From Green Truss to the Nantahala

The Challenge of Slalom

You Are Never Too Good for a River

The post Slalom Is So Hard appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

I often go kayaking in Bryson City, North Carolina. There is a kayaking store called Endless River Adventures in Bryson City.  Endless River Adventures offers kayaking instruction, guided raft trips, unguided raft trips, and fly fishing instruction. They sell Wave Sport kayaks and kayaking gear. ERA is mostly run by a lady by the name of Juliet and also a guy named Ken.

This past summer, Juliet asked me to be a Junior Instructor for Endless River Adventures’ Beginner Kid’s Camp. I was so excited, but I also didn’t know what to expect and was a little nervous. Kid’s Camp is three days and, depending on the day, around seven hours long.

We met at ERA in the morning with Pelle and Ellie, the two ERA instructors who were helping with the camp. When all of the kids got there, they all got in one of the ERA vans and we loaded their kayaks in the trailer behind the van. We drove to the Finger Lake to teach everyone basic strokes and to get them used to their kayaks. When kayaking, you have your paddle and kayak, the gear that you usually wear is a helmet, a PFD, and a spray skirt. A spray skirt is something that you put around your waste and then put around the hole that you sit in in your kayak so water doesn’t pour in. What is good to know how to do in kayaking is how to roll. A roll is when you flip over in your kayak (intentionally or unintentionally) and you use your paddle to flip yourself back up so you do not have to swim, also known as the wet exit. What we were teaching/working on with the kids at the lake was how to swim. There is a loop on the front of your spray skirt that you need to pull if you flip and can’t roll up. Once you pull the loop, your spray skirt should pop off of your kayak and you need to push yourself out of your kayak.

One girl forgot how to pull her spray skirt when we were practicing the wet exit. I wasn’t in my kayak because the instructors were out of their kayaks helping the kids (who were in their kayaks) with the wet exit. The girl was struggling under water and I was the one keeping an eye on her and helping her at the moment. The other instructors were about fifteen feet away and didn’t notice what was going on. I swam over to her and she put her hands on my shoulder and got her head out of the water so she could breathe. I pulled her spray skirt for her and she swam out of her kayak.

Later that day we went on a small portion of a fairly simple river called the Town Tuck (Tuckaseegee). We ran only one rapid that day because the kids were mostly new to kayaking and were pretty tired from being at the lake for most of the day. I sat in an eddy (calm water behind a rock) in my kayak above the rapid so if anyone had trouble and flipped I could paddle down and help them. The instructors all went down and the last little boy to go down the rapid in his kayak got scared and paddled into the eddy next to me. “I don’t think I can do this.” He told me, his voice shaking with nervousness.

“You’ll be fine, I promise. You’re one hundred percent skilled enough for this rapid. Once you run it you’ll be so proud of yourself and you’ll realize how much fun it was. I swear, you’ll have an amazing time running it.” I told him.

I talked to him for a long time about what we were going to do in order to go down the rapid successfully. After a while of encouraging him, he finally followed me down the rapid and, like I had promised him, he did brilliantly. It felt really good to see him paddle into the eddy at the bottom of the rapid with a huge grin on his face. “I told you that you’d do really well! Aren’t you glad that you ran it?” I asked him.

“Yeah!” He replied, stilling smiling like crazy.

That day I learned so much about teaching and how good it felt after you helped somebody learn something. I made lots of friends and a couple of them I became really good friends with and I will most likely see them next year at the Kid’s Camp.

Throughout the next two days of the camp, I helped kids learn the technique of strokes, balance, rolling, and just having fun kayaking. It felt really good helping people learn. Not only did I teach them something, they taught me something: how to be a good instructor.

The post My Experience Being a Junior Kayak Instructor appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

The Nantahala Race Club (NRC) is committed to increasing youth participation in slalom, freestyle – and just kayaking in general.  This year will bring in a whole new set of programs for slalom, freestyle and recreational boaters to enjoy.

This spring will bring in the third season of the Nantahala Kids Club (NKC) sessions. NKC is a six-week program designed to promote paddle sports among young people in local Nantahala community. The aim is to provide an opportunity for participants to have fun and build friendships while challenging themselves and developing as athletes. Sponsored by the NRC, Endless River Adventures and NOC this program has really generated enthusiasm in the local community.

