Indonesian Digital News Archive

Yesterday I posted an update on West Hansen's Amazon Express expedition, reporting on the team's progress along the Earth's mightiest river. Today, EpicTV follows that up with an interview with kayaker Rafa Ortiz, who joined West on the Amazon for a brief time. In the interview, Rafa talks about their experiences in the early whitewater sections high in the Andes Mountains. For Rafa, this was his first experience with expedition paddling, so much of it was new to him as well. The interview is accompanied by some great photos from the journey as well, which give us an opportunity to see what the remote Peruvian Andes - the source of the Amazon - actually looks like.


EpicTV Interviews: Rafa Ortiz Back From The Amazon from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

It has been nearly a month since I last posted an update on the progress of the Amazon Express team and as you can imagine, over that time a lot has changed. For those who haven't seen previous updates on this expedition it is being led by kayaker West Hansen who is attempting to paddle source-to-sea on the world's biggest river in record time. The journey began high in the Peruvian Andes and the early stages consisted of low water flow that gave way to raging whitewater. Now, West and his crew have passed some major milestones and are making good progress down the Ucayali River, one of the Amazon's primary tributaries.

Since we last checked in, the team has managed to put the wild whitewater sections behind them and pass through an area of the river known as the "Red Zone." This particular section of water is dangerous but for reasons that have nothing to do with the river itself. Do to its remote location, the region through which they were paddling is controlled by local gangs and thugs and not so much the government of Peru. It's a bit lawless on the Amazon in general, but that section is particularly notorious. Fortunately they made it through without any major incidences, although they did have locals pull guns on them on no less than three separate occasions.

The team isn't completely out of the woods just yet however, as according to their most recent update, they believe that they are now approaching the location on the river where South African adventurer Davey du Plessis was shot back in late August. So, while they've passed beyond the most dangerous section of the river, there are still threats for them to be aware of as the proceed.



The pace of the journey has certainly picked up as well. Yesterday they knocked off nearly 63 miles, although much of that was spent winding through the twists and turns of the Ucayali. They've also had to be careful with their navigation, as there are many offshoots of the river that don't lead to where they want to go and in order to avoid backtracking regularly, they've been keeping a keen eye on their maps at all times.

As they've moved further away from the mountains, they've encountered other obstacles as well. Traffic on the river has begun to pick-up and they now frequently see larger boats and barges moving up and down the waterway. The days remain warm and humid, and the evenings are cool. The humidity makes it difficult for any of their gear to dry, which is to be expected on any expedition to the rainforest. While I was there a few years back I had certain items that simply didn't dry until I came home. Additionally, they're starting to run into more insects as well, which can annoying and frustrating on an entirely different level.

While this expedition has been underway for more than six weeks now, they also haven't reached the Amazon proper just yet. That means they have many more weeks to go until they're finished. When it is all said and done, they'll have paddled more than 4000 miles (6440 km) from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. It remains to be seen if they can do it in record time, but regardless of the speed, this is a fantastic adventure.

Don't you just hate when you watch movie award shows where they give you a glimpse of the nominees but then you have to go track them down yourself if you actually want to see them? That isn't the case with Kayak Session Magazine's  best short films of 2012 competition. Not only have they narrowed down their selection from 51 movies to just six, they've also compiled them into one single 30 minute film for us to enjoy. Check out all of the nominees in the video below, some of which you may remember from being posted here on the blog in weeks past.

The short films that earned a nomination include the following: Congo, The Grand Inga Project (Steve Fisher); Black Canyon, The Next Generation (Cloud Level Media); Best of Bomb Flow (Evan Garcia & Fred Norquist); Breathless in Chile (Nigel Markey & Sam Markman); The Royal Flush (Evan Garcia) and Unknown: Aniol Serrasolses (Tino Specht).

2012 Short Film Of The Year Awards - The Final Cut (Top 6 finalists) from Kayak TV (Kayak Session Mag) on Vimeo.

It's been awhile since we've seen a really great – and by really great I mean crazy – whitewater kayaking video. The one below should help fill the void however as it features some of the top paddlers taking on some of the wildest rivers you'll find anywhere. It has everything you'd want in a video like this one, including crazy drops and impressive acrobatics.

