Ecuador Redux
| River: | Other |
| Skill: | Intermediate+/Advanced |
| Trip Date: | 01/24/2014 |
I’ve seen this rapid before.
I’ve stood, trembling slightly, on these rocks and surveyed the length of whitewater before me, in an attempt to figure out how to avoid all those nasty little places where I don’t want to go but would inevitably end up.
I’ve seen it from my boat. Large, disorienting waves followed by larger, capsizing holes. I’ve seen it from above and below the surface of the frothy water.
I’ve seen it on video, time and time again- my introduction to the Quijos River, a failure of comedic proportions.
I’ve seen it in my dreams.
Now, gone are the tremors in my legs, the flutters in my heart. Some of the holes are gone, too, replaced by a series of ill-placed rocks right in the main flow of the current. I want to run this rapid more than any I’ve paddled in my life.
First one back in the boat. First to peel out into the current. I’ve got this. A large rock right in the center of the channel forms two slots. Left is easier. Right is harder. I’m going right. Right all the way today. The water surges around the rock and the waves slow me down as I approach the slot. Angle up, pick my line, shoot down the tongue and eddy out behind the big boulder on the right bank. Breathe.
Peel out high into the main flow. Perfect. I’ve already taken the main hazards, those snaggly rocks on the right side of the main flow, totally out of play. Cruise through a wave or two, bow angled left to stay away from them. A glance to my right. I’m passing the rocks. Time to move out into the center of the channel. There’s a hole on the left. I’m there, right where I want to be. Up and over a wave. Splashed by another. Eddy on the right. Thumbs up from Daniel, our guide.
I’ve done it. Vanquished the demons that have haunted my memories for five years. And it was easy. Effortless. Time to smile, like I’ve been doing just about every minute of the last six days.
And so, I found perfect symmetry on my last day of my return trip to Ecuador. Five years ago, on my first trip to paddle the breathtaking rivers of the Oriente with Endless River Adventures, we started our week with this stretch of the Quijos River, whose second rapid left me flailing about and rolling up out of all three holes we were advised to avoid. Though I had a good time, I spent most of that trip in survival mode. This time, however, I packed a few extra things with me that left me much better prepared for the challenges of the week. This year, I brought some more experience, a few improved skills, and a whole lot more confidence with me. And with those in my suitcase, my experience was more enjoyable and satisfying by several orders of magnitude.
Ecuador really is a paddler’s paradise, and the folks at Endless River Adventures do a first-rate job in sharing this magical place and its otherworldly rivers with their guests. Guided expertly down six different sections of river over six days by Juliet, Daniel, and Cooper, our group of six paddlers included five returning customers and one new recruit from France. And all of us, it seems safe to say, have designs on returning yet again someday soon. In fact, only two of the six of us left after the first week!
One of the biggest improvements to the Ecuador experience is ERA’s new Rio Quijos Eco Lodge. Nestled alongside the Quijos River, at the takeout for the section described above, it is a beautiful home away from home. Flowers of all shapes and colors line the gravel paths between the buildings. A spacious commons area in the lodge, complete with a bar, makes for a great place to hang out and socialize after paddling. And an open air yoga pavilion down by the banks of the river provides a great place to do yoga, or just stretch out on a hammock with a book and a beer and the sound of the river to keep you company. The addition of this lodge truly does put a lot more of the relaxation in a vacation filled with long days on the river. And when it finally is time to go to sleep, you are immersed in the quiet of the cloud forest, with the cool night air providing the perfect climate for sleeping.
We began our river experience on Sunday with a run down the Lower Quijos. While a few of us weren’t up for the challenge of the class IV Gringos Revueltos right out of the gate, Mazy and Matthieu, our new friend from France, accepted and began their trip with quite a thrill. The rest of us met up with them at the next put-in and headed downriver, enjoying the big splashy waves while reacquainting ourselves with the nuances and funny currents of a high volume river like this. This was a new run for me, and it proved to be a perfect, stress-free warmup with some jaw-dropping vistas of the Quijos valley.
Day two began with a drive up to the Cosanga River, a tributary of the Quijos. One of the nice characteristics of the Cosanga is that it increases in difficulty as you go downstream, providing many options for our group. Unlike the Quijos, the Cosanga is narrow and creeky, and felt a lot more like the rivers I’m used to paddling in the Southeast, aside from the uniquely breathtaking scenery lining the banks, of course. There’s nothing quite like running a rapid along a hundred foot high wall draped in lush green vegetation. After running the first section and breaking for lunch, four of us continued on downstream for the class III+ section. In the first true test of this section, I had a rather exciting moment as I came screaming around a blind corner to find Matthieu stuck in a hole at the bottom of the rapid. I tried to avoid him to the right but could not get over fast enough and instead buddy boofed him out of the hole, while knocking myself into it for a minute before I was able to roll up. After that, the action picked up. The rapids were often very long and splashy, dodging rocks and holes as we formed a long, seven-person Conga line down the river.