This year, the NRC will schedule a calendar of Youth Slalom Mini-Camps.  Open to the public, the mini-camps are intended to introduce young paddlers to the competitive aspects of paddling in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Designed for kids who already have a grasp on basic paddling mechanics, Mini-Camps focus on key river-running skills: balance, precision, and introductory slalom technique. While NRC’s Mini-Camps have been predominately slalom-focused in the past, the goal is to branch out to other disciplines in the coming months.

Not wanting to leave out the grown-ups, the NRC will also schedule a number of Friday evening sessions for folks interested in training in slalom. Stay tuned for more!!

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Well while y’all were styl’n the Upper Ocoee and the Gauley I got to spend an awesome weekend with Olivia on the Nanty as she took part in the slalom Clinic with the Nantahala Racing Club. This is a great clinic and is the second one she has taken. The NRC has really put together a great program and the kids really seem to enjoy it and get alot out of it.

My role was to act as safety and while they do the river run later in the day give a few pointers here and there.

The first part of the day started with Slalom and the kids were all looking good. Olivia was making the gates and working hard. After the gates session we took a break and then made our way up river and began a trip of catching eddies and doing ferries. Olivia was having a great day with everyone and especially her friend Jenna. Something in the back of head was telling me this would be the day that Olivia would get the opportunity to try for a combat roll.

After stylin some of the rapids Olivia and Jenna were doing a great job selling thier instructor Scott on the benefits of launching thier bodies off of the jumping rock into 50 degree water. Scott looked at me and I quickly came up with a test that if they attempted then they could jump off the rock. See I know what you all are thinking, the dad comes up with the challenge and this is where she flips and the dad lets out an evil laugh! Well that is not what happened – all the kids styled it and the girls were thrilled at the thought of jumping off the rock. So a few hundred jumps later the shivering and slightly blue girls got back in thier boats.

After working our way through the next rapid I lead all the kids into an eddy behind a big old rock. And that is where it happened; the beast (Olivia) peeled out and dropped her up stream edge and the river present the opportunity – I knew it and by the look on Olivia’s face she knew it too! Quickly I paddled to her and as soon as I reached her she was up and all smiles! Her smile was met with cheers and a paddle 5 from Dad.

Olivia beamed all the way down river and then today while surfing the river gods put her to the test again and just damn she pulled it off again!

So I look back over this summer and think about the missed runs on the Ocoee or the new rivers left unexplored and I really am glad I missed all that! No river run could ever be better than time on the river with your kid and watching her grow into a strong paddler and confident person!

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14-year old Alyssa nailing the line at Bull's Sluice, Chattooga

Looking out over the rocks and seeing Bull’s Sluice, knowing that in a few moments I’d be riding down that far right tongue was a nail-biting experience for me. What was even more thrilling was the rush I got as I entered the eddy right before the Bull. Having made it in by a hair, I was already a little shaken. When my group leader (my dad) exited the eddy, I followed with sweaty palms. Paddling over that rushing current and feeling my whole boat take off through the air and land, a smile of victory swept across my face. I’d finally done it. I’d just run the Bull. My name’s Alyssa Taylor, I’m fourteen, and this is my story.  Read more about this inspiring 14-year old….

The post My name is Alyssa, I’m a 14-year old kayaker and here is my kayaking story appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

Looking out over the rocks and seeing Bull’s Sluice, knowing that in a few moments I’d be riding down that far right tongue was a nail-biting experience for me. What was even more thrilling was the rush I got as I entered the eddy right before the Bull. Having made it in by a hair, I was already a little shaken. When my group leader (my dad) exited the eddy, I followed with sweaty palms. Paddling over that rushing current and feeling my whole boat take off through the air and land, a smile of victory swept across my face. I’d finally done it. I’d just run the Bull. My name’s Alyssa Taylor, I’m fourteen, and this is my story:

Almost five years ago, my dad discovered kayaking and set off to learn everything he could about the sport. At the time I was nine. My dad was involved in many things–from work, to kayaking, to my brother’s Boy Scout troop and I’d been trying to figure out something we could do together.   I decided to start kayaking, not knowing how far I’d end up in the sport. It was worth giving it a try.