The video also happens to be the teaser trailer for the Rider of the Year awards which surveys the some of the best whitewater kayakers in the world to select who amongst them had the most impressive year out on the water. Those awards include "Best Rider," "Best Trick," and "Best Drop" of course, but also the not-so-conventional "Honey Badger Award" and "Hendri Coetzee Award." Find out more on the official website or on the Rider of the Year Facebook page.

Rider of the Year III Awards Teaser from Tribe Rider on Vimeo.

The Amazon Express crew is continuing their attempt to paddle the length of the Amazon River in record time. The team started their expedition on the upper slopes of Mount Mismi in the Peruvian Andes a few weeks back and have been slowly but surely making progress down the Rio Apurimac ever since. That river is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon itself and features some of the wildest whitewater on the planet, something expedition leader West Hansen and the rest of the squad found out earlier this week.

On Monday the paddlers experienced plenty of Class V and V+ rapids as they made their way down river. Some of the sections were incredibly difficult and demanding, forcing a few portages around the more hairier sections and using rafts rather than kayaks on a few others. From the sounds of things it was a very tricky part of the river and it took all the skill the team could muster to successfully complete that stretch of water safely.

The early portions of the expedition are taking longer than expected. The schedule has been thrown off due to water conditions not being as predictable as the team had expected. As a result, they actually jumped further down stream to cover the more difficult areas while West still had his full whitewater crew with him. Several of those guides now have other commitments to attend to and will be leaving the team, but with approximately 87 more miles (140km) of white water to go, another support team needs to be assembled for the final push to the Amazon itself.

While those logistics are handled, the bulk of the team is now heading back up river to complete sections that were deemed much easier to paddle. Those areas were skipped before in order to tackle the whitewater with the more experienced crew. While they wait for new whitewater guides to join them, the group will spend their time completing sections that were previously skipped.

Considering the slow going in the early stages of the journey I'm not sure how the speed record attempt is going. They may still be able to make up time once they reach the Amazon, which is mostly flat water with a bit of a current. They're still a considerable distance from that point however so we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Hansen has earned himself a reputation for being a fast paddler when conditions are right. He has paddled and won the Texas Water Safari on more than one occasion, which is a difficult test of endurance in its own right. I'm sure he's looking forward to testing his skills on the Amazon once they've put the Apurimac behind them.

Back in May of this year, Belgian explorer Louis-Phillipe Loncke set out on a traverse of Poland that began on Mt. Rysy, that country's highest peak, and ended at the Baltic Sea. In between he climbed, trekked and paddled for more than 1200km (745 miles) enjoying a number of unique experiences, and meeting plenty of people, along the way. The video below is a trailer for an upcoming documentary on the trek. It looks like great fun!

Poland Trek- The Trailer from Natalie Hill Photography on Vimeo.

A few days ago the adventure community was shocked and saddened to hear about South African Davey du Plessis getting attacked by gunmen while traveling through the Amazon. At the time he was attempting a source-to-sea journey along the entire length of the Amazon River that started at its source on Mount Mismi back in June. Over the weekend, two gunmen appeared out of the jungle, opened fire on Davey without warning and left him for dead with gunshot wounds in his back, neck and various other areas of his body. After surviving the attack, he was able to find help and eventually was taken to to a local hospital, before ultimately being evacuated to Lima for further treatment.

Over the past few few days, Davey has been in the ICU and under constant supervision by doctors. They have been monitoring his condition and waiting for him to regain his strength while they determined if they would need to do surgery to remove the bullets and shrapnel from his body. In many cases the body will adapt to the bullet fragments and no invasive surgery is required. As it stands right now, the doctors feel that they won't need to operate on Davey, despite the fact that he has shrapnel in his heart and lung. They may eventually remove the bullet from his neck, but they are still waiting to make that determination as he gets stronger.

Du Plessis will remain in the intensive care unit until Friday, which is when the doctors are planning on removing the drip drain from his lung. They are hoping by then that the lung will have started to heal, but as of now it continues to bleed.

