The perfect session
I spent the day at sluice last Sunday and had one of the best sessions ever. Good weather (for February), good people, and lots of good paddling with some big moves. It was one of those days were everyone in the eddy is pumped and just enjoying every minute of it, the buzz was indescribable. Having spent most of the last six months river running this was such a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that there are many aspects of paddling that I enjoy and I should make more of an effort to make time for all of them.
Since losing one of my best friends, Dee, to a paddling accident, I spent a lot of time wondering why I bother paddling at all. Sunday reminded me of all the good aspects to paddling, the things that make us get up and go out paddling in the freezing cold, wind and rain. It’s the buzz you get from the feel of the water, the sense of excitement, pushing yourself to your limits, learning and improving, the fun you have and the smile it puts on your face, the feeling of satisfaction at the end of it all, and most importantly it’s the craic you have on the river with your mates, and the new friends you make.
posted by Davy @ 8:44 AM
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Sally got a puncture!
Then to add to the whole situtation, we stopped for a short break in a small village, only to come across a girl who had seriously cut her hand while working in the rice fields. She had a very deep cut on her thumb that had clearly happened some time ago and it was dirty and would need some stiches. Sally cleaned out the cut and wrapped it up for the girl and we told them she would have to see a doctor. On we went with it getting even later. A few towns later and Sean got chased by a huge yak and knocked about ten feet off the track with a little kid landing head first on top of him. This was becoming more and more of an epic. Then it started getting dark and we still hadn’t made it to Landruk. We told the porters to leave the boats and collect them in the morning but they refused. On we went with three head torches between 12 of us in the pitch dark. Eventually we managed to take the kayaks off ‘weak boy’ and ‘old boy’ (again joking names for the porters) and hid the kayaks but the rest would not leave them behind. So we were walking along a really steep ridge with a sheer drop on one side and in the pitch dark when things got even worse! I was at the back of the group with Sean and Paul when all of a sudden we heard this horrific scream- it was the sound someone makes when they’re sure they’re about to die- at first we didn’t know whether we were being attacked or what, then we realised the scream was moving when all of a sudden we see boats and people sliding down the track. At first we were sure someone had slipped, knocked over more porters and someone had fallen over the edge. Miracously no-one had fallen over the side. A few of the porters were cut and brusied and one had hit his head quite badly, they were all in shock.This had happened in the space of only a few seconds, and everyone was shook up. We got out the first aid kits and sorted out the porters, we hide the boats and walked to Landruk. I don’t think anyone felt easy that night, I know the sound of that scream went through my head even as I slept. Luckily it wasn’t so bad, the next morning the porters were fine, had picked up the boats and were ready to keep going. It turned out one of our lads Richard was walking on a track a little higher a stumbled, this scared the porters who thought it was a tiger, the first one fell back in fright and that’s how it started. After such an eventful day we decided not to get on the river on the Sunday. Instead we walked up to new bridge where four of us would put in, left the boats at a guest house there and then walked even further up the valley to Jhinu, where there were natural hot springs.
We spent the day and night up there and then headed back to new bridge in the morning. Four of us put in at new bridge- a 6km run mostly grade four plus and a lot of grade five. The run was steep, fast, powerful, and had lots of rocks.
There was lots of scouting and in most cases only one line down. It took quite a long time due to all the scouting but was still class paddling.
It reminded me slightly of Irish paddling- steep, fast, and shallow. I went over on one rapid, took the run in a little to relaxed and got pushed up onto a rock, spun and capsized. As I capsized I was pushed on my back deck and went down the rest of the rapid getting pused head first over rock, too shallow and steep to roll, I just had to hang on tight. Rolled up at the bottom with a bust lip, sore head, bashed elbow, and aching thumb. A foolish mistake that I wouldn’t be making again.
All in all though a class section of committing whitewater. We got off at old bridge which would be our put in for the commonly run section of the Modi Khola the next day. The next day all six of us got in at old bridge where your straight into solid grade four from the moment you break out of the eddy. Similar to the upper section, steep, tight, technical, but classic paddling. 
This went on for about ten km only easing off slighly, and with one portage where a landslide had created a long steep nasty bouldery rapid with huge potential for pinnings and serious injury. The river again reminded us of home, and it was freezing cold!!!Got out at a town called Nayapul and caught a bus back to Pohkara. However, typical of this trip the bus wouldn't take us all the way back to into Pohkara because of a strike that was on. We tried to get a taxi but they were looking for ridiculous money due to the strike. Eventually we found a vehicle, a tractor!!
We tied on all the boats jumped on whatever way we could and eventually made it back to the hotel! what an epic.This was our last river trip in Nepal, but what a river to finish on. Definitely one of the best rivers I’ve ever done.
From here we hired porters for the hike up to the put in at Souda. We had a bit of hassle at a town called Chousun, where a new tourist checkpoint had just opened up (three days earlier!!). 
The boundaries of the Annapurna trek were changed but nobody was told, we all had permits but back in Pohkara. Luckily ,after maybe an hour of arguing and trying to convince the woman from hell that we were not going to trek the circuit with our boats and would be passing by tomorrow, we managed to get through. We got to hike up the river and scout a lot of the upper section.
Unfortunately levels were very low and what should have been nice four plus and some five became read and run four, but it was still looking good. The river was very similar to home, tight- steep- technical- paddling but with lots of lovely boofs, eddies, drops, and rock splats etc.
We managed to do in one day what is supposed to take two but it was still really sweet paddling. We decided to cut the trip a bit short (paddling wise) due to the level. We decided against what would normally be 27km of grade one (at this low level it probably involved a lot of walking). Instead we went for the most insane bus journey any of us had ever done. We got a bus from Karputar back to Pohkara. The bus drove through the mountains on a track a jeep would struggle on and with huge sheer drops! Not for the faint hearted.
In all, a class river trip with good paddling and plenty of excitement both on and off the water. Heading off to the Modi Khola soon, will get this updated. 