The first time I ever sat in a kayak, I was in a red Jackson Fun 1.5 feeling very awkward in our community lake. After a few months of playing around on easier rivers like the Tuckasegee and Lower Green, my dad took me to the Dan River. The day was going well until one of the last bends on the river. Having bad eyesight, I didn’t see the strainer in the middle of one of the wave trains. I got caught on it, I couldn’t see my dad anywhere, and I thought I was going to be in trouble. Flipping over, I landed on the back of my boat, upside down in about ten inches of water. Wiggling around was no use. Opening my eyes, I began thinking about every negative thought imaginable: What if no one got to me in time? What if I drowned?…..   I lost the last bit of air I’d been holding when my dad flipped me back up.  I think I was screaming.  I grabbed onto my dad and refused to do anything else that day. I’d only been trapped for seconds, but it was long enough to scare me into leaving the water for a while.

After that I was very cautious around water.  My dad knew if I was ever going to become comfortable with kayaking again, he needed to get me to people who could help me get over my fear. Several of his friends recommended a small shop on the Nantahala called Endless River Adventures (ERA). After doing some research, my dad called and made me a one-on-one PI (Personal Instruction) day with Juliet Kastorff.

We spent a few hours on the lake and when we were through, I remember begging Juliet to let me call my dad.  I was devastated to realize he was off kayaking with his friends. I left him a voicemail that he has kept to this day, describing all of my success. After that, we went to the Tuck through Town [Bryson City]. The very first rapid scared me so much, Juliet agreed to let me hold onto her boat as we went through the waves. After that, it seemed like a huge barrier had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was ready for anything she threw my way. I remember Juliet working me until I was sore, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t stop talking about everything I’d accomplished that day, and I begged my dad to let me go back!

Since that day, I’ve progressed so much in this sport. Many people who have known me since I started don’t recognize the kayaker I am today. Because of every day of instruction, time at Kids Camp, and each visit to ERA, I’ve improved on so many levels. I can’t imagine where I’d be right now if I’d never met the ERA crew. They’re like my family and I know they really care for me, like they do for each person who walks through their doors. They help you in so many ways, and are inspiring to each customer. (In fact, I don’t think the ERA staff considers those who visit them to be customers, but fellow paddlers just trying to enjoy another day on the river.)  The staff does everything they can to help everyone out, and I owe every single one of them a lot. Without them (and a whole community of kayakers that have supported me), I could’ve never run Bull’s Sluice on the Chattooga, or Bayless Boof on the Upper Green, or Lost Guide on the Pigeon, or even Nantahala Falls. Thank you everyone for giving me the support I needed, and thanks for seeing me through. Love, Alyssa(:

The post My name is Alyssa, I’m a 14 year-old kayaker and here’s my story appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

Mary Mills is a slalom boater.  She did not get into slalom because she aspired to go to the Olympics.  In fact, there was more than a little reluctance when the suggestion was made that she try paddling the slalom gates. Just a little…

Thoughts on “Slalom”

When Juliet brought me to the gates for the first time, I wasn’t sold on the idea. It just didn’t seem practical to me; it was something only Olympic people did. I thought doing a slalom course would be super easy, but it actually turned out to be incredibly difficult.The first time she took me out on the Nanty gates, I just couldn’t do them. I was so frustrated. I was determined to get the hang of it. It turned out to be the best thing to develop my skills and confidence.

So What Changed

This past weekend was a dual slalom weekend: with Olympic hopefuls racing at the Nantahala River’s U.S. Open, while a whole separate crowd of enthusiasts participated in the final leg of the 3-part Alabama Race series on the Locust Fork River.

After an awesome weekend on the Locust Fork, Mary shares a little perspective on where slalom has taken her:

Why Slalom Makes you a More Proficient Paddler
I have to use the water features effectively to make ferries, eddies, and gates. Presetting your boat angle and planning at least 2 or 3 moves ahead is crucial, you just can’t make the gates unless you plan way ahead. I used to be awful on creeks, now they are my favorite thing to kayak, one giant slalom course. Doing slalom all the time makes a technical creek move much easier since now I am not thinking of just the move I am on, but the next few moves. Just like a slalom course. I certainly wasn’t sold on the idea of slalom gates the first time I did it, but I am sure that the reason I have improved and can now catch just about every eddy anywhere is because of all the slalom practice and the races I do.