Overall, Davey is in remarkably good shape all things considered. He is in a good deal of pain, which is not relieved by medications as they make the young man feel ill. He has passed through the critical period and it doesn't seem that his life is in jeopardy, although there is a long road ahead towards healing and rehabilitation. He has his father with him now and his mother will join him in Lima tomorrow, which will certainly help his efforts to get well too.

It will be interesting to hear his full story once he has recovered and has the strength to share it. I'm sure there are elements to it that we're not aware of yet. It'll be a harrowing tale for sure, but for now I think it's good to just know Davey is out of danger and starting the healing process. For more updates as they come, checkout Davey's Facebook page and website.

The Wild Love series of videos is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the web. In the original video we saw how mountaineer Jake Norton and wife Wende Valentine managed family time with their more adventurous pursuits and the in the second video ultra-runner Krissy Moehl balances training and competition with spending time with friends.

Today we have the third video in the series, which turns the spotlight on climber Timmy O'Neill, a man who simply loves to live life to the fullest. Whether he's climbing, paddling, slacklining or pursuing his other passions, Timmy surrounds himself with the people he loves and cherishes every day as a gift. I think you'll find his philosophy for life to be infectious.

Wild Love: Timmy O'Neill from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

Over the past few weeks I've regularly updated readers on the progress of Davey du Plessis, the South African adventurer who was making a source-to-sea journey along the Amazon River. Yesterday that journey came to an abrupt end when Davey was ambushed by two men who shot him multiple times, took all of his gear and left him for dead. Fortunately, Davey was able to find help and was taken to a local hospital where his condition was stabilized and he has now been transported to Lima, Peru for further treatment.

Upon hearing the news, I immediately thought about the Amazon Express team, which consists of West Hansen and his crew, who are attempting to make  a speed run along the the length of the Amazon as well. They are still miles behind where Davey ran into trouble, but I thought it important that they were made aware of the situation. It seems like that turned out to be a good thing as they were able to get in touch with Davey's mom and speak directly to Davey himself, providing us with more information on the story.

It seems du Plessis was simply floating down the Amazon on his inner tube, as he had been for some time while navigating through the trickier sections of river. He then saw a young man, described to be in his early 20's, appear out of the jungle, then quickly disappear, only to return with a second man. They immediately opened fire on the South African without a verbal exchange of any kind and without provocation. Davey managed to reach the shore and fled into the jungle, but by that point he had already been hit by several bullets. He ran for approximately 5km (3.1 miles) before finding help and even then, according to his mom, the locals were reluctant to lend a hand without first asking for money. He was eventually taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his wounds before being sent on to Lima today.

According to reports on his Facebook page, Davey is in the ICU where he is being treated for bullet wounds to his neck, head and back. He has shrapnel in his lung and arm and is in rough shape as you can imagine. That said, he doesn't appear to be in immediate danger any longer, but doctors plan to wait for until he is stronger before going in to remove the bullets. Friends and family are en route to Peru to be with him today.

Keep Davey and his family in your thoughts today. The young man is lucky to be alive and his story is a grim reminder that the challenges of these adventures go well beyond the environment.

The Queen of the Kayak, Freya Hoffmeister, is set to resume her epic journey around South America tomorrow as she returns to the water once again in Valparaiso, Chile. The woman who has already circumnavigated around Iceland, New Zealand's South Island and Australia, is hoping to become the first to paddle completely around South America as well.

Freya set out from Buenos Aries, Argentina last September and spent the next eight months covering roughly 8000km (4970 miles) following remote coastlines. First heading south, she was successfully able to paddle through the notoriously tricky waters of Cape Horn, which are well known for their turbulent seas and nasty storms, before turning north. In May she reached Valparaiso and elected to take a break and return home to Hamburg, Germany. There she was able to rest, resupply and take care of the logistics that will see her through the second stage of the journey.

The plan now is to return to the water and cover another 8000km, paddling past Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela before taking another break in Georgetown, Guyana. To reach that point she'll have to kayak through the Panama Canal, dodging heavy shipping freighters along the way. If all goes as planed, she'll complete this second stage by April of next year. Stage 3 will then begin in September of 2013, when she'll finish the circumnavigation and arrive back in where she started in Buenos Aires.

