March 2, 2010

4th Annual Brazil Waterfall Expedition: part 2

 

 Kokatat Ambassadors Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic check in from Brazil:

 

Text Ben Stookesberry

Photos Chris Korbulic

3/1/10 - Mato Grosso, Brazil

 

Despite many areas experiencing the most rain in 80 years, Sao Paulo’s freeways and the thoroughfares through Brazil’s expansive interior were in as good of shape as I have seen them.  The rivers on the other hand are incredibly full and treacherous, with our first descent of the Expedition demonstrating the true power of a Central Brazilian river.  At or near the scour line, the Rio Das Mortes (River of the Dead) sped into the jungle with 15 – 20 thousand cfs at the put-in.  Surrounding the river corridor of thick jungle are massive Agricultural complexes; however, the riparian vegetation has been maintained throughout the watershed so even at this extremely high flow the water is transparent and appeared quite clean. 

 

Three years ago during my first trip to Mato Grosso a local kayaker told me about this unrun section of river, containing the big class V we like.  Finally, a month ago I came across the whitewater laced canyon on Google Earth located in the upper watershed near where we would enter Mato Grosso from Sao Paulo.  

 

From the satellite photo I saw massive deforestation around the river and expected to be overwhelmed by the destruction of the natural Serrado forest. Once on the ground though, I began to see the place through the eyes of the extremely hospitable land owners and farm workers that have developed the area for the last 50 years.  These are the people we have to thank for many of the conveniences of the modern world, i.e. the supermarket.  

 

In addition to providing us with directions for put-in and take-out, the gracious farmers took us up in a crop duster to give us a look at the dense jungle canyon of the Das Mortes.  From the air at about 85 miles an hour and 60 – 150 feet off the deck the river looked huge but very manageable.  At about 15 – 20 miles an hour and a torso length off the boiling, swollen current, things looked very different from the seat of our Super Heroes.  

 

This incredible descent of a big water canyon on the edge of the Amazon could not have provided a more exhilarating and informative start to the trip.  Unfortunately the Das Mortes River and its intact jungle corridor is slated for inundation by hydro-electric development over the next 5 – 10 years.  From this first encounter with river, jungle, and agricultural plantation it seems that the biggest threat to the Amazon now is from the promise of “cheap and clean” hydro power.  The biggest example of this is a massive neighbor to the Amazon called the Xingu.  Once dammed, the Xingu will be the third largest dammed river on the planet.  

 

Through the rest of the journey into the Amazon we will be in search of more amazing rivers, and more perspectives from agricultural concerns to the indigenous peoples of the area that are entrusted with the last natural expanses of rainforest.

February 27, 2010

Go Wild Expedition Presents First Slideshow

Thursday night (2/26) Ed’s Cantina in Estes Park, Colorado hosted the first of many Go Wild Expedition slideshow presentations. Phil Magistro and Apryle Craig presented their 1200 mile kayak journey up the historical Inside Passage route, where they examined the effects of salmon farms on the environment and local communities. During their slideshow, they discussed route highlighs, cooking, camping, and gear choices, including the breathability of the Kokatat dry suits, convenience of the relief zips, and unique ergonomic fit of Apryle’s SeaO2 lifejacket – perfect for her petite frame.


The team broke up their photos with a video they created showcasing their experiences with salmon along the coast. After the video, they explained the specific issues with open-net salmon farming, and what individuals can do to help. The video featured a soundtrack titled River Runnin’ written and sang by one of the generous people they met along their trip. Despite the small turnout due to the weather, the folks who did come out received a more personal account of the couple’s trip while enjoying free appetizers compliments of Ed’s Cantina. Attendees won prizes from sponsors including Kokatat, and received copies of the Seafood Watch Guide to Sustainable Seafood. Donations were collected to benefit Living Oceans Society. Everyone enjoyed a great evening and Phil and Apryle look forward to future opportunities to continue encouraging people to “Go Wild” in support of wild salmon.

Watch their blog for future slideshow dates and locations, or contact them at philandapryle@elevatedattitude.com to schedule a presentation near you!

February 23, 2010

Freya Hoffmeister- Race Around Australia Seattle Presentation

Freya’s West Coast Tour…don’t miss it! Barb Gronseth, from Kayak Academy, tells us about the Freya Hoffmeister’s “Race Around Australia” presentation that took place in Seattle.

