Conclusion

September 7th

We finished the Onot River and enjoyed a few days in Onot Village amongst the local culture. The people were extremely hospitable and we have very fond memories of our time there. So this part of our trip has ended. The TV show will be on RUSH HD a channel on the Voom HD Network. We are not ure of the dates yet. It will tell the story of Vadim and Nikki and Tanya, each on very different expeditions. For more information check out www.thenorthface.com and www.voom.com . In conclusion we must say this part of te trip was a great success. It was certainly an adventure for everyone involved. We are all looking forward to the next part of the journey.
John, Fred, and Jules spent the next month in the Altais and had an awesome time paddling the rivers there. Photos taken the Doctor can be seen here-----
http://whitewater.ru/doc.php?2005-altai-doctor,2

Recent Updates- August 7, 2005

www.thenorthface.com

www.globalgiving.com

New posts are at the top of the page. Scroll down to read the full story.

Day 4 on the Onot- If it wasn't on before, it was on now.

photos by Nikki Kelly- left- looking downstream from the lip of the falls. The next morning all the rocks in the river were underwater. right- The true power of the Onot River.


Night 4 in the Onot River Valley it decided to rain. Really, really rain all night long. We awoke to a different sound from the river. It had risen 1/2 foot in the wide gravel bar area we were camping at. The Grand Canyon was certainly going to be full of water. A rough estimate that our water level had doubled seemed conservative. Still the only option was to move everybody downstream. Anticipation amongst the paddlers to see the new water level in the gorge was high. Looking at the river from camp, it was going to be full-on in the Grand Canyon.

photo by Rob Raker- After a long night of rain getting the fire going

photo by Nikki Kelly- John getting the POV camera ready for action

photo by Nikki Kelly- Maybe Tanya's expression can convey what the kayakers were feeling that morning

The 1km lead in above the canyon reassured the kayakers feelings about water level. The Onot felt like a river now, not so much like the creek it was a day ago. Standing at the lip of the falls was an impressive sight. Yesterday a green pool was at its base, but today it had turned into frothing whitewater.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Yesterday there was a green pool below the falls, not so today

The kayakers descended into the gorge on river left below the falls to look at the next series of rapids. A must make eddy above a nasty rapid feeding water underneath both walls looked very difficult to catch. They decided to head downstream on the canyon rim and look for another entrance. The next possible entrance into the gorge was about 1km downstream. Here the team was at a turning point since the hikers had to climb way high to avoid a series of deep erosion gullies. The kayakers would descend a small tributary and begin paddling the canyon from there.

photo by Rob Raker- Searching for a way back to the river

With the high water level there was concern about a walled in rapid downstream where the river pinched to 3m wide and made a 90 degree left hand corner. Hopefully that rapid was runnable or portageable. Two different and distinct adventures began. The hikers had to ascend 2,000 feet to avoid the gullies.

photo by Rob Raker- Hiking away from the river

photo- There must be some bears around here.

photo by Rob Raker- Don't step in that thing, it could hurt!!!



The kayakers began their descecnt of the canyon moving slowly, always looking for exit points around corners and after rapids. The whitewater was very good, pushy, but mostly class 4. The farther into the canyon , the less options for exit. At one point the canyon makes a sharp right then left turn. It is an amazing feature of river geomorphology, but this corner marked the beginning of the crux. The kayakers caught an eddy on river right above a series of class 5 rapids.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya and Fred contemplating their next move in the canyon

photo by Nikki Kelly- At least Fred has his Astral Bouyancy vest.

Downstream they could see the right had bend and landmarks indicating the rapid in question. Portaging options from this viewpoint looked dismal.

photo by Nikki Kelly- This is greenapple, things are looking a little marginal.....

Fred radioed to John. It went something like this, "John, this is greenapple…..go ahead green apple…….we may be a bit f++ked, over……hold your position I'm going to try to make it to the river…roger, we'll sit tight….good luck."
John and the amazing Rob Raker ditched the trail and dove down the hill towards the river. Jules and Cameron stayed high and continued downstream to find a camping spot, LZ if the helicopter showed up, and start making the frame for a catamaran. Plans to lash the boats together and build a catamaran to float everyone out after the gorge was talked about the previous night.

photo by Rob Raker- John making his way back to the river

A half hour had passed the paddlers waiting and staring at the mess downstream.
"Greenapple, this is john…..copy john 1020?….Look downstream…"

photo by Rob Raker- Look closely on river right and you can see the kayaks

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looking back upstream at one of the hard sections in the canyon

John had made it to the river and could see our next series of moves downstream. He conveyed directions and was able to get to river level above the crux rapid. The kayakers ran the next series of rapids and caught an eddy on river left, happy to see John.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred boofing hard, trying not get stuck in the hole

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred getting some good head cam shots


Scouting the rapid, it looked good to go, a bit marginal, but runnable. John strung a rope down into the pocket that it looked like you would end up in in case anything was going seriously wrong. Tanya went, straight into the pocket, no problem, Nikki went and didn’t even get her head wet, or end up in the pocket, Fred went, and like Tanya went straight into the pocket. A bit of bull-dogging and the two of them were out of the pocket and moving downstream. It couldn't have worked out any better. A true team effort.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looking down towards the Onot Slot