While she's out on the water, Freya posts regular updates to blog that help chart her progress and experienced along the way. You can find that blog by clicking here.

Thanks to ExWeb for the tip!

Deep in the heart of Africa, on one of the biggest and most dangerous rivers in the world, sits the Inga Rapids. This swirling vortex of whitewater has claimed the lives of numerous paddlers over the years and up until late last year, it had never been successfully run.

In November of 2011, Tyler Bradt, Steve Fisher, Ben Marr and Rush Sturges traveled to the Congo to challenge those rapids, eventually making the first descent of those incredibly turbulent waters. They called their expedition the Grand Inga Project and a documentary film of their adventure will be released shortly. The trailer for that amazing looking film is below.

Be warned, this white water is not for the faint of heart. It is big, bad and nasty. It makes for a great looking film though. Can't wait to see this.


Congo: The Grand Inga Project (Best Short Film of the Year Awards 2012 - Entry #34) from Kayak TV (Kayak Session Mag) on Vimeo.

Ever wonder what the paddling scene in Norway is like? Well wonder no more. The video below, which comes our way courtesy of the White Box magazine, will not only give you a good indication of some of the kayaking options in that country but may also have you booking a trip of your own. The scenery is simply amazing and the rivers look extraordinary.


WHITE BOX - Ticking Boxes - Norway Update 2 from Adrian Kiernan on Vimeo.

The last time we checked in on the progress of Davey du Plessis he was negotiating some rather challenging sections of the Amazon River on an inner tube. At that time he had been out of contact for a week or so and everyone was eagerly awaiting word on how things were going. Since then things have improved for the South African who is traveling the length of the Amazon from source to sea. Not only has he climbed inside his kayak for the first time, he is also posting regular updates to his blog as well.

For those who haven't been following Davey's adventure thus far, he set off in June on an epic journey that will eventually cover as much as 7200km (4474 miles). He began his journey high in the Peruvian Andes at the most distant source of the Amazon. After climbing and trekking through the mountains, du Plessis climbed aboard his bike and rode along the Apurimac River for about 1500km (932 miles) to where it meets the might Amazon itself. It was at that point that he entered the water to start the third and final leg of the journey – a 5700km (3541 mile) paddle to the sea.

The start of the river portion of the adventure ended up being more challenging than he expected. The water was faster and higher than anticipated and as a result Davey elected to use a tire to float past the more difficult secitions. Even that wasn't easy however as he nearly lost all of his gear, which he pulled behind him in a kayak, on more than one occasion.



Yesterday du Plessis posted a big update to his blog. In it he talks about how his foldable kayak finally cleared customs, allowing him to truly start paddling. On his way from Lima back to the river however, he met a German couple whose son drowned while kayaking the section that Davey is now passing through. That left him a bit unsettled to say the least.

An update on his Facebook page also says that he received a military escort yesterday to meet the local chief of the indigenous tribes. Once that introduction has been made and Davey's plans made clear, the tribes will grant him safe passage along the water. If this bit of diplomacy didn't take place, it is likely that he would be met with hostility and suspicion along the way.

The river seems to still be the main threat to his safety however as he is still encountering plenty of challenging whitewater and his little kayak was not designed for those kinds of conditions. He estimates that he'll need to get another 50km (31 miles) down stream before the river widens out and slows its descent. After that it'll be calm, flat paddling for thousands of kilometers.

I spent some time on the Amazon River in Peru a few years back and it was far from difficult to paddle. That said, I was way down stream on the river proper where it spreads out for kilometers in all direction . It is a massive waterway in scope and scale with hundreds of tributaries and backwater to be explored and while there are settlements along its banks, there are also plenty of incredibly remote areas with few people as well.

For Davey, this adventure is just getting started and he will have so much to experience as he makes his way to the Atlantic Ocean over the months ahead.

Dave Cornthwaite's Swim1000 expedition is proceeding – dare I say it – swimmingly. (I think I just heard a million Internet groans. Sorry folks, couldn't resist!) The team is now on their 11th day on the water and making solid progress as they proceed for 1000 miles (1609km) down the Missouri River from Chamberlain, South Dakota to St. Louis, Missouri. Dave is swimming the entire distance of course, but he's joined by a number of close friends who are paddling (stand-up or canoe) along with him.

