Sometimes you can plan out every detail of an expedition, taking everything into account and it just will not work out the way the dream played out in your mind.
One such planned two day kayak run of a steep river worked out just that way for me recently.
It just turned out to be a bittersweet and powerful experience.          I was sure that given the recent rains that the descent would take two days, It was not a first for me as I had descended this river before, except this time the plan was to do the whole thing and not portage the grade 5 steep section, With the recent rains there should be a good flow of water and so with all this in mind an early start was essential.
The morning started out well, driving up the mountain in the mist which cleared as the first sun started to warm the terrain revealing the spectacular views of the peaks shrouded in cloud, it was really awesome, it felt good to be alive.
Bouncing down the four wheel drive access track through the mud and meeting only a couple of locals on horseback, It brought me to the final gate early enough, the truck just about fitting through the gate posts, to then be able to negotiate the steep descent to the end of the usable road.  Small stones had been laid down to add traction in the soft clay making it possible to traverse this section in most weather.
The view open before me of a steep sided valley with the thickly vegetated slopes falling down into the river below, here was then destination, a rugged looking place indeed, but the further I could drive the less lugging gear was necessary.
That is how I made the first mistake, I did not take into account the color change from red to a dark purple of the track, this looked though it was made up of small pebbles and rock fragments that made up the road dropping steeply away ahead of me, it was only just about wide enough for the blazer to get through. Only some two hundred yards or so had been negotiated before I realised it was not one of the greatest plans I had hatched, the track ahead dropped even more steeply and became broken with deep ruts where the rains had washed it out.
By bumping the banks of the trough that made up the walls of the track itself in the soft clay, I was able to execute a 180 degree turn,  backing and filling for what seemed an eternity.
Ok so now pointed uphill again, the rest should be easy enough I thought,  well not quite.
Of course even gunning it in low ratio the slick clay surface would not allow enough traction to make it back up the last 50 yards to the start of the red surfaced section, which had the much better traction, what had looked like small rock fragmentation was so broken down that it provided the friction of thick grease.
Whatever I seemed to do the truck just slid sideways into the ditch and onto the bank.
Getting out I started to use a machete the only digging tool available to remove the higher clods from the surface of the track,  the ground easily sliced which only went to show just how soft it all was.
It was about this time a local cowboy turned up on a mule towing yet another animal which had some milk cans strapped on, we talked a while and I explained why I was there, he seemed friendly enough and offered a tow.
It this stage the blazer was 45 degrees across the steepest section of the track hopelessly stuck, even going back down was difficult as I just backed into the bank.
I really had nothing to lose and so we tied a long lasso he had over the saddle horn to the towing hook of the truck.
I have to admit that the motor is a little old and worn on the machine, in fact I run 25W/50 weight oil in it to increase the tolerances a little, so I was just waiting for a piston to appear on the hood ahead of me, but chevy builds a pretty solid vehicle,  even if it was 26 years old, but it did sound all a little metallic though.
Well, the results were not completely ineffective,  in fact by using the motor at the same time that he hauled, we were able to turn the head of the machine upward and slide the truck into the middle of the track again. Unfortunately it just was not enough and after various more attempts he let me know he had to get the milk up to the gate above for collection.
By this stage the sun was out and the surface was starting to dry out, this was of course the only real hope I had of getting out off this mess without a tractor that is, and they seemed pretty scarce around these parts.
I concentrated a little on surface preparation, laying down small stones that were found hereabouts and making sure there were no lumps to stop a wheel.
Having backed up a little A run was made with a little inertia built up, and gunning the 6.2 litre beast at disintegration speed and now bouncing up and down like an animal I just got the thing over the top and out.
This all cost at least a couple of hours and set the tone for the day.
So I offloaded the kayak and gear, packing carefully everything into the boat before getting the blazer up and out the gate higher up to where I was to leave it.
So finally things were on the move again, I got the kayak onto the grass at the side of the track and hauled it downward for the two kilometre hike to the creek put in.