And Then There are the Races
Plus the races are so much fun. You sit in the staging eddy with someone holding your boat, your name and number are announced over the speakers,the countdown begins, your friends are cheering at you from the banks, your are so excited, your adrenalin races, you hear the go signal and everything vanishes but the gates as you take off. 20 to 25 gates later You come to the end exhausted and everyone is cheering for you! You make the last upstream gates cleanly without stopping your momentum or touching the gates, You sprint to the finish line and realize you made a clean run, no touches or missed gates, everyone is cheering for you. It is the just the best feeling. I have gone from touching almost every gate and missing quite a few when I started last year, to almost a clean run every time.You can really see your improvement each time you go out and race.

That’s the winning attitude!

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On a beautiful sunny November afternoon, my mom asked, “Greta, do you want to run the Middle Haw this weekend?” I gulped, “Yeah, sure.” The Middle Haw? No sweat, right? I’ve done the Tuck, the Nanty and the Lower Pigeon. No problem. But you know what? A part of me screamed, “Pause!” You see, I had chickened out on a run on the Middle Haw earlier in the paddling season.

Last spring, I had only been kayaking a few times in moving water so when I got in my kayak at the put-in on the Middle Haw that day, I freaked. Something made me nervous and my heart was pounding in my throat. I said to my Mom and the others, “I’m not doing this!” Since then, however, I’ve learned a lot about kayaking and I’ve been taught by many great instructors including Ron Miller, Seth Yearout, Russ Scheve, Juliet Jacobsen Kastorff, Ken Kastorff, and Brian McPherson. I’ve been paddling a whole season with lots of fun CCC friends: Jen Fahey, Lorraine Burnham, Nancy Guthrie, Steve Gause, Caleb Gallentine, Scott Hughes, the Summerfields, and the Clevengers to name a very few. “I’m gonna do this!” I told myself.

On November 20, we were the first to arrive at the put-in and we unloaded our boats. A huge group of CCCers including Larry Ausley, Nancy Guthrie and Rick Steeves came rushing through and got right on the river while we were waiting. The water level was dropping quickly! It was a beautiful sunny day, and not too cold, but my mom insisted I wear a drysuit. Moms!!! I put on my drysuit (which took 4-ever) and tried to get into my Dagger GT. Uh oh, I did not fit! I had grown since the last time I was in my boat. It’s a very good thing that Russ Scheve and Brian McPherson were on hand with tools to slide the seat back. While shuttle was being run, a few of us paddled around the put-in and I got comfortable in my boat while waiting for everyone else to arrive. “Hey” I thought, “the Middle Haw isn’t as I scary as I remembered.”

When the shuttle was done, I was super excited and ready to go! As we paddled down river, it was fun to chat with Russ, Brian, Joshua, Scott. Ron and (ok, I’ll admit it) my brother and Mom too. I had just taken the Swiftwater Rescue clinic in September from Brian and Russ so I felt super safe. (Not sure why…did you know that Brian jumped off his house roof when he was kid about my age??) There were many little places to practice eddying and peeling out right away. At first I just followed people but after a while I started to find eddies on my own. At some point, another big group of CCCers paddled alongside before getting ahead of us. It was great to see Sonia and David, Jen and Randy, Doug and Mary, and Lorraine. It seemed like a CCC party on the Haw!

I remember two big rapids: Thunder Falls and S-turn. The name “Thunder Falls” scared me! Why do paddlers put such fierce names on rapids? It turned out that Thunder Falls was not so bad and that Zeus was not hiding behind a rock ready to strike me with his thunder bolt! It was over before I knew it. By the time we got to S-turn, I was having a blast and thought, “This is cool!” S-turn was fast and a wee bit scary because you could not quite see what came ahead. It went by too quickly and I wish I could just hit the “reverse” button and do it again and again and again. By the end of the run, I was feeling really confident in my boat.

I was tempted to try the Lower Haw but decided to wait until the next time. One not-so-scary challenge at a time for me, please.

How to get your kids into kayaking so they have as much fun as Greta? Check out our kids-specific kayak programs at Endless River Adventures…..

The post When Kayaking is not scary: my trip down the Middle Haw appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

by Mary Mills
I was headed to Ecuador to go kayaking with Endless River Adventures.  I planned  on an extra week before the kayaking week, and with the help of Ken and Angel chose to spend the week visiting the colonial town of Cuenca and spending time at the Cuyabeno Reserve.