Judging from the updates that have been posted to the Swim1000 blog, it seems that everyone is enjoying their time on the river. Not only are they getting the opportunity to experience an aquatic adventure, they're also meeting interesting and friendly people along the way. I have to imagine that the expedition team gets a few looks as they pass by on the water as well. After all, it's not often that you see a troupe of stand-up paddlers and one swimmer, go past.

As I mentioned in my previous story on Swim1000, Dave and his friends are hoping to raise funds for the CoppaFeel organization, a non-profit that is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. A message they are spreading as they travel down river.

The video below gives you an idea of what Dave and the rest of his motley crew are up to on the Missouri. If you live along the river, keep an eye out for them. They expect to be out there for another 40 days or so.

A couple of weeks back I wrote about West Hansen's attempt to set a new speed record on the Amazon River by kayaking from source to sea as quickly as possible. At that time, West and his support team were still acquiring their proper visas and scouting the start of the expedition, but were getting close to hitting the water. This past weekend, high atop Mount Mismi in Peru, they launched their kayaks at last.

Hansen is calling his expedition the Amazon Express and the website is already being updated with news from the field. It seems these early days of the paddle have not been particularly easy, as Hansen and his team are starting in the headwaters o the Amazon where it is very rocky and water flow is on the low side right now. As a result, they've had to portage around certain sections and some of the kayaks have been too heavy for the shallow waters. These conditions won't last long however, as the river will begin to pick-up speed and intensity in the days ahead. The first 650km (403 miles) or so will feature some of the most dramatic whitewater on the planet, before eventually flowing into the Amazon proper.

The fact that updates from the river are currently being posted at least once a day is good sign for those who want to follow Hansen's progress. The reports have been brief, but detailed and share a lot of information about logistics and conditions. Currently, since they are still in the mountains, those conditions have been on the cold side. They've even had flash snow storms and very chilly over night temperatures. That will all change once Hansen and his squad get to lower altitudes however and the warmth of the rainforest will probably be welcome. At least for a little while.

One thing I should point out about this expedition is that in my earlier post I had noted that Hansen was attempting to make a solo speed record attempt. There doesn't appear to be anything that I would call "solo" in this, at least not so far. Not only does he have a support team, there are a few other paddlers with him at the moment. Perhaps once he's on the Amazon itself, and not the tributaries, he'll be alone, but for now West has plenty of company.

Follow the updates at AmazonExpress2012.com.

In the first week of July I posted a story about South African adventurer Davey du Plessis, who was about to embark on an epic Source-to-Sea journey along the Amazon River. That journey, which is expected to cover 7200km (4474 miles), began with a trek to the summit of Mount Mismi a 5597 meter (18,363 ft) peak that marks the headwaters of the river. From there Davey would hike back down the mountain and then climb aboard his bike for a 1500km (932 mile) ride to his kayak put on. The third and final stage of the expedition is a 5700km (3541 mile) paddle to the sea. The first two stages are now complete and du Plessis is out on the water, but according to his Facebook page it has been a challenging go so far.

In his most recent update, which came last week, Davey indicated that the white water was faster and more difficult than he had expected and as as a result, he capsized his boat and nearly lost all of his gear. On his first day on the water he managed to cover an impressive 70km (43 miles), but spent some time running the more precarious rapids in an inner-tube while dragging his boat behind. At one point, the kayak struck a rock, which was the cause of it capsizing and that was an indication that perhaps it wasn't entirely well suited for running the early rapids of the Amazon. Fortunately the white water doesn't last for long and by now he should be on relatively flat water, with a good current, that spreads out for miles in all directions.

Since that update last Wednesday there has been no word out of Davey. Hopefully all is well and he's simply having some issues getting his communication systems to work. He obviously still has a long way to go before he reaches the ocean and it would be great to get regular updates on his progress.

Thanks to Lisa De Speville for keeping me in the loop on Davey's expedition progress.

