final stretches of road improvements between Quito and Tena, to the east, have been completed.  This ties in nicely with paved stretches from Baeza down along the Quijos river valley, up the Cosanga and over the Guacamayo mountain range.  In theory this means that all of our driving for this upcoming season, with the exception of short put-in and take-out segments, will be on pavement.  Driving times will be greatly reduced leaving us more time to enjoy the rivers and feeling less like a freshly mixed can of paint.

We leave in less than two weeks to begin preparing for our season. Yahoo!

An Ecuadorian road crew at work.

Edmundo, our driver in Ecuador is going to love the completed road.

Even the cows are taking advantage of the news.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

It was around this time last year that we were in Bhutan finishing up a 2 month stay.  We spent that time traveling with a Buddhist study group, scouting rivers for upcoming kayak groups, running our Class II-III trip, catching what we could of the fifth king’s coronation and capping it all off with our Class III-IV+ trip.  What follows is an account from that final kayaking trip.  You can follow the links to these Bhutan posts to read about our other adventures there.  If these trips sound interesting to you, consider joining us in the Fall of 2010 when we’ll return again to kayak Bhutan!

Mike W. getting "warmed up" on the Paro Chu, first day's paddle.

On the trip to the airport in Paro to pick up our group, Mary and I were joined by our Bhutanese crew of our driver Hari, our cultural guide Chencho,  Tinley -an up and coming kayak guide, and Kali -an excellent kayak and raft guide from Nepal.  Amongst the arriving 12 kayakers was a commercial pilot. He talked his way into the cockpit for the landing, and was in awe of the approach -and the skill and training of the pilots.

The approach into Paro airport is a thing of legend amongst commercial pilots.

The luggage went off to the hotel with Kali and Tinley, who would also prep the fleet of kayaks for folks to outfit later that day.  The rest of us started our tour in downtown Paro to do some quick shopping (electrical adapters, postcards, maps, etc.) before making a visit the Paro Dzong. Dzongs were built as strategic fortresses in the 1600s as protection for the newly emerging country of Bhutan. Today these impressive structures serve as regional government administration offices, as well as housing an active monastery. Walking up to the Dzong from the main part of town, we stopped in at the archery range to watch a match that was taking place. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and the National Playoffs happen in the fall. Bhutanese are very passionate about their sport!

An archer takes aim at a target over 125 meters away.

The range is 125 meters long with a target mounted on a board about the size of a man’s torso. There is one located at each end.  Two teams compete and members from each team are split up and are positioned alongside the targets. In this case, there were about twelve men total. They were dressed in Ghos, the traditional Bhutanese attire, but sporting high-tech compound bows and in some cases, running shoes. The rules were pretty straight forward, hit the target as close to the dinner-plate sized circle as you could.  Team members at each end of the field would take turns shooting to the opposite end while their teammates and members of the opposing team stood, what we thought was, much too close to the targets. Distracting the opponent while they take aim is freely allowed. If a teammates hits the target, little victory dances (and playful teasing) also interrupt the shooting.  We’ve been told that serious tournaments can go on for weeks at a time.

We toured the Paro Dzong with Chencho who explained the significance of some of the paintings and carvings that are in abundance there. Dzongs are intricately decorated and painted with Buddhist symbolism. We received a basic course in Bhutanese Buddism during our stay in the country, and this was the beginning.  After lunch we were off to the hotel to outfit our kayaks and settle in for the night. The group was jet-lagged but excited. The nights were turning cool and crisp in the late autumn in the Himalaya, great sleeping weather.

A young monk studies a tangkha painting of the Buddhist wheel of life inside the Paro Dzong.

Our first shake down paddle was 30 minutes down the road from our lodging, the Paro Chu. The section we did had a nice Class III warm-up stretch, followed by a mile of fun Class IV. On the river we split into two groups. This ensured that everyone had plenty of room to move about the river, enjoying the moves and playspots without a crowd. We ran it this way for the rest of the trip; one large family in the van, 2 smaller groups on the river. Kayaking on the cool, clear water of the Paro Chu was like floating over green glass.

Irishman Robert M. during a run on the Paro Chu.

We took out at the confluence with the Wang Chu, near the site of three of the different styles of Chortens (also called Stupas); Nepali, Tibetan and Bhutanese. Stupas are found at “auspicious” places, often at a river confluence or a mountain pass. These structures are religiously very important, and often house sacred relics.