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looking back up at the Onot Slot. It really was this chaotic looking. A rapid of the nozzle variety

Two more class 5 rapids and a portage and the kayakers were through the crux of the Grand Canyon. Then the beating sound of the chopper. It was back just in time to see all the action go down. The heli picked up Cameron and Jules and the radioed to the kayakers where the LZ was. A few more kilometers downstream and we were at camp. However the adventure for John and Rob was really just beginning at 7:30 pm. They had a hellacious hike to get downstream. Even swimming rapids to get around walled out corners. The story is a bit epic you'll have to ask them about it sometime. Just before dark they reached camp. Scott had left us a care package of oranges, chocolate, and vodka….another good day on the Onot.
photo by Nikki Kelly- Everyone reunited after a long day, enjoying the resupply from the heli



photo by Nikki Kelly- Yummy food!!

photo by Nikki Kelly- Treated to a colorful sky after the Grand Canyon

photo by Rob Raker- John heading to the chopper for a ride to the next renezvous- No more hiking

Onot River Days 2 and 3 -- Let The Fun Begin

Some places just have a mysterious air about them. The Onot is no exception.
photo by Rob Raker- Everybody at camp the night before things got interesting from left to right: Angus, Tanya, Jules, John, Nikki, Fred, Fyodor, and Scott

We awoke the next morning excited to drop into the "Long Gorge" The water level was dropping and there were several enticing rapids within its walls. We decided to leave our gear at a point in the gorge we were anticipating to portage. It would be much easier to haul lights boats up the wall then load them up and re-enter the gorge 100 meters downstream. The portage rapid was a very difficult, but runnable 10m falls with a hard entrance and committing landing zone. Still up for grabs for anyone bent on hucking their meat in the middle of nowhere.
After the put-in shot we headed downstream towards the entrance of the gorge. John got out to film Nikki, Tanya, and Fred running the first rapid in the gorge.

photo by Fred Coriell- Checking exposure while waiting for John the run the rapid......

Things were going great. Then someone yelled boat in the water. Those of us downstream were a bit confused because John was still on shore. His boat came bobbing over the entrance rapid and filled with water. The short pool it was in was pushing towards the next series of rapids that ended in a river wide sieve. No one could get the boat out of the river. John even jumped in just above the next rapid but to no avail. His boat washed through the rapids and pinned in a slot on river left. We tried to pull it off with a z-drag, but there were limited anchors in the granite gorge. It lodged further underneath the surface and was fully pancaked by the water pressure.

photo by Rob Raker- The team working with limited anchors to put a 500kg of pressure on the pinned kayak.

At that point John made the decision to leave his boat and continue downstream on foot. He cut the boat loose and we met up with the film crew to discuss what had happened. We soon found out that John's boat was not the only problem. The helicopter had no electronics working. Fyodor (the pilot), with Scott and Angus limped the machine back to Onot Village. The only radio transmission we heard was, "the helicopter is having mechanical problems… crackle, crackle,……." This as well was a problem. Now there were 7 people, 3 kayaks, and fortunately the food resupply was still at the LZ. Of course, the show must go on. We decided to spend a day at the LZ and see if the heli flew back the next morning. This is where Tanya discovered the ruarb. That night we ate the best tasting rubarb pie ever.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya picking some nice and ripe rubarb.
photo by Nikki Kelly- An outdoor culinary masterpiece, by Tanya Faux

The next morning the helicopter didn't show. So the whole team head downstream. Rob Raker and John had their cameras (to keep the filming project rolling), as well as Cameron (Northface photographer), and mighty Jules was there for river support. To make up for some lost time the three remaining kayakers portaged their boats to the lowering point below the 10m falls and began the descent of the "Long Gorge."
photo by, well Fred was holding the camera- The three getting ready to drop into the gorge

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya guiding boats down the gully towards the river

photo by Rob Raker- Everybody ready to go in he Long Gorge

photo by Nikki Kelly- Rapid below the lowering point

photo by Rob Raker- Looking down the Long Gorge

John walked the canyon on river left and the rest of the crew on river right. There were several good rapids in the gorge. And John was able to reach the water for the more difficult sections of whitewater. It was good to still be four strong in this place.

photo by Fred Coriell- Nikki entering a fun rapid

photo by Fred Coriell- Lovin it, oh yeah, that's rad

photo by Fred Coriell- Nikki and Tanya shooting the rapids

photo by Fred Coriell- What a picturesque place.

photo by Fred Coriell- Aren't they cute, the ladies relaxing after the whitewater

photo by Rob Raker- The ladies collecting jade at lunch time

After a long, but successful day everyone had made to the top of the Grand Canyon of the Onot. Still no sign of the chopper. That evening a few people walked downstream to have their first look at the 25m falls that marked the beginning of the Grand Canyon.

photo by Nikki Kelly- John contemplates the chance of success if you decided to run it.

photo by Nikki Kelly- John filming on the lip of the big one.

So if the Onot was not an interesting trip already then it was only about to get better………

The Onot River- Beginning the Journey

Sometimes things are inconsistent in Russia.....

