From Russia with Love - A Month in Siberia Part 1

I've been home for just about a month and I'm still shell shocked. Wow...I love Siberia ! It took a long time to get there, just about 36 hrs but it was worth it. My flight took off outta LA just past midnight and I spent around 11 hrs in the air on a Korean Airline's 777. The flight was smooth, the service excellent, and the beers plentiful :) The only setback was they didn't fly my kayak. I checked it they just didn't load it so I had to borrow 2 different boats which worked out okay but never had me feeling the confidence you want when you're wild and free. It did however give me a great opportunity to compare boats and designs.

Hanging out in Incheon Airport, South Korea

So I landed in Incheon at 4:30am and had 19hrs of layover time to chill. Phew that's a long layover. What I did find out about that airport is that they have a "Rest and Relaxation Area" which is totally awesome. I had a hot shower complete with great toiletries, a massage, and I managed to watch some sports on a leather recliner. I also found a sweet twin bed/sofa to crash on. So Incheon has my vote for awesome airport :) When my flight was finally called late in the evening, I was tired and thrilled...Siberia here I come !!

Incheon Airport

I boarded the plan excited and tired and settled in for the 5 hr flight to Irkutsk. Man...seems like I'm destined to arrive into airports on this trip really early in the morning.

Tomass and Sasha were not at the airport to meet me and after a few messages and no response, I settled into a backroom to sleep and wait for them. They showed up around 7:30am happy and smiling. "Hey America" was what I heard first. We laughed a bit and I corrected them by letting them know I'm a Canadian. The Irkutsk International Airport is a shoebox...meaning it's pretty small.

We loaded up Sasha's Subaru and headed off to our hostel where I would meet the rest of the crew. We were staying at the Baikal Hostel in the western part of Irkutsk. Our hostel room had beds for 10, a communal kitchen and living area, and a drying patio which was really great for our gear. The crew started showing up and then the stories began...then plans were laid to go out to a German restaurant and then out to the disco! Pretty much standard fair for kayakers. We packed our gear, stored everything in the front of our room, then went out for a bender.

Sorting out the gear

Chillin in our hostel room

I love going out when I'm in a new place and this crew of paddlers made it even that much better. After a long night out we settled in for what we all knew would be a short night of sleep. Waking up the next day sucked...thankfully we had a 7hr van ride and didn't have to rally for anything. We stopped at a grocery store to get stuff for the trip and then we were off. We ended up getting a bunch of beer and vodka for the drive. You can imagine what that was like :) So we drank and sang songs the whole way, until we passed out. 

Siberia and Wild Rivers

After nearly a year of planning and anticipation, I'm off to Russia today via Seoul Korea to paddle in the eastern Sayan Mountains. Before this trip I knew nothing about these peaks and for the past 10 months, I've been researching this area getting psyched on the trip.

The cool thing about this area is that it's hardly seen any exploration. It's in the middle of know where!!! It also has several tributaries that have seen no descents so along with completing the first full descent of the Onot, we're planning on paddling the tributaries.

In order to pull off a trip like this, many things need to come into play. First and foremost, someone needs to know the area, speak the language and have a background in paddling and logistics. This is what Tomass Marnics specializes in . His company, Kayaking Siberia, specializes in padding rivers all around Russia. Tomass is also a bad ass kayaker and is on Team Adidas so the trip, and the preparatory logistics were taken on by him.

We're also planning on paddling the Kitoy and Biluti rivers which are in the region. They too require a carry in so it's more hiking with kayaks on our backs. 

For the past few weeks I've been doing laps on Cherry Creek running every line out there prepping for the trip. Cherry Creek is a fun run on the Tuolumne River. It's super classic and definitely a fun day outing. The only drawback is since the Rim Fire last year, the road is shut to only 1 shuttle system and they charge $20 per kayaker...gotta pay to play. Also it's dam released which means good water but a short time to paddle. One early off early leaving lots of camp time to fish, swim and party. The partying gets old after a while for sure and having enough of that, I took full advantage of the paddling.

So...here I sit in Venice Beach California surfing, hanging and getting ready to fly out. Next stop Irkutsk!!! 

I'll do some more updates as things develop

Cheers :)

Laps, Laughs, and Great Friends

A little edit from a run down Vallecito Creek north of Durango. It's "The best mile of kayaking in Colorado" according to the early CO guidebook. And you know what...that's not so far off from true.

Vallecito Edit from David Farkas on Vimeo.

Vallecito...the best mile of kayaking in Colorado

The original guide book to Colorado paddling was created by Gordon Banks and Dave Eckart and in the Durango section it claims that Vallecito is the best 1 mile of kayaking in Colorado.  I'm not sure if this is correct or not but every time I paddle it, I think of that statement.  And you know what...it seems to make sense.