From the take-out we traveled on to the capital city of Thimphu to catch the final day of the coronation ceremonies. Many in the group wandered over to the National Stadium where the last of the festivities were being held. Others used the time to shop. The following day we paddle a section of the Wang Chu, just outside of Thimpu.  This river was similar in technicality to the day before, allowing folks to continue warming up. Then we headed east over Dochu La (10,300 ft pass) which provided us with the clearest and most stunning views of the Bhutanese Himalaya we had seen during our stay thus far.

Prayer flags and stupas at the summit of Doche La (pass) en route to Punakha.

We ate a hot lunch very near the pass, which gave us more time to enjoy the view. From there we drove down, down, down to the Punakha Valley and our base camp for the next two nights.

Prayer flags fly over the Himalaya on a clear day.

In Punakha we paddled stretches of the Mo (mother) and Po (father) rivers.  The volume of these rivers is much greater than our previous days runs. We had paddled these same rivers on our Class II-III trip, but now we put-in further up the drainages to access sections that were steeper and more technical, with more challenging rapids.

Put in of the Mo Chu.

Kali sets a beautiful line in a rapid on the Mo Chu.

The upper runs on the Mo and Po are similar to each other in that they start off with a scout or a portage of a stout rapid not to far downstream of the put-in.  With these behind us, we paddled many wonderful pool-drop rapids through a remote and thickly forested valley.  Toward the end of the run, the rivers mellowed out and the forest gave way to rice fields from which curious Bhutanese laughed and waved, seeming to enjoy the excuse to take a break from their work in the fields.

Taking a break from riding on the bus on the way to the put in for the Po Chu.

After paddling there was always time to relax, hike, or see some more sites. Not far from base camp we did a hike up to a temple that over looks the Mo Chu valley. The rice harvest was in full swing and the green fields of the weeks before were now giving way to the golden hue of drying rice.

Smiling while working late. A woman stacking rice during the harvest.

People were busily harvesting and threshing the crops before the rains could damage them. It is a very important time for them and much of their survival for the upcoming winter depends on their success.  Bhutanese throughout the country put in long hours of work each day during the harvest.

Green fields of rice give way to gold and brown during the harvest.

Leaving the Punakha valley, we continued East over the Pele La (11,220 ft pass) and descended to Trongsa, the former center of government in the early twentieth century. Just outside the town, overlooking the Mangde Chu, we made camp in the football pitch (soccer field) of the local elementary school.  The kids there were curious and polite. The school principal, Sonam, and his wife (also Sonam) joined us for dinner that night. The following morning they invited the group to the school for their daily assembly, an opportunity in which everyone in the group eagerly participated.

Earning his turns, Lance P. makes his way down to the put in for the Upper Mangde Chu.

Our camp put us within a short drive and a steep hike down to our next run -the Upper Mangde Chu. This stretch of river contained straight forward Class IV- rapids in an extremely remote and intimate setting.

Once off the river we toured the Trongsa Dzong and then drove south towards Endocholing, the former winter palace of the first king.  We spent three nights here, giving us a chance to run the Ema Datsi canyon section of the Mangde Chu (Ema Datsi is the national dish of Bhutan and can be very spicey).  The group was really boating well together and this was the pinnacle of our kayaking in Bhutan.  Kali, who had done this section on two other occasions, said the river was the highest he had seen it.  Mary and I had last run this section in 2006, also at a lower flow.  With an early start and a conservative approach we took our time and had a GREAT run!  Kali’s memory for rapids was spot on and the day was a peak experience for all.  Everyone was very excited and most were eager to get back on the following day.

Some of the group after a successful run on the Ema Datsi section of the Mangde Chu river.

That night the monks of Endocholing and the village locals put on an incredible feast and dance performance for the group.  The masked dances, performed by men, are amazingly physical and lasted for upwards of half an hour. The women’s dance was very subtle and beautiful -in elegant contrast to the men’s athletic marathons.

Masked dancers of Endocholing prepare for a night performance

Leaving Endocholing we traveled back west to the small village of Wangdue. Here we ran our last river- the Wangdi Chu. This was an awesome river. We did a short, super technical, low water stretch sprinkled with lots of eddies. We found the river to be super fun, yet challenging.  For those that wanted (and everyone did) we had time for a second lap. What a great way to finish off our kayaking in Bhutan.

Our last full day of the trip we left Wangdue early to drive back to Paro and hike up to the Taktshang Goemba or Tiger’s Nest Monastery.  This is the most famous Dzong in Bhutan and is perched on a cliff face 3,000 feet above the valley floor at an overall elevation of around 9,000 feet. It is an impressive site to behold and even more impressive to imagine what it must have taken to construct it back in the 17th century. That night we celebrated with our Bhtanese crew at a farewell dinner.