“Kayak Academy and Sea Kayaker Magazine hosted Freya’s “Race around Australia” presentation in Seattle Feb 16th. Avid Seattle-area paddlers poured in from all points for the opportunity to meet Freya. Some had followed her blog throughout the trip and others logged in for the tougher phases of the trip. Her initial slide of Australia super imposed over Europe helps you grasp the immensity of her circumnavigation and then her year unfolds with photos of beautiful scenery and marine life.

The next day, I was off on my own travels, to Whistler and the Olympics. Gazing at out the bus window at Howe Sound my thoughts turned to the night before and Freya’s presentation. Stories abound of her courage, determination, what percentage of her trip was supported, the number of technological communication devices used but what affected me most was the excitement of watching her succeed. We, sea kayakers don’t have a world cup or Olympic ski racer to follow down the race course and to the finish but we do have images of Freya punching out through the surf and at the Finish. She won her race, what’s your next adventure?”

-Barb Gronseth

Tonight at 6:30pm  Freya will be giving her presentation in Eureka, CA at the Wharfinger Building.  Then she will be at the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium This weekend 2/26-2/28.  There will be another presentation during the symposium on 2/27. Check out the full tour schedule to see if Freya is coming to a town near you!

February 17, 2010

Daniel Fox is back on the road!

The Kokatat sponsored Wild Image Project is back on the road!
Daniel_Fox_1_Pablo_Passera
“The first stop is La Paz in Baja California, where I am joining the folks from Alaska Mountain Guides for 10 days of sea kayaking with gray whales. Then I will be joining my good friend Hayden onboard his sailboat Matilda as we sail down the coast of Mexico. And finally, I will be flying to Argentina at the beginning of March for about 6 months. This time, my main focus will be to photograph the delicate and precious habitat of the Ibera Marshes and the Pinialito Park. If you’ve missed any of the recent online coverage I will post regularly with photos and videos on the WIP website, Facebook and Twitter.

What else is on the horizon? I will be in New York in October as my photography will be exhibited at the NY Consul of Argentina. I will also be doing a series of presentations in The North Face stores and schools across the country. I will join fellow kayaker Glenn Charles (who is presently kayaking from Florida to Boston) on April 11, 2011 for the Inside Passage Expedition and kayak from Seattle to Glacier Bay in Alaska.

For the next 75 days, I will be selling calendars and prints; have a look! Small signed photos start at $25. Also for sale is the special edition signed “Argentina Wildlife” coffee-table size book – a must have!! If you are interested in purchasing full size prints mounted on bamboo, have a look at kitsunekeimou.com.” – Daniel Fox

February 16, 2010

Misha Hoichman’s trip to the Faroe Islands

“My kayaking trip to the Faroe Islands was completed as scheduled in July and August of 2009. This North Atlantic archipelago is located roughly half way between Scotland and Iceland, and is renowned for its stunning basalt cliffs and countless sea caves. In the winter the fierce winds make the islands quite an inhospitable place. Summertime brings relatively (in Faroese standards) calm weather. The tidal streams are very strong, combined with the ocean swell they create many challenging tidal races.

I was pleased to use Kokatat’s GORE-TEX® TecTour Anorak on the water, and the GORE-TEX® Deluxe Boater Pant on land to keep me dry. Those are excellent pieces of equipment, and I would like to recommend them for other kayakers as well.

February 13, 2010

Globetrekker Antarctica Expedition Update

Kokatat Ambassador Chris Jones is away on the Globetrekker Antarctica Expedition. Events turned for the better since his last report to us; follow him on Twitter to catch up on the latest! Their satellite internet link is now up on board, and updates are beamed out from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica throughout the expedition.
Globetrekker
“After months of planning we’re in Ushuaia, Patagonia, poised to head south. We’re here to film two episodes of the award winning travel series Globetrekker. Our crew is made up Zay Harding (presenter), Robert Wilkins (director), Pete Allibone (camera) and myself (guide). Despite all our best laid plans the “expected” unexpected has happened, and 21 bags of filming equipment is stuck in Buenos Aires. We’ve left Pete behind to wrangle Argentine customs and the airline, and we’re hoping we’ll see him and all the gear soon. I don’t envy his job at all! We’re keeping out fingers crossed that his crash course in Argentine customs negotiation is successful! This delay has a positive side in that we have some extra time to sort through gear lists, chase up last minute supplies, recce shoot locations around Ushuaia, and even relax a little. The moment the cameras show up the job will be on, and we will be trying to cram 3 days of filming into 2 before we leave. The good news is that our Kokatat gear (unlike our cameras) has showed up here in Ushuaia – we’re now fully equipped to take on whatever the Southern Ocean and Antarctica can throw at us!”