Our departure time was no exception. We were scheduled to leave at 9:00 AM directly after the local government's O.K. that weather conditions were acceptable for helicopter flight. Locked and loaded at 8:00 AM we met up with the film crew at the Baikal Hotel and began the hurry up and wait process.

photo by Rob Raker- Hurry up and wait, everyone prepared, but no where to go.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred and Tanya seeing who has the best down dog




Being that our Russian is novice at best our translator instructed the helicopter operator to call our driver and give him the undisclosed location at the undisclosed time where we were meant to meet our helicopter that would in turn fly us to the headwaters of the Onot River. Finally at 4:20PM a full seven hours and 20 minutes late the call came in and we hurried into our van. After driving in circles for about 15 minutes our driver stopped on the side of the road somewhere on the edges of Irkutsk. About 10 minutes later a Mercedes, Land Rover and mini-van with a team of large Russians showed up and we began our drive, full entourage style, rolling deep, to the undisclosed location. Let's just leave it at our helicopter owner preferred to protect his investment with men of his own brotherhood.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Being escorted to the undisclosed location

Upon arrival in a field somewhere on the outskirts of Irkutsk we were greeted by more mini-vans with more men, 10 minutes later we heard thunderous sound of our ride to the Onot River.
sorry- requested to remove MI-8 photos
photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred and John walking out to the Mi-8 Russian military helicopter

The power of the Mi-8 Russian military helicopter was incredible. With all of our kayaks, gear, food and supplies along with that of the film crew we lifted off. The helicopter simply stated put us back in our seats.

photo by Rob Raker- The crew with the owner on the way inside the Mi 8

photo by Rob Raker- Nikki and Jules enjoying the romminess of the MI-8

photo by Nikki Kelly- John peering out one of the window portals

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya plugging her ears hoping to dampen the noise of the Mi-8. Should have brought some ear plugs

photo by Nikki Kelly- The one, the only Rob Raker

The ride deep into the heart of the Sayan Mountains was nothing short of spectacular.

photo by Nikki Kelly- A typical stunning view of the Onot river valley

photo by Nikki Kelly- A close up view of some peaks way above the tree line

After about an hour of stunning Siberian scenery we sat down at our planned dropoff high in the headwaters of the Onot. After a brief scan of the flow we determined the water had dropped significantly from our scouting trip and a further downstream dropoff was needed. Although we would miss one very cool looking rapid hours of boat scrapping and dragging would be avoided putting in below the next tributary as well as putting us back on schedule after our late departure time.
sorry-requested to remove mi-8 photos
photo by Nikki Kelly- John explaining we gotta go about 10 k downstream, the water is too low
sorry- requested to remove MI-8 photo
photo by Nikki Kelly- Badass helicopter

We unloaded all our gear under the constant thunder of the Mi-8 turbines. Then just as suddenly as all the organized chaos and noise began, it ended. The Mi-8 took off and we were alone starring at one of the most wicked ridgeline vistas any of us had ever seen.

photo by Nikki Kelly- View from our dropoff point, pretty spectacular

Then out of nowhere the film crew dropped in. As it turned out they were some distance back documenting in full high defenition our ride to the put-in.

photo by Nikki Kelly- The film crew setting down in the EC-120

photo by Nikki Kelly- Angus Yates the director of the Voom HD Original film happy to be on the ground

We slept under clear skies in conditions that could best be described as chilly. Day one on the Onot River was tomorrow and the whole crew of kayakers, filmers, and support were pretty excited.
The next morning everyone was up early. There was a lot to get ready for the day ahead. The kayakers planned to make it all of the way to the top of the "Long Gorge" by days end. A full 18 km of paddling and a film crew being shuttled around by the heli to position for different shots is not exactly a fast-paced production. To kill time the kayakers took the traditional put-in photo and soon enough Angus yelled action and off they went down the Onot River.
photo by Cameron Lawson- The crew at the put-in

A few k's of flat water and some shallow warm-up rapids we were finally at the first substantial rapid. Bitchin' Boof proved to be truly bitchin'. We all had to run it a couple of times before heading downstream.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Bitchin' Boof, oh yeah, Tanya pulling off the lip

photo by NIkki Kelly- John in the entrance

photo by Nikki Kelly- Boofing

photo by Nikki Kelly- Still boofing

photo by Nikki Kelly- Go Tanya

What awaited us the rest of the day none of us could really have imagined. For an hour straight we paddled read and run class 4 with the occasional steeper rapid to make things interesting. Not once did we need to scout from shore and the heli hovered keeping us just out of its rotor wash for Scott to get some sweet aerial action shots.
We caught our breath at "Monolithic Rock," then continued downstream towards the gorges. The Onot makes a dramatic turn northwards above the gorges. Here the river character was beginning to change. Granite walls occasionally lined the bank. Long, clean boulder gardens reminiscent of low-elevation California boating made up the last few kilometers above the "Long Gorge." We were met by the film crew above the gorge and with much anticipation and excitement dashed downstream to have a look within its walls.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looking into the "Long Gorge"

photo by Nikki Kelly- Jules checking out the 30-footer in the Gorge

We camped away from the river in the only LZ that Fyodor could find for his chopper. It was typical taiga swampland and tent real estate was a hot commodity. Going to bed after such a great day none of us were expecting what was about to go down over the next couple of days. The story of the Onot was just beginning…………

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looking at the incredible landscape near the bend in the Onot

Words from Tanya

July 19th-20th
Meeting Vadim

5 hour plane flight and 5 time zones, Nikki and I find ourselves in Moscow. We are about to embark on the real story of the Siberian Expedition. We are meeting the child who is receiving treatment and financial support for cancer, thanks to ”The North Face” and “Global Giving”. I myself am not shore what to feel. A child battling with cancer for 5 years, close to his death bed, his family lives in the hospital, which only has the capability to treat 10 cancer patients at once. Hard to imagine the grief and pain involved.