Well, it is hard work but it does warm you up for the water though, Anyway it’s so good to be away from civilisation and in the mountains, I didn’t really mind and hardly ever thought of the practical use of one of those mules for example, never thought about it at all, or so it went getting a boat and equipment to the river.
The water flow at the creek put in was healthy enough, actually it seemed about ideal, the whole of the plan revolved around getting some Go Pro footage of the full descent of this creek. Up to now it had been a pretty good start as I had managed to get a mix of stuff including the horse, and some good terrain footage.
So getting kitted up and doing a few stretch exercises I was ready to mount the camera on the contraption built on the stern of the kayak, which was basically a guyed stick with the Go Pro on top, good results having Been obtained before using the setup.
I had included two weaker points on the forward straps, to break at 30 pounds each in case of getting tangled up in the mess, this I  thought for safety reasons.
Some local campesinos turned up at the exact time I setoff and they seemed happy enough to see this crazy gringo in action.
The creek is pretty manky at the start and dropping at almost 70 meters per kilometre, this made for some tight action and everything went pretty well for a while, I got out a couple of times to scout the steep technical sections ahead.
A really tight right hand turn had to be made after boofing over a 5 foot fall, then passing through the base of another fall and it was while negotiating this, that I looked back to see the Go Pro mount had come down. It was just not possible to stop and another 30 yards went by before I was able to eddy out at the right of the flow.
Well, the base of the mount was broken and there seemed no way to immediately repair it, so I figured it would be just best to remove the Go Pro and see if I could not bodge up something later.  I found out then to my dismay that it was a little too late,  the case was there but it had been dragged open and smashed,  the camera was missing, there went anything good shot up to now.
I looked forlornly back up the steep creek realising somewhere at the bottom of that raging water was my camera.
Well, although I had brought a second one the mount was pretty broken, so cinematic dreams coming to an end the remnants were packed away, Obviously I was not meant to film this today.
By now it was raining which was fairly early start for in the day and this meant getting on with it as the toughest and most technical section was below me, and It would not be good to get into it at flood stage.
From this point on it would just be pure kayaking and that did make me feel good, It was just simply fantastic, the river was perfect the volume ideal. Some waterfalls, and incredible boofs followed, a super steep rock garden and stepped falls led to the crux.
A really steep fast rapid of 30 yards then turn right and a Must make move over a small cascade requiring an exact boof, too much and you came down on rocks and as the landing was pretty shallow, if you penciled in a vertical pin was a real risk.  Then down and hard left through a chute to come out quite some distance below,  all of this on the edge of portage but possible.
It went so well, I could feel the nose of the kayak bump the river bed at the falls, and on looking back upward afterwards I felt like a king for having negotiated it,  This is of course what we live for,  I let out a scream with no one to hear,  It simply does not get any better than this.
The rain was starting to come down steadily and the river was rising, the volume was filling in even more, the next section lead through pure jungle at grade 4+, the grade 5 now behind me, it was still pretty steep though, another river, joining from the left brought up the flow further.
The kayaking now on sight was just pure joy, the steep boulder garden nature of this section made concentration levels become acute, I stopped at times to get a little rest and just re energise with a couple of handfuls of dried fruit and nuts.
The rapids just did not let up, and the after a very strenuous technical section at a good volume the most difficult was behind me, I was feeling good.
If only I were just a little more savvy, feeling good about things is of course the equivalent of pride before a fall on a steep creek!
So coming down through a complex steep rapid there appeared a choice ahead, a large boulder blocked the flow,  and a hard right at 90 degrees bashing up against the rock or punch left through a cleft and straight on. The volume of water was pretty solid as most of the river flow choked down through this feature.
I chose to punch it left through the cleft on sight, of course it was a quick and very erroneous decision as it turned out.
Instant pin, and absolutely solid at that, the kayak at first was pinned upright but quickly the water acted on the upstream rail and started to submerge and capsize the boat, and as I could see this was going the wrong way fast, and it could easily trap me underwater, I pulled the spray skirt.