Many people I know were amazed that I would travel alone, especially as a woman, to a foreign country with a language I only know a little. But I found that traveling solo in Ecuador had its perks.  I met new people and experienced things in an a way I just could not have if I had been traveling in a group. Sitting alone in a restaurant the waiter would start to chat, and I spent time talking with the locals who were more than willing to help me with my Spanish.  Often times during my week I met up with other travelers–fellow Americans, Europeans, or Canadians and ended up sitting together and having great conversations.  Every tour I went on had many solo travelers who shared my same sense of adventure.

First up: the colonial city of Cuenca
Cuenca is the third largest city of Ecuador. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO,  its churches, parks, colonial houses, cobbled streets, and near-by archaeological sites make it the perfect city to visit and explore.

the charming colonial city of Cuenca

Day One: Arrival in Cuenca
My adventure started at Posada del Angel Hotel, a beautiful hostel converted from an old colonial house within walking distance of many of the must-see sites of Cuena.  I dropped off my things, grabbed a map and went exploring. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to just get lost in a city. Unplanned finds and the people you meet make for unforgettable memories. It was about a 4 hour walk which helped me get used to the altitude and gave me a feel for the city.

Exploring the Ingapirca Ruins

Day Two:   the Incipirca Ruins.
Incipirca is a Cañari and Incan archeological site.   Here the Cañari people built structures to the moon, about 3000 years ago.  Among the ruins was a stone, which still shows the summer and winter solstice perfectly, and another with 28 holes that accurately shows the entire lunar cycle with a reflection lining up perfectly in each hole on each day.

Exploring the high altitude Parque Nacional Cajas

Day Three: Parque Nacional Cajas
We started out with a walk around a beautiful lake at an elevation of about 10,300 feet.  Half of the walk was in an incredibly unique high altitude rain forest.  We heard toucans; saw birds, bromeliads, and tons of plants and flowers.  Wild llamas and alpacas wandered around.   A huge waterfall cascaded down the mountain as well.   It was so different from any forest or ecosystem I’d ever seen.

Day Four: The Homero Ortega Hat Factory for a tour how they make Panama Hats.
The hat factory was an interesting tour and I walked out with my own new Panama hat.  Following the tour was lunch at the famed Tiestos.   We had 10 dishes of sauces, fruits, and vegetables that you added to your main dishes and side dishes that were already on the table.  We ordered an Ecuadorian curry chicken and a bacon/ mushroom chicken served with 6 sides.  The chef came to our table and helped us created incredible dishes, each one better than the last.  I think it’s the best food I’ve ever eaten.

The days flew by and it was sad to say goodbye to Cuenca.  It is a beautiful city and I had so much fun there, but I had another adventure lined up!

Next stop: Cuyabeno and the Guacamayo Lodge
Established in 1979, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is an area of ​​600.000 hectares of protected land, where a remarkably diverse creatures make their home. Located in the northeastern Amazónica region of Ecuador, just getting to Cuyabeno is an adventure!

Next stop: Cuyabeno. The trip to the park was half the adventure!

Sunset in Amazonica Ecuador - with the pink dolphins

Day Two: Birds of the Jungle and Swimming with the Dolphins
Up at 6:30am to hike up the stairs to the observation tower (26 meters high) to bird watch.  Our guide, Wilmer, pointed out many different species of parrots, macaws, swifts, and many others, too many to count.   It was a spectacular view.  Following was an afternoon canoe ride. I can actually now say that I swam on a river in the Amazon jungle with pink river dolphins as the sun set.  Words cannot describe how beautiful that was. On the way back flocks of long nosed bats and fisher bats kept up with the boat, swooping down to catch food in the water.

Boots mandatory for the jungle hike!

Day Three: Bird watching and a jungle hike.
I have now hiked through mud up to my knees, crawled over logs, and slippery roots and explored primary rainforest.  We stopped many times for birds, monkeys, and plant lessons.  I got to eat quinine plant that cures malaria (tasted awful) and resin from another tree that cures stomach ailments.

My first piranha!!

That evening we went fishing for piranha.  This was what I’d been wanting to do.   We each got a cane pole and raw cow meat to bait the hook.   At one point a piranha went flying by my head snapping as it landed by me.  Never thought I’d say” stop throwing piranhas at me”. There are three different species of piranha and we got to see them all.  I lost bait a few times then finely caught a white piranha—a big one!  I can’t believe I caught a piranha!!!