February 12, 2010

Marcus Demuth and Biff Wruszek attempted the first circumnavigation of Isla Grande Tierra del Fuego

New York paddlers Marcus Demuth and Biff Wruszek set out on December 30th, 2009 to the southernmost tip of Patagonia to attempt the first circumnavigation of Isla Grande Tierra del Fuego, South America’s largest island. Three weeks and 620 miles later – about two thirds through their circumnavigation – the two paddlers turned the southeast corner of Isla Grande Tierra del Fuego to paddle north along the east coast of Tierra del Fuego towards their final destination and starting point, Punta Arenas (Chile). Upon reaching the east coast, relentless winds and high seas pinned down the duo down for 10 days at Caleta Falsa. After 3 breakout attempts, all of which ended with a retreat back into the safety of Caleta Falsa, factors including continuos strong winds, too high seas to paddle, the lack of a foreseeable weather window, dwindling food supplies, the geography of the coastline, and the remoteness of their location saw Biff and Marcus make the painful decision to end their trip.

They are disappointed that they were unable to close the loop around Tierra del Fuego, but know they are very fortunate to have visited this beautiful and wild location, and to have enjoyed the hospitality of both the kayaking and non-kayaking populations of this very remote place on Earth. The expedition raised more than $2,000 for the kayak chapter of “Achilles”, a New York based nonprofit that enables people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics.

Below is a more detailed account of their adventure:

“Although calling off our expedition was – and still is – a painful decision, it was less of a “decision” than a “realization” we both came to within hours of each other. Weather-bound in Caleta Falsa (on the far south eastern tip of Tierra del Fuego), our options and our food supply dwindled daily as we waited for the winds to drop. For most of the first week we assumed the stronger winds we were encountering were a storm, and took turns to get up and take wind readings; first at 3am and then – often going back to bed with our dry suits on – again 2 hours later, then 3 hours after that. Later in the day we would watch the winds and seas around the clock. Perceiving momentary lulls in the weather on three occasions, and partly fueled by cabin fever, partly fueled by impatience to get moving we went paddling anyway. But every time we left Caleta Falsa, a small bay 100 miles northeast of Cape Horn, 30 to 60 mph winds and dangerously high seas made us turn around into the shelter of the bay.

Our attempt to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego was the first, and we knew the challenges the expedition would present. We also knew there was a chance we might not be successful. Should we have circumnavigated clockwise, instead of counter clockwise? Maybe. Yes, for the reason that we would have had the northwest winds on the east coast of Tierra del Fuego at our back. No, for the reason that we would have paddled 300 miles straight into westerly winds in the Beagle Channel and Canal Brecknock, something that no kayak expedition (or kayaker) has done.

Despite the fact that our expedition did not achieve its ultimate goal (reaching Punta Arenas) we are happy that we went and that we challenged ourselves in this most demanding of maritime environments. We enjoyed warm welcomes in the lonely outposts of the Chilean and Argentinean Prefectura/Armada, and from the kayaking communities in Ushuaia, Rio Grande (Argentina) and Punta Arenas (Chile). We also enjoyed endless wildlife and vistas in the Cordillera Darwin and on the southernmost tip of South America – all of which were big drivers for the trip. All in all, we would do it again, and the only question my trusted expedition partner Biff and I still (and again) have on our mind is: Where and when do we go next?” – Marcus

February 10, 2010

Freya Hoffmeister west Coast Tour

Kayaking Legend Freya Hoffmeister Celebrates Record Setting

Expedition With West Coast Speaking Tour

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When you circumnavigate an entire continent, a party is most certainly in order. The celebration started in San Diego on February 6th with record-setting kayaker Freya Hoffmeister presenting her “Race Around Australia” west coast speaking engagement.