Tiger's Nest Monastery as viewed from the trail.

We all flew out the next day to our respective destinations; Bangkok, Katmandu and Calcutta. Our kayaking pilot talked his way into the cockpit again. Hmmm, what does it mean when a pilot’s eyes get big?

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

Having fun in Redwall Cavern

This was our second Grand Canyon kayak trip in a row. That’s 27 days on the Colorado River. It’s not easy leaving the Canyon after so many days. Writing about the adventure is even harder. This group was into experiencing the Canyon to its fullest, both on and off the water. We’ve never explored the side canyons as much as we did on this trip!  In addition, we celebrated birthdays, heard great music performed, saw personal challenges faced, new skills acquired and most wonderful of all, there were long-standing friendships strengthened and new ones forged. If some of these events sound life-changing, it’s because a trip down the Canyon tends to be just that.  It’s a little of the magic that place performs on us all.

I’ve posted a photo gallery here to make up for my lack of words.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

Ross, one of the Brits, leading the charge into Granite Rapid.

Just two days prior to putting in on the Grand Canyon, we had been amongst the lush forests of the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. The area around Lee’s Ferry in Arizona, the put-in for the Colorado, could not be more different.  Driving through the lunar landscape from our meeting point at Marble Canyon Lodge to the put-in at Lee’s Ferry you wouldn’t expect to find a river there. One of the things that I find so beautiful is the red cliffs in contrast with the blue, blue skies and puffy clouds.

The view looking toward Vermillion Cliffs near the put in of Lee's Ferry.

Mary H. and Will enjoying the ride.

The first 7 days of this trip began with flows fluctuating between 11,000- 18,000 cfs then it settled into a steady 10,000 cfs for the remainder of our river miles.  Our mostly American group was joined by seven Brits, all family or friends from the same club.  We had been emailing them for over a year, so it was good to finally meet them in person.

Those crazy Brits- you should have seen them the last night when we all dressed up!

"Hiking" Matkatamiba.

Despite our similarities in language (ours was English, their’s was proper English), there are some wonderful differences in kayaking terminology. As we discussed lines, technique, equipment and strategies it was fun to see the sometimes puzzled looks on all of our faces as one group used terms unfamiliar to the other.  Splits, cags, stoppers, break ins, break outs, domer, cfs vs. cms, fpm vs. mpk  and buoyancy aid were just a few that required clarification. Nothing a pint at the end of the day wouldn’t clear up .

Enjoying an impromptu raft party at the end of the day.

How did you want that fish cooked?

Joel in his HPIK (high performance inflatable kayak) at Havasu Creek.

Here is a quick summation of the trip: It ain’t over till the Hawaiian swims, twins x 2, number nine, go big and GO BIGGER, Mike K. on grill, “No thanks, tequila makes me dance naked”, laps at Granite,  Andrew’s amazing one-oar raft technique, windstorm at Fern Glen, Steiner’s geology, laps at Crystal, Bruce’s poetry readings, cooked Brits at Thunder River, raft parties, Ross’ paddle dance, rainstorms and rainbows, dinners by Dave, and “can someone translate ?”.

Connor gets his weight forward in Granite.

Liam between big and BIGGER in Granite.

Desert rain at Galloway camp.

British and Americans unite! The August 26- Sept 7 Grand Canyon group.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

Larry M negotiates Tyee rapid at the end of our first day. Photo courtesy of RRJ

Everyone comes on a river trip for different reasons; work on skills, relax, have fun, be in a beautiful place, reconnect with friends and family.  And when the group is eager to learn, like this one was, we are on fire. The Rogue has many wonderful, user-friendly sites to work on skills, and the warm water (about 68° F) makes you want to be wet. As with anything you’re doing, if it’s really fun and interesting, you can lose track of time.

Phil and Ed discuss the finer points of surfing at the perfect teaching spot. Photo courtesy of RRJ

I’ve often referred to Mary as the task master.  I mean it in a good way. She’s an amazing instructor that has boundless energy for her students. Because of that she and her group are usually the lasts one in at the end of the day. Well, on this trip I had her beat, hands down.

Mary draws on all her playground skills while giving a talk on eddy maneuvers before hitting the river.

My group and I might have been a bit a little late for lunch one day (an hour- don’t worry we had snacks) because we stopped to work a couple of killer eddies and run every “optional” line I knew, plus hone our jet ferries, surf waves and make attainments. It’s also possible we drifted into camp with just enough time to change and line up for dinner that evening, “But we had to play that cushion, you know, the one by Battle Bar.”  We all slept pretty well that night!

