I LOVE KAYAKING!!!

23/02/2015

That moment when you realize you are actually a better kayaker than you thought you were; That moment when you realize that you are actually in control of your kayak and can make it go where you want it to; That moment when you finish running a rapid that you didn’t think you could do and you nailed it! That moment is awesome.

I have been getting to know a few of the rafting companies around Thamel and keeping an eye out for any upcoming trips. Last week, one company, some friends of a friend, said that they had someone book a 3-days trip to Bhote Koshi and if I wanted I could tag along. I have been dying to get out onto the river more and so I seized the opportunity. Bring it on Bhote Koshi!

Bhote Koshi is a more technical river which involves dodging lots of giant boulders. The river is especially rocky right now since the water levels are low. It’s great if you want to practice boofing (a term which means trying to bounce your kayak off rocks – something our guide clearly loved doing), but also not ideal for rolling. Given my history of neck injuries this past year, I didn’t want to take any chances hitting my head against some rocks. The other woman who was paddling with me had a full face helmet…smart. I need to get me one of those.

On the other hand, I think my back injury has actually helped improve my paddling by forcing me to have a better posture which means staying stronger in my core and using my hips more to control my boat. No more lazy paddling! Reversely, paddling is helping to strengthen my back and neck muscles and I haven’t been in any pain since I started paddling again. Who knew kayaking was a good way to treat whiplash?

I didn’t have anything to worry about though, since I only rolled once in 3 days of paddling and not even on one of the hard places where I was sure I would roll! (I also rolled a second time, but it doesn’t count because my guide literally pulled me under. I had been talking about how much fun kayak polo is and how I learned to edge after getting flipped 6 times in one game and my guide clearly thought the guys back home were onto something and decided to test my edging prowess. Also, I may have started it by trying to flip him first while he had his deck pulled…Needless to say, we both ended up upside down.)

On the first day, the run was really fun and there was only one rapid were I felt really nervous. We stopped to scout it and I had to sing some happy songs to keep me from psyching myself out. Of course, I nailed it and it was awesome. The next day we ran another river, Balefi, which was even more narrow and creeky but I felt it was a bit slower and easier than the day before. Again there was one rapid that we had to scout which had a bit of a drop and if you missed the line you would get pinned between two rocks. This rapid was less scary though because if you pinned it would be a really easy rescue and no need for rolling or swimming. The consequences were minimal. Of course, I pinned and laughed and laughed. I jumped out of my kayak, shouting: “that was fun! Let’s do it again!”

The last day, we ran the upper section of Bhote Koshi – a technical class 4 with continuous rapids (meaning no long stretches of flat water in between). The guides warned us the ride would be fast and intense – 30 minutes of hard paddling. I was really nervous and not sure I wanted to run it. The night before the guide had told me he thought the rapid would be a bit hard for me. We had discussed running it or not but the other woman wanted to give it a try. It was her last day kayaking in Nepal so I let her decide, but I was really worried about running it. I started off really shaky – I was managing to keep my boat upright but I was just barely making the moves and cutting it close to some rocks. We came to one of the tricky parts and eddied out at the top so that one guide could scout the way because there was a tree. I could see the moves he was making and I knew that if I was going to make it down this rapid I would need to calm down and stay focused. A part of me wanted to say: “I’m just going to get out here and walk” but the guide motioned for us to follow and before I knew it the other two were peeling out and I was right behind them. No time to think, just keep paddling!

At the halfway point, we eddied out again to rest a bit. I was breathing hard and for the first time ever, I had an asthma attack while paddling. I got out of my boat to stretch and took a couple puffs from my inhaler. The guide told us we had already passed two of the hard parts with only one left to go. I couldn’t believe I had already made it that far. I began to relax. I can do this, I thought. When I got back into my boat I was no longer shaking. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing and by the end of it I was smiling and even trying to boof off some rocks. When I reached the bottom, I was ecstatic. Not only did I make it, but I didn’t even roll once. I nailed that f***er like a champion!

It is such a great feeling to work hard to get good at something and then to see yourself improve. It feels amazing to look back at my skill level a year ago and compare to where I am now – rapids that looked terrifying and impossible to me then are now possible and even fun. A whole world of possibilities is opening up to me as I realize that I have the skill level to run more rivers and tougher rapids. I can keep challenging myself and improving my skills until I become like one of those paddlers that that people watch and go “wow, that person is amazing – and crazy!”

I want to go back to Bhote Koshi soon and run it again, but this time with confidence and style. I also want to do so many other rivers and the guys said that they would let me know whenever they have trips so I can join - and even if they don’t have trips we can still go have fun on the river together. I have skillz. I have paddling buddies. I have a kayak (that isn’t mine). I have all I need.