Saturday 3 March Salta rafting
We had an easy start, getting ready to attempt to navigate The Rapids Of Deeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaath. Seriously, this canyon has Class 3 rapids and there was a lot of serious safety staff and boats backing up about 7 rafts each of 6 rowers plus crewman. All night long we lay in bed listening to the river roaring and seeming to challenge or warn us. About 10.30 we kitted up in wet suit, booties, helmet and sun/spray jacket. The rafts were right here and off we went.
There was a dry land training course that ran fully five minutes of semi English. How to wedge yourself (tenuously) into position, how to paddle, how to tug somebody aboard, how to get out from under a capsized raft etc. Then we were off. Our raft consisted of the 4 Aussie geriatrics, Luke at front right and Leslie.
There was some flat water to practise on and then straight into Rapid 1. We had been told after it was too late to bail out) that the waves might be 2-3 metres and that there were 9 rapids, one of which was Grade 4. The first rapid was a bit of a shock, although the captain described it as “Morrisey” (more easy). There was some 10 minutes before the next, which was longer and stronger. Water dumped into the boat from all angles, somebody behind me was screaming, mounds of water towered over the boat and then dropped away to a deep pit that we plunged into. We had very little connection to the raft (toes of one foot wedged under an inflated cushion in front and the other heel pushed back against the one behind). We weren’t IN the raft at all – rather sitting on the gunwale with our asses hanging out. We had to keep paddling constantly to drive through the rapids, otherwise we would simply stay there and get pounded.
Calm before the storm
There was some flat water to practise on and then straight into Rapid 1. We had been told after it was too late to bail out) that the waves might be 2-3 metres and that there were 9 rapids, one of which was Grade 4. The first rapid was a bit of a shock, although the captain described it as “Morrisey” (more easy). There was some 10 minutes before the next, which was longer and stronger. Water dumped into the boat from all angles, somebody behind me was screaming, mounds of water towered over the boat and then dropped away to a deep pit that we plunged into. We had very little connection to the raft (toes of one foot wedged under an inflated cushion in front and the other heel pushed back against the one behind). We weren’t IN the raft at all – rather sitting on the gunwale with our asses hanging out. We had to keep paddling constantly to drive through the rapids, otherwise we would simply stay there and get pounded.
Somehow we battered our way through and I thought “Shit it’s going to be a long day”. The captain distracted us with observations about the hills and cliffs on either side, pointing out interesting shapes, fossils, land formations and features which we also have in WA – stromatalytes and thrombolites.
We were barely into rapid 3 when one of the boats in front capsized in a whirlpool (Fabulous), scattering 5 people in the water. We were last but we had some floating bag on a rope for rescue purposes so we were urged to race forward to start collecting survivors. The boat in front got one, our captain hauled in another, and we glimpsed the raft spinning round upside down and the rescue catamaran on its side, stuck in the trees in the middle. We pulled into shallow water among trees a short distance further down and waited.
Tiny one-man rescue microcanoes zipped up and down, crew swam past (making very little sideways progress), another raft pulled in next to us, the captain nursing a split just under his eye, then another crewman in a canoe pulled up with wasp bites. Fabulouser and fabulouser! It took a long time to extricate the cat from among the trees. I jumped overboard and widdled through my wetsuit, and another raft full of our group pulled in with the camp Labrador in a lifejacket. She jumped onto our raft and snuggled between my knees to be scratched (might have liked the smell?).
By this time, we had gone cold and the adrenaline had dissipated. Having seen one capsize and the problems they had, we were a tad nervous but immediately the team came together and we nailed it. The next few rapids came quickly one after the other and we flew downstream, kinda like an Italian motorway, through the crests and above the troughs, with the captain yelling “Paddle my team” and spontaneous yells and whoops as each wave broke over us and we hopped across the next hole in the water. J and I had worked out that we needed to be more front-on, sitting more on the sideways cushion and less on the side of the raft. In that position, you can duck forward and keep paddling if the boat rears up or hangs on the edge of a hole. We have just seen the pictures and they are Sensational.
The following pics are in quick succession:
The following pics are in quick succession:
Then we were out the back and getting orders on how to disembark. We hauled the rafts out onto trailers and drove back on an ancient bus, elated with excitement and achievement. They had a bbq waiting for us and we feasted on fatty beef, chorizo sausage, fresh bread and salads.
BUT WAIT!!!!
Didn’t I mention The Ziplines of DEEEEAAAAAATH? Back to the kit shed, fitted with helmet, parachute harness, and several kilos of pulleys and gizmos.
A half hour climb up the side of the canyon, which left us 670 ft above the river, hanging from a pair of steel cables with a reinforced glove to grab one to brake. The cables stretched 600m across the valley and the first one dropped maybe 300ft, hanging in a shallow loop then rising up again towards the far bank.
A half hour climb up the side of the canyon, which left us 670 ft above the river, hanging from a pair of steel cables with a reinforced glove to grab one to brake. The cables stretched 600m across the valley and the first one dropped maybe 300ft, hanging in a shallow loop then rising up again towards the far bank.
Only half way up and Bob is dwarved in the campsite
Jasper went first, looking pretty terrified but determined (after 4 of the crew had led off). He made it across without screaming and this encouraged the rest of us to follow. There were about 25. We were told NOT to brake because we would get left hanging 500ft up above the river and the crew would have to come out and fetch us. You have to wait until you get the Brake signal (2 arms raised) from the far bank, then you grasp the higher cable with both hands and pull down. This is only in about the final 30m. Only a couple of people fell short (both from the Argentine group).
Braking hard
Smiling now it is the last zip
As soon as we reached the far side, we were unshackled and then moved 5 m along to be attached to another pair of cables and then back across the river. The 4th and final crossing took us right into the campsite, where our “friends” were ready to hurl bowls of water up at us.
A remarkably cheap day, less than $100 per head and strong feelings of achievement. We like to mix our holidays up and break the comfort barriers, whether it’s by singing on stage on a cruise ship, jumping off a mountain, just driving on the bloody roads in India and Nepal, submarining, talking to leopards, hot air ballooning, banana boating etc. They had photographers along the banks and we bought a set of stupendous photographs showing us so deep in a hole that nothing protrudes and totally out of the water coming up.
Yeee-Haaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
An interesting development – after tomorrow we will be above 3000m for a few weeks. So we can’t use our laptop. At altitudes like that the hard drive is likely to shatter. So our access is going to be much restricted L
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