To be honest the boat was crushing itself with the force of the water deforming to the rock it was pinned onto, I grabbed the self rescue handle on the stern of the boat and hauled against the force of the water, which was bearing down on me pretty hard.  Sliding snakelike out of the cockpit backwards, my feet trapped inside I was able to slide out with great difficulty, I was on the edge of my strength level and there was no possibility of a rest, it had to be made in one, and as quick as I could do it.
The force of the hydraulic was terrible, what had been the propulsion of pure joy was rapidly turning into my nightmare.  Finally I got out of the boat only to get my foot trapped between a large rock and the plastic of the kayak, I could not get my foot backward against the force of the water but in the end managed just to rip it out downstream,  pure luck to be honest, my other foot became pinched again but not as badly and I was finally able to throw myself down on the islet in the middle of the river.  To add insult to injury the water force had pulled down my neoprene shorts to my ankles baring my arse, the humiliation was now complete, Thank the stars there was no one with a camera to put it on you tube.
I took stock of the situation, the river god had let me out, the rain was coming down hard and the creek was rising fast. The kayak was only just visible a small patch of blue below the water, which was the nose, the rest was deeply buried in the powerful hydraulic.
Everything was in the boat, luckily it was close to the rocks which I was perched on but when I tried to get my hand on the bow handle the force of the water just brushed it away. By making a point of my hand and aiming it into the current then sweeping it down on the handle, I was finally able to grab it, lifting upward using all my force did not budge it at all, nothing, it was stuck solidly.
There was obviously no chance of getting the boat out by the bow,  I looked down on it and thought that is probably where it is going to stay.
Studying the situation some more I realised it might be possible to get to the stern by getting behind the rock it was pinned to, even though it was in the force of the current, looking downstream it looked pretty nasty if I got swept away, It would be a pretty bad ride through the rest of the rapid.
Dropping behind the rock the water came to my chest, but became a little shallower as the stern of the kayak was approached, the boat helped provide a lee also, I was able to reach up current and get my hand into the cockpit and finally my fingers curled around the rope secured by bungie just ahead of the seat, I ripped it out.
Great step forward, I was able to secure it to a handle just behind the cockpit, then hauling myself out on the rock the vessel was pinned onto I was able to pull with everything I had upward in the hopes of breaking the force of the pin. Nothing no movement at all and it was starting to get exhausting, the water was becoming muddier by the minute showing the volume was really increasing.
Jumping back into the water behind the rock I tried the last thing I could think of before salvaging what I could and getting out. It was a hail Mary move really, I moved behind the rock and forced upstream at the stern of the boat, and then by using the lee to get my hands on the handle at the back of the kayak, then using a boulder on the riverbed to get the best leverage against the raging current, I was able to get some purchase to be able to lift the stern upward with everything I had.
Here the miracle occurred, the thing moved a bit, not much maybe an inch but it moved, I tried again and got it up four inches but was quickly exhausted and the kayak returned to its original position.
I was becoming tired, this was literally at the very limit of my strength, trying again It came up more but returned again to where it had been.
A final push after a short rest allowed me to quickly squat with my head almost underwater then getting the point of the stern on my shoulder, and using the last of my strength I was able to stand up and feel it break free, to where the hydraulic force of the rapid took over and drove the boat over me and downstream upside down where I was able to stop it using the rope.
Again I had been lucky in that it came out upside down as this drained a portion of the water making it easier to bring to a halt, had it remained full it would have gone on downstream as I doubt I could have arrested the weight.
I was able to wrestle it to the rocky islet and drag it to dry land so as to speak. Surveying the boat the whole bottom was crushed inward over most of the kayaks length, the inner plastic reinforcing ahead of the seat had parted, it looked a bit of a sorry state.
I got the thing dried out and by placing the bow on one rock and the stern on another was able to bash some shape back into the the boat using my feet, granted it had some large deformations but it looked good to go to me, best damn boat around as far as I was concerned.
I climbed back in and Finished the rapid, then eddied out to a small beach on the left and got out and reflected on what had been a very humbling experience. Strangely I felt no fear throughout the whole event, there was now playing loudly in my head Midnight oils, “How can we dance when our earth is turning, How do we sleep while our beds are burning” and there it remained for some time, strangely comforting to be honest.