We head to the center of Moscow, the “Red Square”. It is an exotic place. With intricate artitecture and colorfull hallways and buildings. Our minds escape the pressure and anxiety of meeting Vadim.

We arrive at the hospitial......
Vadim has fallen ill.....
Vadim is in a lot of pain....
We can not see Vadim....

Vadim’s kidneys are bleeding, and the medicine is not working, the surgeons are on hand.....

A feeling of emptiness engulfs Nikki and me, we talk about the pain his mother and father must be going through. How life is so precious.

6 Hours of waiting, the medicine has begun to work, Vadim is asleep and semi-free of pain. We are allowed to see him, but not talk. We enter the ward....

Vadim is curled up a little; tall, skinny, no hair, but for some reason, you can see his pain, but also his fighting spirit! Standing there peering into his isolation room, I feel an incredible sense of motivation.

Several hours have passed and word comes that Vadim is awake and would like to speak to us. Quickly we put on robes. As we enter the room a smile comes across his face, and his big blue eyes...

We sit down, with our translater Marina (his favorite nurse) in his room 1 meter away. Vadim is full of questions. Asking questions about all the logistics, how it works, and smiling, eyes wide open. “how will you carry all your equipment?” Hard to believe that he can be so happy with all he has dealt with.

We walk away from this with a warm glow. This child has a fighting spirit that is relentless! He is not bitter for his condition, he thinks far beyond himself. His favorite movie is the “Incredible”, he wants to be Mr. Incredible. He wishes that the bombing in London never happened, he wishes no one any harm, but filling life. This child is 14 years old.

Nikki and I will share and bring the Onot River into his room. The sounds, the smell, the emotions, the struggles. Vadium will be on the river with us. We hope to provide him with and external stimulation to help him with his struggle with cancer.

Monday 25th July, morning-

We are at Lake Baikal Hotel. Ready, ready, we are in a helicoper at 3pm to fly 2 hours deep into the Onot River Valley. Ready to paddle the first decent of the Onot River, Ready! Super pumped.

Vadim had a blood clot in his kidney, but is improving. Yeah Vadim! Go......

The Purpose Of This Trip

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The Expedition

During the last few years Tdub has explored whitewater from the mountains of Chile to the granite wonderland of the Sierra, and the daunting gorges of the British Columbia Coast Mountains. The summer of 2005 has brought upon a new challenge- Russia. Until 1991 and the break up of the USSR the opportunities of the country’s vast mountain ranges laid mysteriously behind the Iron Curtain to much of the world. One-sixth of the earth’s exposed landmass stretching through 8 time zones lies within her borders. It is truly massive place. With the help of The Northface http://www.thenorthface.com/ and Global Giving http://www.globalgiving.com/ we have not only come to Russia to explore its mountains and rivers, but to save the life of a child. Nikki Kelly and Tanya Faux, two of the preeminent females in whitewater, have teamed up with Heidi Wirtz and Roxanna Brock, a pair of the best female big wall climbers in the world to raise money and awareness for children with aplastic anemia. This rare yet deadly autoimmune disorder can be cured if treated early on. For every bit of rock ascended and river decended money will be raised for the treatment of one child. Please join us over the next several weeks as this journey unfolds.

6-17-05 Arrival in Moscow

Getting to Know the Team

We arrived in Moscow this afternoon. After collecting some straggling gear that the airline forgot to load on the flight and a quick tour of the Kremlin and Red Square we loaded up the VW van with 9 people (4 Russians, 3 Americans, 1 Kiwi, and an Aussie), 10 kayaks and tons of gear and began the 24 hour drive south to the Caucasus Mountains. Kavkas as they are known in Russian form a natural border between Georgia and Russia. They are a young mountain range consisting of the tallest mountain in Europe- Elbrus. Our first destination, the mountain town of Dombay, begins our Russian paddling adventure.
The kayak team is Nikki Kelly (kayaker), Tanya Faux (kayaker), John Grace (river support/cameraman), Fred Coriell (river support), and Jules Campbell (river support). Over the next two weeks the kayakers will be getting aquainted with this new landscape and our guides. Victor Chuprikov and Alex Seliverstov will be taking us to the many rivers of their home land over the next 10 weeks. We have joined up with some of their friends for the first part of trip. Our goal is to get a broad introduction to the paddling in the Caucasus Mountains. Besides Dombay we will be making a stop in the Chegem Valley to take part in the Baon Adrenaline Extreme Race for some friendly competition and meeting other people in the Russian paddling community. Then we make our way to the southwestern region of the range to paddle on the White River and Myztna River and take a swim in the Black Sea.