My first trip down Vallecito was in 1996 while passing through and every time I'm in there I'm always blown away at how beautiful it is, how wonderful the crew I'm with is, and how lucky we are to have this gem near Durango.

From the Vallecito campground you hike up about a mile and a half to the usual put in above Entrance Falls and the short warm up rapids.

Warm up boof 

A long hallway and a few fun boofs puts you above Entrance Falls and the real crux of the run. A tricky 20 footer, Entrance has definitely handed out it's share of beaterings over the past few years. The key is to set up a little right of center and plant a slow and delayed lefty.  At medium/low flows, the pool below entrance has current and a small boil but not too much to worry about.  As flows increase, the boil becomes bigger and the current off it pushes into the undercut walls and the log jammed cave behind the falls.  Also...Trash Can which is the next rapid and right below Entrance Falls come into play as flows increase.

Entrance Falls...a sweet lefty

Entrance lays down some sweet treats and the feeling land in the pool is something special.

The start to Trash Can

Trash Can comes up next and it's name describe the line...a mess of boulders with the move bouncing through. This puts you into to a short pool and 2 boofs to freedom.  The last boof is really sweet. 

Final boof in Trash Can

Flying off Fuzzy

After Trash Can the next moves are fun boofs and sweet lines through a variety of rapids until you get to Fuzzy Bunny.  This drop is as sweet as the name depicts...an awesome slanting 10ft boof into a slot not much wider than a boat width that pushes you into a pool above the bottom 3 most difficult rapids. Until now, getting out of your boat isn't impossible yet the places upstream of Fuzzy where you can get out are really small.  Here you finally get a chance to pull into a cobble stone eddie, get outta your boat and stand on a giant boulder that forms the left side of the drop.  

The start of Paddle Bitch. 

The next 3 rapids come at you real quick.  Bouffant Blast and Paddle Bitch form on long difficult rapid and the higher the water, the harder it gets.  When you make the moves through Bouffant, you catch an eddie on the right wall that's big enough for 2-3 boats.  It's also place to hike out of the run if things are going wrong and/or you need rescue.  The hike's not easy but it's doable.  These 2 drops are steep, boulder choked and the final move requires you to make 2 boofs and cross-grain a lateral hole that feeds you directly into the "Dick" rock.  The "Dick" is a granite boulder shaped like the name sticking out of the water upstream at an awkward angle.  I've seen a lot of guys get launched via the lateral feeding straight into the Dick and pinned in there.  Upright, upside down...all of it.  I've seen shoulder dislocated in there as well and worse.  So you really wanna miss this thing.  

Bottom move of No Way Out

The final rapid called No Way Out is awesome. You can go right of left at the top.  Going left is the Rib Ripper line named for the move you make through a tight slot.  The right line requires 3 boofs into an eddie on the left and each boof has a ledge hole to boof over.  Both lines end up in the same final current setting you up to make one final boof over a hole to the finish pool.  It's a great finale to the rapid.  

Vallecito is one of my favorite all time runs.  It's short so most folks end up lapping it.  The hike in is not the best yet the more you do it, the easier it gets...or at least the more you get used to it.  It's the quintessential Grade V/V+ run in the state and although only a mile...it's packed with goods.  

The crew: Tony, Shawn, and Drew

Spring Time Around the Hood

Here we go folks....spring has sprung in southern Colorado and the rivers and creeks are going off. Not only Colorado but New Mexico as well.

As the temps rise and things begin to flow, my eyes usually move to the gauges of the Rio Grande river flowing through the Taos, NM valley.  An amazing run with miles of siphons, the "Upper Taos Box" is not too difficult as far as moves go, but the consequences are high. Subterranean siphons are everywhere...literally every rapid...so staying on line and more importantly staying in your boat, are key.  It's a deep basalt rift valley so the rock's grey to black, sharp, and angular.  To get there you head across the north western corner of NM through incredibly beautiful high mountains and desert.  I love the drive and when you're loaded up with your buds and everyone's psyched to go boating...well...the drive gets even better.

The "Professor" Shawn Fullmer and his candle-light driving :)

We left late in the afternoon and got into Taos around 9:30pm.  Our usual taco spot was still serving so we stopped in for a bite and a few beers.  Then we were off to set up camp at the campground located on the canyon rim.  It's a great spot because to get out of the canyon and back to camp you have to climb 250m up and cruise along a nice 1 km long trail which deposits you right at camp and cold beers.

Camp and night photography

Like I was saying above, this run is really fun but has potential for carnage because of the siphon nature of it.  It's drop pool for the most part and at our flows, it wasn't pushy at all.  There's hardly anyone up there which gives it a wilderness feel.  