I looked at the time only to realise my watch was gone, ripped from my wrist, it was a small price to pay really.
Breaking out some food I ate with relish, and drained a water bottle, it was indeed good to be alive!
I carried on downriver for a few more rapids, now only grade three or so before hauling out at the confluence of a small incoming creek, where I knew a little upriver a dirt track intersected. The day was not late and although the volume was pretty stout I could have continued but Felt pretty exhausted, and decided wisely that I had pushed my luck enough for that day.
Sitting  a while by the River I ate a full lunch of an entire can of spam and crackers before finally deciding on leaving the gear,  and then walking out to retrieve the blazer from the put in track. This meant I had to trudge a few kilometres to the main road,  get a bus and then walk another four kilometres to where The truck had been left.
Starting out meant pushing through a cow pasture with long grasses, Using a stick to beat the way for snakes I quickly made the track and started the long walk to the main road.
The walk was uneventful, it rained sporadicly and the track itself was pretty slippery underfoot, it was quiet and tranquil, the sound of the river audible to my right.
I was tired though, and the final uphill slog to the road was tough going. I changed into a T shirt and track pants which was miraculously the only things which were dry, everything else was soaked completely, despite being in dry bags and inside new sealed freezer plastic bags, only a couple of things had escaped the water pressure.
The small coaster bus took a long time to arrive probably around an hour or so, It was packed with locals so I stood inside, crammed in like a sardine whilst It climbed laboriously up the mountain to finally deposit me at the entrance track.  I was then able to trudge the final four kilometres or so through the rain to make the truck at the end of the track.
It was now getting late and darkness was at most an hour off, I got going so as to be able to retrieve the boat from the river bank before the night fell completely. I crawled the truck back up the four wheel drive track to make the main road, which was descended to the access track leading to the lower section of the river.
The last part of the four wheel drive track was treacherous, the truck sliding at times sideways on the wet red clay surface,  several small creeks had to be forded before finally I came to a halt before a larger tributary of the main river and within walking distance of where I had left the kayak.
I would have left the boat where it was except that the water bottles were inside and that meant a night without liquid, which was not a pleasant thought.
I had finished the last of the rutted track in the twilight with the headlamps on, and as the only flash lights I had were waterlogged, it meant getting on with it as there was just enough visibility, if I was quick to get to the kayak it could be done, so I made a run for it.
When I finally made the end of the field it was difficult to make anything out, I just grabbed the boat and just dragged it through the grass finding this worked best, using a stick in case of snakes. By the time I got back to the vehicle I felt completely done in, I was so thirsty, drinking the rest of the water I refilled the bottles from a small stream near the truck before using purifying tablets to make sure it was drinkable and that was about all I could get done, before finally crashing out to sleep in the back of the blazer.
I slept pretty well even though it was just in my clothes, getting a little cold though towards dawn, the small sleeping bag I had brought had become saturated in that hydraulic along with most of the rest of the gear.
I got up early and heated water using a camp warmer I had brought with me, these lightweight small fuel bottles are fantastic for this type of expedition, all you do is unscrew the cap, put three rocks around the thing and light the wick, it quickly warms a cup of water for a cup of coffee, and that makes all the difference, the hot liquid warming right through to ones soul.
Breakfast of muesli and crackers made me feel human again and I got the kayak ready for the last section of the river.  Even though it was damaged I felt it would be all right and the risk was worth it for the reward, I took only the most basic gear, packing super light as getting back to the vehicle was not going to be a problem.
Regaining the main River I was quickly back into it again, the volume was perfect, somewhat robust after yesterdays rains, the kayaking was just inspiring, everything now went perfectly. I seemed to hit every line exactly and  it was an incredible descent through the last of the grade 4 section of the river. It only took about a couple of hours including a porter section, gone were the dark clouds of the day before, and now I was back on top of the world again, a more perfect morning I could not imagine.
I hid the boat at the finish of the section and walked back to the truck, it had been an incredible two days, and I drove home completely rejuvenated, the deep beauty of the place,  the intense kayaking and close call made this an experience I would not have traded for anything.