---The Team posing with Elbrus in the background. From left to right Jules, John, Nikki, Tanya, Victor, Misha, Masha, Fred, Alex

photo by Nikki Kelly

Dombay

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photo by Nikki Kelly- Beatiful Dombay
We spent the first four days in Dombay. This small tourist town is nestled in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains. The less than seasonal weather gave us some awkward water levels which limited us to only a few sections on two rivers. Our camp was on a great 1km long stretch of class 4 in the middle of the tourist village. This was a good get to know you section of river for us and our guides. The first morning we went paddling children seemed to come out of the wood work and carried our boats to river. It was a warm welcome we were psyched to take some strokes in Russia.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya gets a little help to the put-in

After a few laps we drove up the Gonashikh River Valley to paddle on the Rammstein section. There are some very difficult sections on the lower reaches of this river, but the water would need to be very low. Maybe September would be a good time to paddle these. What we saw was impressive and tantalizing to contemplate, but no one was ready to really get on it this early in the trip.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Victor on the Gonashikh River

Upstream the Gonashikh River is continous and fast. Pretty much a pile of glacier rubble with water flowing through it. We all took turns bombing around corners not really knowing where the next eddy might be. Alex knew this section well and was always out front when the gradient steepened.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Mad Bombing as usual

One rapid involved going beneath a thick pile of avalanche debris that the river had hollowed out.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Snowy cave to boof through

The Gonashikh Valley is beautiful. Surrounded by snowy mountains which turn to green fields that go down to the river are reminiscent of landscapes in Norway. We packed up and headed back to camp. A great first day on the river. Our international group was meshing nicely. Everyone was excited to be kayaking.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Loading the van again

It is funny to watch the curiosity of children grow. On the second day we were playing a game of frisbee. The children had stared at us with curious eyes all morning from a balcony above and finally a few of the braver ones came down to play. That was all it took. The next thing we know there are 30 kids of all ages gathering around us. The hackey sack comes out and then the playing cards come out. A fun cross cultural experience ensues. Through our guides as translators and the Russian for dumbies phrase book we learn that these kids are Chechnayan. They are in Dombay at a summer camp and a get away from their homes. It is difficult for us to really comprehend their plights, but our basic communications made lasting positive impressions on us all. The next couple of days when we were around camp they would come down an visit and by the end we were sad to see eachother leave. Ironically they were heading home the same day we left Dombay.

photo by Nikki Kelly-This card trick is for the boys only

And of course some quality whitewater in Dombay before heading to the Chegem River.

photo by Nikki Kelly- paddling to camp

More Dombay Photos

photo by Nikki Kelly- Camp in Dombay

photo by Nikki Kelly- Curious kids wondering what all the bright colored plastic things are

photo by Nikki Kelly- Lots of Jefes

photo by Nikki Kelly- Chin Chin my friends

photo by Nikki Kelly- Victor outfitting his Jefe with plenty of help

photo by NIkki Kelly- John paddling through town

photo by Nikki Kelly- Jules playing a game of hackey

photo by Nikki Kelly- Good tents

photo by Nikki Kelly- John and the boys

photo by Nikki Kelly- Colorful markets

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya needs a hat too

photo by Nikki Kelly- Jules boofing on the Gonashkhi River
photo by Nikki Kelly- Put-in of the Gonashkhi River

Chegem River and The Baon Adrenaline Extreme Race

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photo by Nikki Kelly-Tanya keeping an eye on everyone

After a long bumpy ride we arrived in the Chegem Valley the night before the races began. It was quite a surprise to wake up in such an incredible place. Alex picked out a camp spot high up the valley beneath a 100-meter waterfall and surrounded by glaciers and jagged mountains. The race began with a qualifying round consisting of two runs down a 300 meter long rapid.

photo by Tanya Faux- Looking down the race course

The atmosphere was quite festive. Not only amongst the paddlers, but the locals and the law enforcement were all having a good time.photos by Tanya Faux- Very friendly locals

The races went on for three days. Day 2 was the head to head with plenty of action and carnage. The course provided many different lines and a few exciting passes were had.

photo by Tanya Faux- The Doctor taking John to the hole.

Before and after the races each day we paddled other short sections of the Chegem River where we found some really good whitewater. Once again Alex led us to the goods and everybody had smiles at the end of the day.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred getting ready for the meat

photo by Nikki Kelly- Our fearless leader Alex

Day 3 was the event everyone was waiting for- The Extreme Race. A short section of a tributary upstream was choosen for the race. The course was technical with one difficult manuever into a mini canyon. The finish line was the last eddy before a horrendous series of rapdids in a box canyon. Fortunately no one missed the eddy.

