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Japan
2012
The confluence
We had no beta at all when we paddled
the Upper
Nakatsugawa last year. Now we have a pretty good
idea what we're getting into, except we have just a small fraction of
the water as compared to the previous adventure. On the river
everything still goes, with a whole different feel.
Shannamar Dewey and Yoshi Takahashi at the end of the first long rapid.
Shannamar Dewey and Yoshi Takahashi at the end of the first long rapid.
Today we're able to run some rapids that
were just too scary last time. Rapids that were full of big holes and
no recovery pools for a swim have turned into technical boulder gardens
full of fun boofs.
David Maurier in a fun rapid.
Just a quarter mile into the run the
river goes through a deep canyon. High on the banks are marks for an
eventual hydroelectric project. It's only a matter of time before this
river vanishes for whitewater paddlers.
Yoshi in the mandatory blind rapid.
Yoshi boofing though a magical canyon.
Daniel Brasuell in the same.
Soon after the mandatory section the river eases up and we pull up to yesterdays red bridge with huge grins on our faces. Coming back a year later it feels great to connect the dots on this river.
Camping at a trailhead near the Zakogawa.
On to the Zakogawa (coming soon)
Yoshi gets the goods.
Exiting the first canyon the river
completely charges character. The river is wide but still steep, and
the boulder gardens get much more technical. Eventually the river flows
under a bridge and it's raining on us. This is where I took out last
time due to a damaged boat. Other team members can continued only a
little ways downstream before hiking out due to high water. Today we're
able to follow the river down where it drops into another canyon and
gets exciting. A blind horizon leaves us no option but to give it our
best guess and drop in.
Yoshi in the mandatory blind rapid.
This spot is almost impossible to
describe, where I'm standing is one of the strangest features I've seen
in a river. Visually the river appeared to go left of a bedrock
monolith, but actually went into a large eddy, and under the surface
water flowed to the right of the rock spire.
Yoshi boofing though a magical canyon.
Daniel Brasuell in the same.
Soon after the mandatory section the river eases up and we pull up to yesterdays red bridge with huge grins on our faces. Coming back a year later it feels great to connect the dots on this river.
Camping at a trailhead near the Zakogawa.
On to the Zakogawa (coming soon)
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