Toothy creature is the piranha

Day Four: the boat ride back, which was rainy and so beautiful. I finally got to see my Anaconda on the trip back! Beautiful yellow belly.  My jungle trip was perfectly complete.

Sigh, departing the jungle

Cuyabeno is one of those places you say, “I don’t know ” when you first get there.  But the trip was incredible and I am so glad I got to experience it.   My clothes are filthy, I haven’t had a shower in 3 days except in the river, and I am sure I will sleep well when I get back to Quito, but I will miss setting the mosquito netting at night, everything I have being wet and dirty, chatting every night with people from so many countries, the animal sounds as I sleep, and the peaceful surroundings of the Amazon rainforest.   It is hard to believe a week of exploring went by so quickly. I am so glad that I took the extra time to see more of Ecuador!

Mary enjoying the Rio Cosanga in her week of kayaking

The post Kayaking in Ecuador: It is more than just the river time! appeared first on Endless River Adventures.

the Oriente

So how/why did kayakers end up in the area of Ecuador they did – the area called “the Oriente?”  Back it up….the country of Ecuador is a divided into three geographic regions: the Sierra, the Costa and the Oriente.   The Oriente starts on the eastern slope of the Andes and creates the Amazonia of Ecuador. The Oriente is one-third of Ecuador with less than 10% of the population of twelve million plus.  Whitewater kayakers have become part of that small population that calls the Oriente home.

oil opening up the Oriente - and adding sidewalks to the community!

Prior to kayakers were the oilmen; and prior to the oilmen were the Spanish.  But the original residents of the Oriente were a scattered number of indigenous groups. Most notable of groups included the lowland Quechua, the Siona, Secoya, Huaorani, the Shuar and Achuar, the Cofánes, and other names that are more familiar to kayakers – the Yumbos, Oyacachis, Cosangos and the Quijos.  Needing a common language to bring all the groups together, the Spanish conquistadors brought Quechua into the Oriente as the “native tongue” of the indigenous slaves.

variety of indigenous groups that helped populate the Oriente originally

To understand the influence rivers of the Oriente had….the Inca language of Quechua is a language of fairly limited vocabulary.  One exception is anything to do with water, for which there are a number of descriptive words including cocha – the Quechua word for laguna/lake and yacu – the Quechua word for rio/river.  If there was ever an inspiration for expanding on the language of quechua it is here in the Oriente, a place which finds its heart in the rivers that are considered the headwaters for the Amazon basin flowing out of Ecuador.

heart of the Oriente - the rivers

It is not difficult to see where this inspiration came from.  Rivers flow off the eastern slope of the Andes to create the magnificent watershed found in the Oriente. This watershed is influenced by two key geological factors: the snow-capped mountains that tower above the passes leading into the Oriente and the Amazon Basin to the east.  Water is collected in the glaciers off of Antisana, Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Tunguragua and Altar.  Meanwhile, water is collected in the paramo on top of the Andes.

snow gathering on the glaciers of the Andes

For new visitors coming over the pass of the Andes into the Oriente, the scenery looks more like the Scottish Highlands.  This is the paramo, and it is a rain shield. Because of the high altitude (up to 20,000+), hot humid air coming from the east out of the Amazon and over the Andes rises and forms rain. At the same time, humid hot air from the Pacific travels west until it too hits the Andes and must rise up and form more rain. In other words – the Oriente is hit from both sides of the Andes by weather patterns of rain.

when it rains....there is a lot of water in the Oriente!!

From the Andean glaciers and the paramo, the trails of water begin descending down the eastern slopes.  A map of the Oriente shows an amazing network of rivers that begin to come together.  The rivers come out of the llanganates, off the glaciers, down from the high altitudes, through the high elevation cloud forests, gathering momentum and volume as they head downstream.   All the watersheds of the Oriente head east towards the Amazon itself, which eventually ends at the Atlantic – all 3,ooo,ooo+/- cfs of it.

and then it is the Amazon....a long ways from the headwaters of the Oriente

It is no surprise that the Oriente, which inspired descriptive words from the indigenous, has now become a favorite destination for whitewater kayakers.

it hardly gets any better than boating in the oriente!

The post The Rivers of the Oriente: Inspiring a Language in Its Poetry appeared first on Endless River Adventures.