photo by Maria Davydova- Tanya charging into the last canyon in the race

The event concluded with an award ceremony with not only the athletes recieving their prizes but the race organizers and workers were given gifts as a token for bringing the race into the Chegem Valley. For TDUB we captured a 2nd and two 3rd's in the men's races and two 1st's and two 2nd's in the lady's races. Way to go Nikki and Tanya!! It was a nice way to end a great event. Once again we packed up the bus and headed southwest towards our next destination- Belaya (white) River. For more info and results go to http://playak.com/article.php?sid=1156

photo by Nikki Kelly- Awards after the event

More Photos from the Chegem Valley

photo by Tanya Faux- Ladies hanging out enjoying the races in their home town

photo by Nikki Kelly- Old stone huts high on a hillside in the Chegem Valley

photo by Masha Davydova- Nikki entering the final gorge in the extreme race

photo by Nikki Kelly- John out front in the head to head competition

photo by Masha Davydova- John boofing into 3rd place in the extreme race

Photo by Nikki Kelly- Extreme race awards- Tao 1st, Fred 2nd, John 3rd

photo by Nikki Kelly- Alex gets an interview while the other guy contemplates his less than stellar run down the Chegem River


photo by Masha Davydova- Head to Head awards ceremony

Beluya River, the Black Sea, and the Myzmta River

We arrived at the Deluya (White) River the afternoon of June 26. The mountains in this region of the Caucasus are much less dramatic, but the geology looked promising for good rivers. Everyone was pressed against the right side of the van trying to peer down into the deep gorge the river had carved. We were able to see only a few rapids and excitement was high. Road side deep granite gorges are a rarity anywhere in the world. Alex and Victor decided we should have an easy afternoon paddle on a section upstream. We found three great rapids and some nice surfing waves.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Jefe surfs pretty good too

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya and Fred in the last rapid of the upper

photo by Nikki Kelly- Victor about to enter the green room on the Deluya River

photo by Nikki Kelly- Victor emerging from a solid three count in the green room


The next day we paddled the upstream section again and decided to give the gorge a shot. At the entrance of the gorge the river squeezed through narrow walls no wider than 10 meters for the first 1 km. It was fine mad bombing with swirling eddies and boils coming off the walls and short action packed rapids. As the gorge opened up we were treated to five more quality rapids. The best was a long three move s-turn. There was a moment of excitement when Alex decided on an interesting line in one rapid going through the meat of a big hole. Masha followed him right away. All we saw were frantic strokes and kayak ends which sent the rest of the crew scrambling to catch the last eddy and look for a different route.
photo by Nikki Kelly- Alex taking a good hit in the gorge

Another 2 km of flat water as the river exited the gorge and we were back at the car. The day was still young and the section of river so much fun we went for another round. This time knowing all the lines we quickly cruised the stretch of river. It was group consensus this was the best whitewater so far in the trip.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Cruising through the roadside crevass

The Black Sea

From the White River we headed south towards our final destination in the Caucasus- the Myzbma River. First things first- After a 6 hour nauseating drive on the Black Sea coast was a dip in the salt water. Soaking the rays and hanging out on the beach with all the tourists. We were in the southern most part of Russia in the town Adler. Victor and Alex liked to call it "paddler" because the Myzbma River was so close.

Next three photos by budding tabloid photographer John Grace.

photo by Nikki Kelly- I wish they had these at the beach when I was a kid!

photo by Nikki Kelly- Checking out the beach oh yeah!

The Mzymta River-

photo by Nikki Kelly- John boofing on the Mzymta River

Leaving the seaside we drove back into the mountains. The Mzymta River carves a beautiful gorge as it courses towards the Black Sea. Far upstream the river becomes a high volume creek with defined rapids and lots of fast boogie water. The plan was to hire a driver to take our kayaks up the four-wheel drive trail to a Honey Station (Russian for beehive) where we could access the “upper section” of the river. We would walk a steep narrow trail from our camp to this station and meet our boats at the top. The plan was excellent and worked well the first day. One rapid in particular caused quite a bit of carnage amongst the Russian contingent. Alex ran first, through the meat, narrowly missing a bad hole feeding into a nasty crack and proceeded to run the next half of the rapid while looking at the fish. Victor tried to sneak the hole by boofing through a slot and snapped his paddle in half. Deciding it was better to swim to shore than proceed with one blade he aborted his kayak (while still in the upright position) and scrambled to shore via rocks and branches. The rest of chased the boat downstream. We passed a fisherman who looked at us curiously and motioned that he saw the boat pass. After bombing a bigger rapid Misha became temporarily separated from his boat as well. Now we were chasing two kayaks. Amazingly both pinned next to each other on the same log pile. After a bit of pulling and pushing and some boat repair we were on our way.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Derf happy to have not busted his paddle in the slot

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya in it deep

photo by Nikki Kelly- Get it Tanya!!