Typical UTB goods

Lots of moves and slots

Love the face shots !!!!

Fun and sun

If you're in the 4 Corners area and are looking for a great run with sweet camping and beautiful scenery, make sure you check out the Upper Taos Box.  

Anatomy of a Rescue

This past fall, while paddling on the Baker's Box section of the Animas River in Durango, I got pinned in Finger Fuck, the boulder garden rapid above the Siphon.  I had been down Baker's at least 20 times this year...maybe more...and hadn't given this particular move in this rapid much thought.  The harder moves were upstream and even though the Siphon loomed below, the last move in Finger Fuck is not very difficult.  In reality, by the time you get to this point, you're thinking about the eddy above the Siphon and keeping track of your mates to make sure they made it.

I think it's important to note why Baker's is such an interesting run.  At times it's reminiscent of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River and the Upper Taos Box of the Rio Grande in that the entire run is a siphon.   As you weave your way through boulder gardens boofing and sliding, you're very cogniscent of the fact that the water disappears under rocks everywhere.  I can't think of one rapid that doesn't have at least one siphon looming somewhere.  The other issue here is that many good looking options thorugh the boulders lead to danger.  Knowing where to go is critical, boating scouting is difficult. and the vertical 35m walls offer little chance to get out and portage. 

The Team consisted of Shawn Fuller, Cody Beach, Josh Mack and Scott Dent.  We had all been down many times together and with other teams.  We know the run well and most of the time, unless I'm outta my boat to shoot pics, we just bomb the run without scouting. 

We cruised through the upper sections enjoying a great day with friends.  The sun was out, things were going wonderfully and we were in the pool above Boof or Slide.  It's here that the river regroups and offers a long section of boulders to weave and boof your way through.  Finger Fuck is the final section of boulders in this area.  Earlier in the year, a good friend Tony had gotten pinned in the siphon at the top of Finger Fuck...not a good thing.  Once you get around the siphon in Finger Fuck and eddy out on the left wall, one more move gets you through it and heading to the eddy above the river wide Siphon.

As I pulled into this eddy, I immediately looked upstream to make sure the Team was on track.  Cody had gone down to the Siphon and everyone else was doing good.  I needed to make room in the eddy so I pealed out and headed for the last move.  As I left the eddy, I quickly glanced back to see if Josh made it into the wall eddy and this is were I ran into trouble.  By looking back one more time, it threw off my timing to get through a slot and voila...I broached the right side of the slot's rock sideways with my boat and pinned immediately.  I didn't panick, rather I started to rock my boat and use my paddle to apply leverage trying to get weight forward to release my boat.  Unforunately, this action only made things worse.  My boat pinned with greater force as  I was in the middle of current.  My boat's hull started to slowly push up towards my knees.  I could still move my legs so I moved my knees up to my skirt to make sure I could get out if necessary.  I slid them back into the thigh braces and began looking to the Team for help.

They immediately recognzed the issue and got out to help.  The first option we tried was hand to hand pulling to see if we could get the boat unpinned.

Trying to pull me and my boat off the rock

It was a good thought but a futile attempt.  There was just too much water pushing on my boat and the hull had already deformed and was slowly wrapping around the rock.  I could feel the hull coming up against my thigh.  As I felt this, I immediately thought about getting trapped in the boat.  I moved my legs around to make sure I could get out when needed.  So far...I had time and room to move.  The next option was rope work.  Scott got in the water and I immediately directed him to get out.  Everyone had drysuits on but Scott and even though he was willing to help, he would have become hypothermic quickly in the freezing cold water.  Luckily I was heads up so we started the communication about how to utilize ropes.

Giving directions

I wanted 2 ropes in play, one on me clipped and locked into my bouyancy aid's shoulder strap and one on the kayak rescue loop directly in front of my cockpit.  It's important to note here that Kokatat's rescue vest has webbing sewn throughout the shoulder straps allowing this as a rescue contact point.  It's bomber.  I wanted the second rope on my boat because once freed, I didn't want it floating into the Siphon.

Cody had gotten out downstream with a throw rope and was ready to bag me above the Siphon should I come outta my boat and head downstream.

Nice throw bro !!

With two ropes on me and my boat, and the Team ready to go, I felt really confident that things were going well.  I could feel water entering my kayak from my drysuit/spraydeck combo and I could also feel the boat squeezing my legs more and more.  Time to get out.  I had my Kokatat drysuit on so I was comfy and warm and well prepared for this.  I had been in the water by this time about 4 1/2 minutes and was still clear headed, coherent, and mentally in control.  A solid drysuit is key.  It kept me warm which allowed all of this to happen.  I don't know what would have happened if I had succumbed to hypothermia. 

