November 6th, 2009
Well its 9:00pm and as has been par for the course so far, everyone is in bed........so far a successful adventure trip but a failure socially!?.......ha ha, not at all, with the days activities its not hard to see why everyone is hitting the hay so early, and today was no exception.
The day dawned overcast though we hadn't seen any significant rain in a couple of days, the Tana River had also dropped. This played into our plans of running the North Mathioya River perfectly.....
After a few early delays, we hit the road around 9am for the river. After a pit stop and some slow going (we climbed about 1000 metres elevation) in the bus we arrived at the North Mathioya around 11:45am. A quick unpack and lunch and we were on our way to the waters edge.
The North Mathioya has only been run a handful of times, so there is no formal gauge, however, as we discovered today we were on it at a sporty, high level.
The run was 14.5 kms of non stop action, no real defining features, just super continuous and pretty steep rapids from put in to take out.
The crew stepped up large on this run, as it was a super long, technical and committing run, with very few eddies to break things up along the way.
A few people hiked out early on, we had a couple of swims, but overall a spectacular day on the river. By the time we got off our own personal liquid rollercoaster the river had gone up 6 - 8 inches..a good foot or so higher than I had ever paddled it......
Not much else to say, the North Mathioya didn't disappoint. We are off to Samburu tomorrow so may be out of cell range for a few days.
Happy Adventures
Simon
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
November 5th, 2009
Another day on the rivers of Kenya today.......aaahhhh a tough life indeed.
Today the group split, one team of 10 re ran the whitewater section of the Tana twice, and added a couple of sporty rapids to those available to run, and a team of 5 went out and ran the rarely kayaked Lower Ragati River.
I paddled with the Ragati team and we had an awesome day, cruising some flat sections (and chatting with intrigued locals), and also running some low volume, technical class IV drops. With the water level being a little lower than past trips, the team (Mike, Aibert, Ryan, Daryl and Trevor) even managed to snag a first decent of a line on one of the final water falls. So all in all a great day.
The Tana crew were out working on skills and drills, running the still high and pushy rapids on the main whitewater section.
We have had a few swims along the way, though all good ones in the name of progression. Tomorrow is our last day on the river for 3 days as we are off on safari in Samburu Game Reserve (a well earned break). We are headed further afield tomorrow to the North Mathioya, so check in tomorrow for our last kayaking post for a few days.......
Thanks for checking in and everyone says hi......
Another day on the rivers of Kenya today.......aaahhhh a tough life indeed.
Today the group split, one team of 10 re ran the whitewater section of the Tana twice, and added a couple of sporty rapids to those available to run, and a team of 5 went out and ran the rarely kayaked Lower Ragati River.
I paddled with the Ragati team and we had an awesome day, cruising some flat sections (and chatting with intrigued locals), and also running some low volume, technical class IV drops. With the water level being a little lower than past trips, the team (Mike, Aibert, Ryan, Daryl and Trevor) even managed to snag a first decent of a line on one of the final water falls. So all in all a great day.
The Tana crew were out working on skills and drills, running the still high and pushy rapids on the main whitewater section.
We have had a few swims along the way, though all good ones in the name of progression. Tomorrow is our last day on the river for 3 days as we are off on safari in Samburu Game Reserve (a well earned break). We are headed further afield tomorrow to the North Mathioya, so check in tomorrow for our last kayaking post for a few days.......
Thanks for checking in and everyone says hi......
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
November 4th, 2009
Today we awoke to the river being even higher again, definitely creeping up to a pretty staunch level. So after a big breaky, in spite of some aches and pains in the group we head out to the Tana River again.
In the morning we repeated the water fall at Raging Thunder and got some good video and photos of the team running the 8 foot drop. This was followed by an s-turn, surfing session in the fast pushy water below Dogs Back. We then blasted a quick run down the dame section as yesterday before loading up and heading to the longer, more challenging whitewater section.
A short hike (due to muddy roads), delivered us to the put in below Flexor rapid which in this water level was in all its splendor, red, big and intimidating, putting on below it had a fair share of people looking suitably nervous.
The 7 km run went by without incident, a few rolls in some big waves and holes though overall good lines were had by all.