That afternoon we paddled a normally dewatered section of the river called Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Snow White was the most difficult rapid followed by seven quality steep boulder gardens. The dam was diverting only half the flow and made a good water level for the steeper gradient.

photo by Nikki Kelly- John navigating Snow White with the 7 dwarves waiting below

photo by Nikki Kelly- Alex having an encounter with Dopey the dwarf

photo by Nikki Kelly- John doing some feild repairs on Victors boat after its unmanned descent of the Mzymta River

The next morning we planned to paddle the “upper upper section” of the Mzymta River. Two four-wheel drive vehicles were hired for the 4 hour ride to the put-in. When it came time to talk a price the driver had doubled his original quote making the extra 5 km of river a fairly expensive proposition. Victor and Alex had a challenge since this driver was the only person who operated on the road and they wanted to use him for future trips. The driver would not budge on price and a deal was reached to have him take the boats to the same put-in as the day before. It was the first issue besides police check points that we had to deal with. Like Victor kept telling us, “this is Russia sometimes you just have to pay.” We were very thankful to have such competent guides.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Ready for some four whelling to the put-in

photo by Nikki Kelly- The van catches some morning rays

The first part of the trip was over. We drove 26 hours straight to Moscow to begin preparing for the upcoming weeks. Our guides, Victor and Alex, impressed us very much with their knowledge of the land and there savvy in traveling smoothly within Russia. It is difficult and at times dangerous for people with foreign passports to travel in these southern regions with close proximity to unstable regions such as Chechnya and Georgia. Besides being held up at police posts and Alex being firm with a few eager officers we really enjoyed the tour of the beautiful Caucasus mountains.

July 5-- Irkutsk, Siberia

Our arrival in Irkutsk on the southwestern shore of Lake Baikal marked the beginning of the Northface/Global Giving expedition. We flew all night through five more time zones. The next few days were going to be very busy trying to organize all the logistics of the upcoming expedition.


photo by Nikki Kelly- Loading Alex 2's van with 7 kayaks, 15 paddles, 8 people and all their stuff to head to the airport



photo by Nikki Kelly- We arrived at the airport with 4 hours to spare so why not a game of hacky

We are very lucky to have David Burghardt. He is an American who works for the Russian government as a liaison officer between Russia and groups like ours. He is very good at getting things done, such as negotiating helicopter contracts and arranging lunches with the governor of Irkutsk. John, David and Nikki have been busy with the transportation logistics. Victor and Alex found us an apartment to rent for the month as a base. Tanya, Jules, and Fred have been shopping for overnight river trips in the Russian markets. It certainly has been busy. We plan to put on the Kitoy River in a few days. John will be taking a helicopter to scout the Onot River. If it looks good the Global Giving/Northface Expedition will take place here. We have high hopes for this river.

photo by NIkki Kelly- John posing with the MI-8 in the background



photo by John Grace- Nikki with the owner of the heli operation trying to bargain the price down

Some thoughts about Irkutsk

photo by Nikki Kelly- One of the many statues in the city. The most impressive is the huge one of Lenin

“As England created London, France – Paris, Siberia created Irkutsk. Siberia is proud of Irkutsk, and “not see this city” means “not to see Siberia”
--N. Schelgunov

photo by Nikki Kelly- Churchkeeper in Irkutsk

Irkutsk city is a central location for kayaking in the Eastern Sayan region. It is a convenient place to base ourselves during the North Face expedition. The city has struck a cord with us all, with artistic handcrafted architecture, youthful and colorful culture, and the feeling that will not be hassled by the occasional overzealous police officer.
photo by Nikki Kelly- This guy looks very proud of his building

Sightseeing in Irkutsk along old streets can take you on a fantastic journey into the culture of the ancient Siberia.photo by Nikki Kelly- Lots of cool buildings and architecture

photo by Nikki Kelly- Who is that masked woman? What style they have!!!!

The Kitoy River "Pearl of the Sayan" Put-in

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred paddling through the beautiful valley between "First Cheeks" and "Motkin Cheeks"

240km of river travel, over a million paddling strokes and in 5 days the team descends the Kitoy River. The Kitoy river drains the largest area of the Sayan Mountain Range located at the southern end of Lake Baikal. It is a famous Russian river and many whitewater enthusiasts set about the exploration. For us the Kitoy jokingly became the “Shitoy”. With 2 days of quality whitewater and 3 days of grueling class 2 our trip became more about surviving the paddle out than surviving the bugs or challenges of the gorges. Despite our quick pace and long days the beauty of the Kitoy’s valleys and gorges made impressions on us all.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Atop the divide beyween the Kitoy and Irkut Rivers. From this plateau the Kitoy flows east into the Angara River and the Irkut flows souteast into Lake Baikal

This is how it all went down. July 8th early morning, we leave our flat in the hood, headed for the Irkutsk train station which will take us on our first leg towards the Kitoy river.
photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred guards the kayaks while Alex and Victor buy our40 ruble train tickets

The Train Station is immaculate; we enjoy plenty of interesting people watching, and a frantic 3 minute load onto the train. photo by Nikki Kelly- Hanging out waiting for the train

photo by Nikki Kelly- Carry your boat this way, no carry it that way. Tanya gets her whole body into lifting her Diesel with 7 days worth of gear shoved inside.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Yeah we got kayaks here!

photo by Nikki Kelly- The train only stops for 3 minutes so efficiency is key in getting all the boats on. John got to load Nikki's kayak too becuase she was so busy snapping photos.