Ed R at the crux of Upper Black Bar Falls. Photo courtesy of RRJ

Mary spots Sam P, making the move above the "picket fence" in upper Blossom Bar. Photo courtesy of Jon P.

Thanks go out to long time Rogue returning paddlers Jim and Ginny. Paul K was back for his second time and brought his friend Larry.  Alaskan Terry P was soaking up the sun and warm water.  First timers Isabella, Ed, Donna, Mike, Helen, Jon and Sam were talking about returning again next year. We hope we see you too!

Our group from August 19-22, 2009. Photo courtesy RRJ.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking except where noted, all rights reserved.

Running the fish ladder at Rainie Falls. Photo courtesy of RRJ.

In mid to late August we ran two trips on Southern Oregon’s Rogue River.  We’ve long touted this as a great introduction to multi-day river trips and it didn’t disappoint.  Looking back through the photos I am reminded of the incredible weather we had with clear, blue sunny skies. It is so typical of the Rogue that time of year.

Enjoying breakfast and the warmth of the sun.

We had a lot of Rogue veterans return for the first trip, proving that this river has something for everyone.  We got to reconnect with Doug H. and his two, now adult, boys Trevor and Brett- what a solid paddling family.  Our long time friend Steve F., another solid class IV boater (who we’re used to seeing in Ecuador) used it as a chance to forget about work and spend some much overdue time in his kayak. Sheri M., Hubby Bill H. and Sherri’s son Marc and his wife Angela used the trip as their summertime, family get-together.

Sound advice from the back of Jonathan's T-Shirt.

Howard D. was there with his young son Johnathan. Don’t show him the guide book, he’ll memorize it and give you the blow by blow on rapids. Lynne A. and Lynne V. came from Texas, mixing things up with hardshell and inflatable kayak skills.  Bird L., on the fast track, pulled off a highly successful trip with a grand total of  7  river-days under her belt (don’t try this at home)- that’s just not fair! She’s been picking up some good skills from partner Mark, a verteran kayaker. Mary K. and Richard brought a boat-load of good, positive energy. Doug S. used the river as a stepping stone to further his whitewater paddling before heading back to Hawaii.

Kayaks and the view from camp at the end of day one.

A big treat for us was having our godson Hayden S. join us on the river- all the way from North Carolina.  Zeroing in on his last year at high school we knew it would be hard to get this opportunity with him again.  Rogue River Journeys provided a stellar crew with their usual first-class support and great food.  A special thanks to J.R., our third kayak guide.  His knowledge of the Rogue and smooth style were greatly appreciated.

A black bear checks in to see what's cookin'.

Katherine, one of the great raft guides from RRJ, goes big!

What happens on the river, stays on the river- that's the hope anyway.

The gang on our August 12-15 trip

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking except where noted, all rights reserved.

We hope you’ve had a great spring and summer of paddling.  If you’re  not ready for it to end why not join us in Ecuador for one of our many offerings this winter.  We have a variety of trips for skill levels from class III+ to IV+.  Check out our website www.adventurekayaking.com for more details. Start dreaming today.

Our camp at Solitude on the lower Rogue River.

In what may be one of our quickest set of turn- arounds between trips we have spent less than twenty four hours at home.  We’re just back from two really great 4-day Rogue trips and we are now off to the Grand Canyon for two trips there.  We’ll be back the first part of October to write more about it. Gotta run (aren’t we lucky!).

Kayakers take in the sites while floating near Saddle Canyon, Grand Canyon.

Kayakers on a mellow section of the upper stretches of the Middle Fork Salmon- day one.

Between the weather and the folks that were along, our second trip on the Middle Fork was quite the variety pack.  While the West was strongly represented, we also had folks from as far away as Washington D.C., Wisconsin and Canada. There were several families, couples, friends, hardshell kayakers (long boats and short), inflatable kayakers and rafters, . We also had a good mix of ages, including a pod of youngsters, ages 16-21, that we affectionately referred to as the “pack of wolves”.

Once our bags were loaded onto the support rafts at Boundary Creek, we did our usual thing of dividing the hardshell kayakers into three groups, each with it’s own guide, so as to give us all plenty of room to move about the river and play.  That first day I had the wolves. This group of young, enthuisastic kayakers were all in play boats of one type or another.  Their motto seemed to be “leave no river feature untouched”. This was demonstrated as they zipped about the river in search of  the slightest hint of  play. Nothing was off limits; boofs, waves, holes, and given the chance, each other. My job that day was to keep the wolves at bay from the other groups and make sure they were “well fed” with play and challenges.