After paddling we had a quick changeover before heading across the river for a soccer game against the Thangati School team. Te result was a 3 - 0 loss for team PJ's, a good fun way to spend an afternoon and they are keen for a rematch before we leave.
Everyone is well and having a great time, will keep you posted as we go
Today we awoke to the river being even higher again, definitely creeping up to a pretty staunch level. So after a big breaky, in spite of some aches and pains in the group we head out to the Tana River again.
In the morning we repeated the water fall at Raging Thunder and got some good video and photos of the team running the 8 foot drop. This was followed by an s-turn, surfing session in the fast pushy water below Dogs Back. We then blasted a quick run down the dame section as yesterday before loading up and heading to the longer, more challenging whitewater section.
A short hike (due to muddy roads), delivered us to the put in below Flexor rapid which in this water level was in all its splendor, red, big and intimidating, putting on below it had a fair share of people looking suitably nervous.
The 7 km run went by without incident, a few rolls in some big waves and holes though overall good lines were had by all.
After paddling we had a quick changeover before heading across the river for a soccer game against the Thangati School team. Te result was a 3 - 0 loss for team PJ's, a good fun way to spend an afternoon and they are keen for a rematch before we leave.
Everyone is well and having a great time, will keep you posted as we go
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
November 3rd, 2009
So today was our first kayaking day of the trip, in typical fashion, we woke up under warm, rainy skies.
After a hearty breakfast, a quick pack up of gear and boats and we were on our way to the first run of the trip.
Today was a double run (same section twice) on the Upper Tana River.....
Our morning session was a warm up run, we looked at some basic skills and drills, though more or less just concentrated on getting our 'boating' legs back.....this took us through to lunch time and a 25 foot bridge jump into the river for most of the team.
So far this trip has been deemed by some as 'fat camp', so in true AT fashion the afternoon was at a considerably less low key pace.
The crew split into 2 groups, one doing a waterfall running clinic on the 8 foot Raging Thunder waterfall and the other group looked at some fast challenging water skill development. After an hour or so each team switched activities.
There were some great lines run, skill development was excellent, and most importantly everyone had a great day. So after bombing the rest of the run (aside from a few surf stops) we made it to the takeout by 4:30pm or so........
In a nutshell everything is going great, people are stoked, paddling well and the water levels are spot on right now......
A few personal messages;
Bill: Barb is just fine, she is loving life and is safe and sound.....
Robin: Blair had a very mild case of Malaria, all is well though, he is on a course of antibiotics and hasn't even missed any river time.....he says to tell you NOT to worry he is just fine....
Other than that all is great. Stay tuned for more updates soon.......
November 2nd, 2009
Just a quick update today, the rest of the Paddle Junkies crew arrived
today. Some from Canada via Amsterdam and Barb and Sandy joined us fresh
off their (very successful) 4 day Hells Gate and Masai Mara safari.
We spent the day at Sagana, outfitting kayaks, enjoying a few Tuskers (local
beer) and more or less relaxing in the equatorial sun.
We start with the paddling portion of the trip tomorrow so I will be
updating the blog with that info in the coming days.
Check in over the next few days for tall tales of paddling prowess (and
trashings....they are far more interesting/entertaining.......)
So today was our first kayaking day of the trip, in typical fashion, we woke up under warm, rainy skies.
After a hearty breakfast, a quick pack up of gear and boats and we were on our way to the first run of the trip.
Today was a double run (same section twice) on the Upper Tana River.....
Our morning session was a warm up run, we looked at some basic skills and drills, though more or less just concentrated on getting our 'boating' legs back.....this took us through to lunch time and a 25 foot bridge jump into the river for most of the team.
So far this trip has been deemed by some as 'fat camp', so in true AT fashion the afternoon was at a considerably less low key pace.
The crew split into 2 groups, one doing a waterfall running clinic on the 8 foot Raging Thunder waterfall and the other group looked at some fast challenging water skill development. After an hour or so each team switched activities.
There were some great lines run, skill development was excellent, and most importantly everyone had a great day. So after bombing the rest of the run (aside from a few surf stops) we made it to the takeout by 4:30pm or so........
In a nutshell everything is going great, people are stoked, paddling well and the water levels are spot on right now......
A few personal messages;
Bill: Barb is just fine, she is loving life and is safe and sound.....
