Riding the Spine has stashed their bikes in Huanúco and have taken a hellish 30 hours of busses to Arequipa where they are organizing a rafting trip down the Cotahuasi River with John Yost and his son JJ Yost who has been riding with us since Panama.Russell Kramer, who had joined us on bike through Central America is flying down to be the safety kayaker for this epic adventure.
The Cotahuasi was first run by a group of American and Peruvian Paddlers, including Gian Marco Vellutino and has since been run commercially by only one or two outfitters when they can find the clients. Unlike the Colca Canyon, the Cotahuasi´s remoteness makes it exceedingly difficult to organize logistics and so very few trips have made it down the canyon. In 2000, a private European group attempted to run the river, but ended in tragedy when a 19 year old woman was tossed out of the boat in a class V rapid and her body was never found.
At over twice the depth of Arizona’s Grand Canyon, the Cotahuasi is the deepest canyon in the world! Measuring 11,587 feet from river to rim, this scarcely-explored Peruvian wilderness remains one of the most pristine environments on Earth. The Cotahuasi River Canyon features a rare glimpse into the Incan world; a geologic, floral, and faunal paradise; and a river-runner’s dream! Draining the western slope of the Andes Mountains, the waterway courses 100 miles over a continuous series of Class IV and V drops, making it one of the most gripping stretches of commercially run whitewater anywhere. Visitors to the Cotahuasi encounter some the rarest and the most extraordinary Incan archeological sites… quaint Peruvian village replete with natural hot springs, spot enormous Andean Condors, and experience one of the most fantastic wilderness river expeditions on Earth!
-Global Descents
Check back in a week or so for photos, videos and stories from this exciting expedition.
r u guys crazy??? us moms are getting a bit worried here.
Lorie
r u guys crazy??? us moms are getting a bit worried here.
Lorie
r u guys crazy??? us moms are getting a bit worried here.
Lorie
I love Russell! I met him on the upper gauley this fall and now am obsessed with rafting. How do I find him? I have questions about a grand canyon adventure…
I love Russell! I met him on the upper gauley this fall and now am obsessed with rafting. How do I find him? I have questions about a grand canyon adventure…
I love Russell! I met him on the upper gauley this fall and now am obsessed with rafting. How do I find him? I have questions about a grand canyon adventure…