Kokatat and Thule are the presenting sponsors of this seven-city tour that celebrates Hoffmeister’s feat – the first and fastest solo and unsupported circumnavigation of Australia by a woman and only the second successful circumnavigation of Australia, period.

After San Diego the tour will hit Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, then south to Seattle, Portland, Arcata, and finally the San Francisco Golden Gate Kayak Symposium.

Though not an Olympian, Hoffmeister will be right at home among the world’s elite athletes when she takes the tour to Canada.

This three week tour will find Hoffmeister retelling stories and sharing experiences from the nearly 12-month journey where she covered 9,424 miles in 322 days (245 of them spent paddling). Expect stories of crocodile encounters (and nights spent avoiding them) among other harrowing plights.

Hoffmeister’s sea kayaking resume is padded with “firsts”: in 2007 she completed the fastest-ever circumnavigation of Iceland in a sea kayak. She set the fastest solo time for the circumnavigation of the South Island of New Zealand in 70 days, a week faster than the previous record. Kokatat supported Hoffmeister’s Australian circumnavigation by providing essential waterproof products and safety gear.

The tour stops:

For more information about Freya visit: http://www.qajaqunderground.com/

February 3, 2010

North Pole Quest 2010

Troy Henkels has been part of several Kokatat sponsored expeditions, including In the Wake of the Belgica – Antarctica Sail Expedition.  He wanted to share some of the training methods he uses to get ready for his expeditions.

“Preparations and training are well under way for a Last Degree Expedition to the North Pole. Dixie Dansercoer and I will guide a group of business professionals on an adventure of a lifetime to ski the last degree to the North Pole in early April.

There are numerous challenges for such an expedition: the easy one to contend with is the physical conditioning required. I have been running several miles every day dragging a spare tire behind me in order to get more fit. I get some funny looks, but it is great conditioning.

One of the more difficult challenges to prepare for is the inevitable confrontation with open stretches (”leads”) of water amongst the ice. Kokatat plays a key role in this; even though it is mid winter in Alaska, training in the water still happens. With several layers of fleece and my Kokatat GORE-TEX® Expedition dry suit, I pick the coldest days and go swimming amongst the moving icebergs and currents of Knik Arm in Cook Inlet. Not only does this allow me the opportunity to see how my equipment works under these conditions, but it is also very important mentally. Valuable time can be spent looking for a safe route around the open lead when confronted with one on the way to the Pole. The best way to deal with it is to put on the dry suit and swim across, saving time and physical effort.  When confronted with the extreme cold and remote nature of traveling to the North Pole this can be a bit perplexing. Practicing in the cold Alaska winter in cold water allows me to not think twice about jumping in! Thank you, Kokatat!” Troy Henkels

January 30, 2010

Inside Edition: Darin McQuoid

Behind the scenes look from Darin McQuoid, Kokatat Ambassador and photographer at large:

“The reality of expedition kayaking is that behind the scenes we are pretty normal people. When I get back from an international expedition I am generally focused on a few things: first and foremost, spending time with my wonderful lady in Davis, California where she is a grad student in molecular, cellular, integrative physiology”. Let’s just say that she is a lot smarter than I am – I don’t understand any of it! With her busy schedule I slip into the domestic role at home, doing a lot of cooking trying to stick to day trips for kayaking. After that I spend time with family and friends, and of course pay all the late fees I accumulated during travel. I generally walk away with around 5,000 images from a trip – sorting and editing these can take a little while. Most years I end up working a few odd jobs between expeditions: I’ve done anything from raft guiding to commercial maintenance, but as the years progress and sponsorships grow I am forced to do less of this. Let’s hope the trend continues!

Needless to say I love photography, and while at home I really enjoying playing around with my camera in relaxed atmospheres where I am not “under the gun” and don’t have any pressure to produce results. Doing this helps me remember why I like taking pictures, because it can be really fun.

Blogging can be a lot of fun, and while I’m at home I try to update my River Lover blog at least once a day. As a member Clear H2O Films, I am proud to say that we have a major, out of the industry sponsor. While this has held back our regular updates during the contract process, we are looking forward to sharing the adventures we’ve had on our expeditions in Mexico and India, and we’re heading off to Brazil in just under a month. Stay tuned for and update on that lots of media this March!” - Darin

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