Robin: Blair had a very mild case of Malaria, all is well though, he is on a course of antibiotics and hasn't even missed any river time.....he says to tell you NOT to worry he is just fine....
Other than that all is great. Stay tuned for more updates soon.......
November 2nd, 2009
Just a quick update today, the rest of the Paddle Junkies crew arrived
today. Some from Canada via Amsterdam and Barb and Sandy joined us fresh
off their (very successful) 4 day Hells Gate and Masai Mara safari.
We spent the day at Sagana, outfitting kayaks, enjoying a few Tuskers (local
beer) and more or less relaxing in the equatorial sun.
We start with the paddling portion of the trip tomorrow so I will be
updating the blog with that info in the coming days.
Check in over the next few days for tall tales of paddling prowess (and
trashings....they are far more interesting/entertaining.......)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
October 31st, 2009
Well we shouldve known not to summit Mt Kenya on Halloween.........
But before we go into that a quick follow on from the last update. After another rainy night, some leaky tents and mud EVERYWHERE we set off from the Chogoria Road Head at about 9am on October 30th for Mintos Hut.
This leg of our hike would see us climb from about 3300m to 4300m over approx. 10kms of distance. The morning treated us to some fantastic views as the clouds cleared for a few hours. This was however a little short lived as the clouds came ripping up the valley which soon saw us shrouded in cloud and eventually rain and reasonable winds.
The crew plugged on though, spirits high and after about 7 hours of steady progress we made it to Mintos Camp, our last stop before summitting. Some people joined me for a trip to the temple (a spot in the Gorges Valley where you can peer over the efge of a cliff for an unobstructed view 200+ metres down to the valley floor below), others just chilled at camp. After an early dinner we all headed to bed under clear skies in preparation for our 2:30am start to the summit. The clear skies though soon gave way to overcast skies, which then turned to rain, and by the time 2:00am came around large wet snowflakes were falling thick and fast........
This is where Halloween kicked in.......
Unperterbed we loaded up packs and set off toward the summit. Though as we climbed, the snow became heavier and visibility lessened....(under the light of our flashlights you could barely see the person 3 feet in front of you), still we climbed on.....
After about three hours of hiking we had gained approximately 350m (half of the days total) of altitude, but as the night turned to day we were presented with the site of a mountain slap bang on the equator with 6 inches of snow covering it.....still we pressed on.
To cut a long story short (those of you who know peopl on the trip will FOR SURE hear the long story), we all managed to summit at about 8am with it still snowing and 6 + inches of snow around the summit, a fitting end in a way to a wet and wild trip.
Getting to the top is really only half the challenge, we then spent the remainder of the day hiking out the remaining 20kms (we did a total of 23 kms, approx. 1000m ascent and 1600m descent over the day) to Old Moses Hut. We got here at about 5pm, so our day totalled 14 hours more or less of hiking.
Everyone is super pumped on the adventure, though most are looking forward to heading back to Sagana tomorrow (after an easy 2 hour hike out) for a day and a bit of rest before getting into the paddling portion of the trip.....
Stay tuned for more soon
Simon
Well we shouldve known not to summit Mt Kenya on Halloween.........
But before we go into that a quick follow on from the last update. After another rainy night, some leaky tents and mud EVERYWHERE we set off from the Chogoria Road Head at about 9am on October 30th for Mintos Hut.
This leg of our hike would see us climb from about 3300m to 4300m over approx. 10kms of distance. The morning treated us to some fantastic views as the clouds cleared for a few hours. This was however a little short lived as the clouds came ripping up the valley which soon saw us shrouded in cloud and eventually rain and reasonable winds.
The crew plugged on though, spirits high and after about 7 hours of steady progress we made it to Mintos Camp, our last stop before summitting. Some people joined me for a trip to the temple (a spot in the Gorges Valley where you can peer over the efge of a cliff for an unobstructed view 200+ metres down to the valley floor below), others just chilled at camp. After an early dinner we all headed to bed under clear skies in preparation for our 2:30am start to the summit. The clear skies though soon gave way to overcast skies, which then turned to rain, and by the time 2:00am came around large wet snowflakes were falling thick and fast........
This is where Halloween kicked in.......
Unperterbed we loaded up packs and set off toward the summit. Though as we climbed, the snow became heavier and visibility lessened....(under the light of our flashlights you could barely see the person 3 feet in front of you), still we climbed on.....