The Cosanga, again, was a new run for me and a beautiful surprise. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the day, since I hadn’t heard much about this river, but after paddling it I thought that it was certainly a challenger for my favorite river. Then again, here in Ecuador, what isn’t?
The next morning we drove up and over the mountains and down into the jungle, in the Tena area. The big water Jatunyacu River awaited us, and Matthieu and I swapped out our Diesels for playboats for this run, hoping to get some surfing in. Right off the bat, we approached a gigantic wave train that we knew was going to be a lot of fun in our little boats. When I came upon the first big wave, it was breaking in on me from the left, so I squared up to it and tried to lean forward and make it up and over the wave. Somehow, after being stuck on my edge for what seemed like a minute or two, I was able to regain my balance just in time for the next, bigger wave. I tried the left side of it again, but this wave had a bit more bite to it, and though I tried valiantly to hang on, I flipped and rolled in the big water before paddling the runout while laughing maniacally. From there on, it was miles and miles of roller coaster waves under wide open sunny skies.
On Wednesday, once again we switched to different style of river, as we tackled the Jondachi and Hollin Rivers. This trip has the feeling of an Indiana Jones adventure, starting with the walk down to the put in. In an agreement made with the local landowners to access the river, we pay a small amount to locals who carry our boats down to the river for us, down a treacherous trail of mud and rock. When we finally made it to the river, in a full lather of sweat despite not carring anything but our paddles and water bottles, it was obvious why the trek was worth it. A swinging bridge hangs above the river at the put-in, and as you look downstream you see a jungle creek disappearing around the bend.
This river is unmatched in its beauty – at least as far as any I’ve seen. Waterfalls cascade down the banks. Blue morph butterflies flit about as you paddle the creeky class III rapids. Birds of all colors, shapes and sizes beckon you with their unusual calls. There are tight lines, play waves, and then once the Jondachi is joined by the Hollin River, big volume fun for miles and miles.
Upon returning to the “Monkey Lodge,” our home in the jungle, I made a new friend. Pepito, the charismatic and oft-mischievous monkey who was orphaned as an infant and raised by the people at the lodge, decided to wait out a rainstorm with me. At first, he curled up in a ball on the chair next to me while I read about snowstorms back home on my iPad. Then after about a half hour, he got up off the chair, stretched out a little bit, and walked over right onto my lap like a cat, where he again curled up into a ball and took a monkey nap. With all due apologies to every cuddly critter I’ve ever petted, it’s hard to beat the cute factor of a monkey nap.
The next day brought us a chance to paddle the river I had most anticipated since I contemplated a return trip to Ecuador. The Upper Misahualli is a busy, continuous, booftastic creek that never disappoints. It’s the one river that, even if it were our only option for the week, we’d still travel all the way to Ecuador to paddle it. It’s fun and non-stop and steep but not intimidatingly so (there’s a newly opened Upper-Upper section if you want that), and was a great finale for our time down in the jungle.
Finally, our last day was on the Quijos again, where I gained my redemption on that rapid that had chewed me up and spit me out five years ago. Last time, I was so shaken by my rude welcome to Ecuador that I didn’t enjoy – or even remember – any of the rest of the rapids on this stretch of the Quijos. So on this trip, it was almost like a completely new section of river to me, and way more fun than I ever remembered. Though we put on the river on a grey and rainy morning, by the end of our trip we were paddling under perfect blue skies again.
The hardest part of this trip was packing up the bus to drive back over the mountains to Quito, bound for home. Hard to say goodbye to good friends, new, old, and monkey. Impossible to leave this place, because it is etched in stone in my memories and dreams. Impossible to leave for very long, I’m sure. Because when I close my eyes and hear the roar of the Quijos, its siren’s song beckons me to return.
Who am I to resist?
Trip participants: John McDonald, Mazy Leung, Carin Aichele, Matthieu Tartar, Carter Hearn, Ursy Potter
Guides: Juliet Kastorff, Daniel Young, Cooper Stults
Trip photos available on ERA's Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/endlessriveradventures/sets/72157640374098063/