2 Ropes on Me

The Team was ready and I decided to pull my skirt and get out.  I moved my knees up to the spray deck, told the Team to tension the ropes, and then gave the verbal command I was pulling my skirt.  The moment I pulled my skirt, the kayak filled with water and pinned even more.  I lept from my boat, Shawn pulled hard and I landed on the rock with Shawn's help.  During this my one leg did get momentarily stuck in the boat but with a little effort it came loose and I was happy to be standing in the sunlight free.

Finally free :)

Now that I was free, we had to get the boat off the rock.  What a great idea it was to clip it before I got out!!!  I jumped back into the water with a rope on me and began kicking and rocking the boat as Josh and Scott pulled on the rope.  Shawn had me tight with his rope and after a little while it came free and we swung it into the eddy below us.

I kicked out the dent on the bottom and checked it for cracks.  Not surprisingly the boat was still in good shape.  Fluid boats are flipping tough man.  A quick thank you, debrief and gathering of gear and we were back in out boats heading downstream.

Looking back at this event, what can I take from it?  What did we learn?

1)  I let my guard down and didn't take the move seriously.  I was too focused on the Team upstream.  I had done this move over the years countless times and didn't consider it hard or threatening.  Pay attention to every move easy or not.  Find an eddy before you look around if you're still in moving current.

2) A strong team with rescue experience is always the case when paddling hard whitewater.  Paddle with those you know.  Carry the right equipment.  Know how to use it.

3) Establish good communication.  Make sure everyone knows the signals. 

4) Above all, keep your cool.  During this whole thing I was pretty calm and collected.  It allowed us to manage it efficiently and effectively.

Below is Shawn's helmet cam footage.  I wasn't wearing mine this day...


 
Getting Pinned on Baker's from David Farkas on Vimeo.

Cheers guys for a great day and a great rescue.  That's why we paddle together.  Thanks to my sponsors for epic gear.  Time and time again, we rely on our equipment to help us with safe passage downstream.  

My Awesome Backyard

Living in Durango offers the best of Colorado.  Amazing scenery and every type of outdoor pursuit imaginable.  For a kayaker in Colorado, this place is Mecca.  I'm lucky because I live just north of town and very close to the put-in for the Middle and Bakers Boxes of the Animas River.  These 2 runs are probably the best river runs in Colorado.  Stacked with drops, the committing gorges and steep vertical granite walls with no escape make this run very committing.  Once you're in, it's hard to get out.  The sieved out nature of both runs keeps everyone on their toes and to make things even a little more challenging, the first few drops in Baker's are unscoutable. 

There's no feeling like paddling here with your best mates and seeing the sunshine after House Rock rapid.  Everyone I know has had some type of beat down in here.  Just when you think you know it...it hands you a slice of humble pie. 

Baker's consists of 2 distinct sections...the Upper Section and Lower Section.  The Upper has 4 unscoutable drops in a tight gorge.  Knowing the where to go is key here.  The Lower start with Long Rapid and as the name suggest is a half mile long rapid of boulders and holes that has significant gradient.  After Long Rapid, the river narrows a bit and is boulder choked all the way to the siphon.  The siphon is a riverwide bedrock/boulder drop that must be portaged a low - medium flows.  The significant drop in this section is Boof or Slide.  It is long and complex with multiple moves and multiple siphons everywhere.  If you don't make your move, the consequences are high.   

Heading downstream through Middle Box

Shawn Fullmer lowers his boat.  Mandatory here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn raps in

 

Cody Beach in Long Rapid

The boys below the put in drop

Josh Mack at the start of Boof or Slide

Josh Mack in the middle of Boof or Slide.  The siphon waits downstream...

Cody Beach dropping into Rectilian

2nd drop Upper Section

The boof in Boof or Slide. Middle of the Lower Section

Racoon...the 3rd drop in the Upper Section

In the Midst of Rectilian, the Lower Section

Shawn Fullmer loving it

About to take the Plunge!!!! 4th drop in the Upper Section

Plugging in the middle of Long Rapid, Lower Section

Shawn and I all smiles after a great run :)

Baker's is a fantastic run and when combined with the Middle Box, one of the best that Colorado has to offer.  It's not for everyone.  The commitment of the canyon and the siphons on pretty much every drop keep most interested parties out.  There's also the hike in to consider.  2.5 kilometres through private property with a land owner that's gun happy and hates paddlers!  With all that said, it's worth the effort.  Having the run 8 minutes from my door has me smiling all the time and when I'm outta town and on my way home, knowing Baker's is in makes me drive a little faster :)