After about three hours of hiking we had gained approximately 350m (half of the days total) of altitude, but as the night turned to day we were presented with the site of a mountain slap bang on the equator with 6 inches of snow covering it.....still we pressed on.
To cut a long story short (those of you who know peopl on the trip will FOR SURE hear the long story), we all managed to summit at about 8am with it still snowing and 6 + inches of snow around the summit, a fitting end in a way to a wet and wild trip.
Getting to the top is really only half the challenge, we then spent the remainder of the day hiking out the remaining 20kms (we did a total of 23 kms, approx. 1000m ascent and 1600m descent over the day) to Old Moses Hut. We got here at about 5pm, so our day totalled 14 hours more or less of hiking.
Everyone is super pumped on the adventure, though most are looking forward to heading back to Sagana tomorrow (after an easy 2 hour hike out) for a day and a bit of rest before getting into the paddling portion of the trip.....
Stay tuned for more soon
Simon
Friday, October 30, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
October 30th, 2009
Well we have now covered 2 of our 5 days on Mt Kenya, we are currently at about 3,300 metres under overcast skies just having breakfast before our (BIG, 1,000 m elevation gain over 10 kms) 3rd day to Mintos Hut, we will then be summitting early the next morning....
The weather so far has been testing...pouring rain both days, which has kept everyone pretty damp, though the laughs are still coming thick and fast and everyone is still in a super positive frame of mind.
Would be nice if the clouds would clear though so at least people would believe that there is actually a mountain up there... Will keep you posted on progress.
We went and visited the ever impressive Nithi Falls last night which is a 150 foot drop near camp in a lush vegetated valley, a lot of muddy scrambling and down climbing on tree roots got us to the bottom of the falls that literally takes your breath away.
So, all is well (if a little damp) and we are making great progress.
Will be in touch soon
Simon
Well we have now covered 2 of our 5 days on Mt Kenya, we are currently at about 3,300 metres under overcast skies just having breakfast before our (BIG, 1,000 m elevation gain over 10 kms) 3rd day to Mintos Hut, we will then be summitting early the next morning....
The weather so far has been testing...pouring rain both days, which has kept everyone pretty damp, though the laughs are still coming thick and fast and everyone is still in a super positive frame of mind.
Would be nice if the clouds would clear though so at least people would believe that there is actually a mountain up there... Will keep you posted on progress.
We went and visited the ever impressive Nithi Falls last night which is a 150 foot drop near camp in a lush vegetated valley, a lot of muddy scrambling and down climbing on tree roots got us to the bottom of the falls that literally takes your breath away.
So, all is well (if a little damp) and we are making great progress.
Will be in touch soon
Simon
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Paddle Junkies - Kenya 2009
October 27th, 2009
So a bunch of the Paddle Junkies turned up today, 8 for the 5 day trip up Mt Kenya and 2 for a 4 day safari in the Masai Mara and Hells Gate. from all reports the trip over was long, with some comical Amsterdam moments breaking up the monotany of 18 hours of flying......
After a record setting drive of 30 mins across Nairobi (usually takes 2 hours) we dropped Barb and Sandy off at the Jacaranda Hotel in preparation for their safari. The rest of us headed to our Sagana river base.
The rest of the day was spent in the swimming pool, relaxing and generally enjoying the surrounds....
We are off up Mt Kenya tomorrow morning so updates will be a little sporadic, so keep checking in and I will keep you all posted with what's going on here in Kenya
Happy Adventures
Simon
So a bunch of the Paddle Junkies turned up today, 8 for the 5 day trip up Mt Kenya and 2 for a 4 day safari in the Masai Mara and Hells Gate. from all reports the trip over was long, with some comical Amsterdam moments breaking up the monotany of 18 hours of flying......
After a record setting drive of 30 mins across Nairobi (usually takes 2 hours) we dropped Barb and Sandy off at the Jacaranda Hotel in preparation for their safari. The rest of us headed to our Sagana river base.
The rest of the day was spent in the swimming pool, relaxing and generally enjoying the surrounds....
We are off up Mt Kenya tomorrow morning so updates will be a little sporadic, so keep checking in and I will keep you all posted with what's going on here in Kenya
Happy Adventures
Simon
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