British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite has launched the next leg of his Expedition 1000 project which has him undertaking 25 separate journeys of at least 1000 miles (1609km) in length without the use of motorized transportation of any kind. Past adventures have includes a 3638 mile (5854 km) crossing of Australia on a skateboard and a 2404 mile (3868 km) journey down the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard. Dave's latest challenge is a 1000 mile swim down the Missouri River.

The Swim 1000, as Dave is calling his little dip in the river, got underway last Friday when he dove into the Missouri for the first time near Chamberlain, South Dakota. He'll now proceed down stream to St. Louis, Missouri at a pace of roughly 20 miles a day. That means that he expects to complete the swim in approximately 50 days or about the end of September.

Originally Dave had planned to make this journey a solo effort, pulling a raft with his gear and supplies behind him as he went. But he managed to convince several friends to join him on the expedition and now it is a complete river caravan making its way down river toward St. Louis. Dave is the only member of the group who is swimming the entire length, while others will stand-up paddleboard or use a canoe to cover the 1000 mile stretch of the Missouri. Updates are already being posted to the expedition blog, including audio dispatches, and Dave's Twitter feed has some great images for the river as well.

Being a generous sort of fellow, Dave is always trying to uses his adventures to raise funds for charity. In this case, he is hoping to generate £100,000 ($157,000) for CoppaFeel, an organization dedicated to educating women about the importance of early detection of breast cancer in an effort to stamp out that awful disease.

Good luck to Dave and the entire crew. Have fun on the water and stay safe out there.

Earlier today I posted a story about paddler West Hansen's attempt to make a solo-speed run of the Amazon River, which he is calling the Amazon Express. In that story I mentioned that he would have to run the Acobamba Abyss, a notoriously treacherous stretch of white water that is amongst the toughest in the world. What exactly will that entail? The Abyss is roughly 40 miles (64km) in length and features Class V+ rapids nearly the entire way. It also runs through steep slot canyons that don't allow for any kind of retreat once paddlers enter the section. The water is too fast to paddle upstream and the walls are too difficult to climb, which means there is only one way to go – down!

For a better idea of what it's like, check out the video below that shows some rafters running through the Abyss a few years back. Looks like a wild ride!

While we're on the subject of South America and The Amazon today, it appears that another major paddling expedition is about to hit the water there. Texan West Hansen will soon be attempting to become the first and fastest person to paddle the entire length of the Amazon River, source-to-sea, completely solo and in record time. He calls this expedition The Amazon Express and if all goes according to plan, he'll be getting under way in a matter of days.

Hansen will begin the journey at the headwaters of the Amazon, which start in the Peruvian Andes on Mount Mismi, which gives birth to the Apurimac River, one of the tributaries that helps form the mighty Amazon itself. In those early days he'll be navigating dangerous Class III-VI+ rapids as he descends through Black Canyon and the legendary Acobamba Abyss, one of the most difficult sections of white water anywhere in the world.

That section of the journey will cover approximately 425 miles (684km) before the water begins to even out and slow down dramatically. From there, it is another 3800 miles (6115km) to the sea, all of which West intends to run as quickly as possible, going night and day to the finish line to the best of his ability. All told, the entire expedition will cover 4425 miles (7121km).

West is currently in South America and preparing to start his epic paddle. He has secured his visas and is in the final stages of getting his gear and supplies ready. He'll have a support boat that will resupply him along the way, but he'll be doing all of the paddling completely alone. If all goes as planned, he should hit the water as early as next week.

It should be noted, and Hansen acknowledges this himself, this isn't the first kayaking expedition to run the Amazon. His "firsts" include doing it solo and fast. Seems like it's going to be one hell of a journey and I wish him the best of luck, and not just because he lives in Austin, my place of residence. This will definitely be one amazing adventure.

Follow along at TheAmazonExpress2012.com.

Dagger Kayaks has a new playboat coming out called the Jitsu. It's small, it's light and it's very agile. In short, it's going to be a lot of fun. Recently pro-paddler Rush Sturges got to take the Jitsu out for a test drive and as you'll see in the video below, he really put it through its paces. Looks like fun!