Hannas F., one of the pack, hits the boof at Ram's Horn.

The raft crew once again did a great job negotiating camps for us prior to the put in.  We’re always looking for the right blend of distance, play and, if possible, a hot springs when choosing camps- you’re only allowed one.  On the Middle Fork camps all get assigned before the start of the trip so you know exactly where you’ll be staying each night.

Breaking camp at Sheepeater camp the morning of day two.

Some of our support rafts neogtiate the crux of Pistol Creek rapid, day two.

On our third morning I awoke early to roust Chris L. who said he wanted to do a 6:00 a.m. surf session at the wave where we were camped.  Talk is always bold the night before, so I was a bit skeptical about Chris’ commitment.  He took me by surprise when he came out of his tent after the first call and donned his drysuit.  For 40 minutes he had the wave to himself while I sat on the shore taking photos.  The normally clear waters of the Middle Fork were running dark, an indication of a flash of some kind upstream of us that must have occurred during the night. I still don’t know what side stream it was, but based on the short duration of the muddy waters the rest of the trip, it wasn’t very big.  Chris and I returned to camp before anyone other than the crew was up.

Chris L. pulls a dawn patrol surf session on day three.

Chris L. watches the muddy waters of the Middle Fork race by during his early- morning surf session.

While some of us worked in the kitchen prepping our third night’s dinner, everyone else could be found down by the waters edge relaxing and swimming.  At one point someone indicated there was a badger swimming across the river in our direction.  I have never seen a badger in the wild.  This guy obviously had a routine he wasn’t going to let us disrupt.  He swam straight toward the beach where our group was hanging out, clambered out of the water and gave us all a look as if to say “what, haven’t you ever seen a badger before?” Everyone stood there in awe of this bold little fellow at which point he arched his back, let out a hiss which caused the group to part.  He went right through the middle of everyone, up the beach and continued up the steep hill behind camp like he was late for a date the next state over. I think we were all so stunned I’m not sure anyone got a photo.

Steam and sunrise in the kitchen the morning of day four.

Our luck with the weather of the first trip didn’t hold. We were experiencing quite the mix of conditions, fortunately when it did rain, it happened at all the right times.  On our third night at Shelf camp,  sometime around 10:00 p.m we were treated to a simultaneous flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, indicating just how close by the lightning had been.  The sound of the thunder echoed off the canyon walls as it rolled downstream while big rain drops began to fall with little warning.  While most of us were safe in our tents, there was an adventurous group (read the youngsters) that had hiked to the hot springs at Loon Creek two miles away.  Some were still in the springs when the rain hit and said it was magical, while others were mid- trail on the return trip and got pretty soaked.

Pulling in to take advantage of the hot springs at Sunflower.

Connor D. looks out from one of the pools on the upper bench at Sunflower hot springs.

Kayaker Todd L. and raft guide Tessa S. demonstrate the two extremes of attire on the Middle Fork at Sunflower hot springs.

From our camp we had easy rapids  providing us with some nice warm-up before hitting the Tappin series. This included the newly formed rapid at Cove Creek which had once been Tappin II and III.  The line was the same a the week before- down the left, moving center at the bottom. With a mellow stretch in the middle around the area of the Flying B Ranch, the river picked up again at Haystack and moved right along into camp. Our fourth night’s camp saw us at Survey, a beautiful, low bench amongst the trees. To get there we put in our longest day of paddling, so the comfortable camp was a welcomed site.

What goes up gets to come down. Hiking up Big Creek.

As with our trip in late June, on the fifth day we got in run on the lower mile of Big Creek by hiking our boats up to the first bridge. It wasn’t for everyone, so the others spent the time exploring waterfall creek and the confluence with Big Creek.  From there we all went down to Veil Falls and hiked up to the alcove where the mist from the falls chased us around the lush, green meadow at it’s base. The view from there looking upstream is spectacular.

The gang just before putting in on Big Creek.

With the rapids at Redside and Weber behind us, it was an easy four miles into Parrot Placer, our last night’s camp.  Many of the raft guides had headed to camp early that afternoon. As we paddled into the eddy and climbed out of our kayaks we were treated to costum clad guides with appetisers in hand- now that’s service!  Not wanting folks to feel left out of the fun, the guides had brought plenty of outfits to share.  The last night had a lot of laughter and came with the reminder that what happens on the river, stays on the river.

The group at our take out on the Main Salmon.

Thanks all for another great trip and thanks to our all our raft guides this season; Collen W.,Tessa, Zach B. Billy, Hata, Dewi, , Collen B.

You can never get enough susnets over the Sawtooths.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.