Freddy takes a nap during the 3 hour ride to the town of Slyudyanka on the southern part of Lake Baikal. (We are all tired- 2am this morning, our whole team was chatting feverously in the lounge, suffering from jet lag and excitement of what we have uncovered during the helicopter scout of the Eastern Sayan region (more on that later).

photo by Nikki Kelly- You should have seen the drool coming out of his mouth

photo by Nikki Kelly- Jules looking tough he is on an adventure of his own (more on that later)

Arrive in Slyudyanka, promptly hire a van and driver named Boris to drive us the rest of the 280 km to the put in of the Kitoy.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Wonderful Slyudyank- If you look hard enough you can see the lake in the background

Quote of the day from Boris directed at Nikki, “You are very beautiful, but as long as you are kayaking you will never be married.” -- Certainly some truth in that.

"What I am learning as a woman traveling in Russia, is to keep protected, not to bring any sort of attention from men – I am just appreciative I have all the boys with me" -Nikki Kelly
photo by Fred Coriell- Some of the people we met on the river took a liking to the ladies. The guys thought they were all pretty cool though

Arrive to the head waters of the Kitoy 8pm. After a beautiful 7 hour drive, treated to viewing the Tunkinskiye Gol’tsy mountain range, where just on the other side the Kitoy winds its way to the Angara river and eventually dumps into the Antarctic ocean. At one point we were 10 km from Mongolia. The sun is still high in the sky and hot. We start downstream finding a good camp after an hour of paddling.

photo by Nikki Kelly- The Kitoy lies on the other side of them there hills

photo by Nikki Kelly- This hawk has dinner in its claws, but Nikki needed more zoom to show that

Kitoy River "Pearl of the Sayan"

photo by Nikki Kelly- First night on the Kitoy after being dropped off by Boris

photo by Nikki Kelly- Duct tape, never leave home without it

With less then 150cfs wearing the bottoms of our boats we paddle for over 50km before arriving at the first gorge called “First Cheeks” (cheeks is a local term used to describe river gorges in the eastern Sayan).

photo by Nikki Kelly- Victor entering the First Cheeks

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looks like a portage, most of the sticks we threw in had a hard time leaving the pocket on the left
photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya gliding through the water

photo by Nikki Kelly- Who knew there was a slalom choad on the Kitoy

We camped after the gorge in a wide valley. At night we lay our heads to rest with the soothing sound of whitewater and millions of different species of “I want to suck your blood” bugs. Thank god for “Deet.”

photo by Nikki Kelly- Nothing works like a Watershed Bag

photo by Nikki Kelly-A much needed rest after a long day of kayaking

photo by Nikki Kelly-Look close it is mating season for the bugs

photo by Nikki Kelly- Alpinglow on the Sayan Mountains

photo by Nikki Kelly-El Jefe

More miles of class 2 paddling through open valleys and steep mountain ridges on the skyline. Midway through the second day we reach the entrance to Motkin Cheeks.

photo by Nikki Kelly- The ominous entrance to Motkin Cheeks

A thunderstorm is quickly chasing us down the river valley. We run a few rapids and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Driving wind, rain, lightning, and thunder upon us. We scout the next rapid and the storm passes leaving behind a steady drizzle and ominous thoughts of the canyon ahead. photo by Nikki Kelly- John paddling through the beginnings of the Motkin Cheeks

The crux is known as the waterfall rapid. Typical Tdub style we dive straight into the gorge arriving at the top of the scoutable, marginally portageable, and very marginally runnable rapid.

photo by Nikki Kelly-Fred paddling into the butt cheeks of the Kitoy

photo by Nikki Kelly- Things getting serious. Tanya does some rodeo just above the marginally runnable rapid. The top of Fred's helmut is where the last eddy lies

photo by Nikki Kelly- Where is John going?

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looks like he's trying to catch the last eddy before the portage

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred checks out the rapid

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya and Alex check out the rapid

photo by Nikki Kelly- Fred and John discuss a potential line

photo by Nikki Kelly-Tanya thinks about the task of portaging

photo by Nikki Kelly-Victor and Alex decide upon the path of least resistance for the portage

photo by Nikki Kelly-John and Tanya get the boats ready for hauling

photo by Nikki Kelly-Nikki getting amongst it

photo by Nikki Kelly- Last men standing ready for the big seal launch

Our team works the problem out quickly and we are treated to a 5m seal launch back into the river and one more difficult rapid before camp.

photo by Nikki Kelly- John fires up the last rapid of the waterfall series

photo by Nikki Kelly- Alex does the same

photo by Nikki Kelly- Camping in the Motkin Cheeks

We completed the gorge the next morning. Stopping midway at the Ehko Gol tributary to check out the 15m falls that is now so famous we unfortunately find the water level too low for a descent.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Looks way lower than the photo in Kayak Session doesn't it?

Motkin Cheeks was a highlight with 100m to 200m vertical rock walls, 12km of class 4+, crystal clear water and fascinating geology. All told there were couple of beat downs and one swim.

photos by Nikki Kelly- Paddling out of the Motkin Cheeks

The Paddle Out

The 140 km paddle out begins. Rain starts midday again but this time lasts all night. We hope the river will rise to speed things up. Our guides Victor and Alex keep mentioning we would see the real Russia on this trip. That night a crew of Russian hunters arrives at our camp. It is their island we are on, but instead of kicking us off, they bombard us with crazy Russian hospitality.

photo by John Grace- Our Russian friends on the island

By the time they leave, they have set up a large tarp; fed us lots of vodka, cheese, pork fat, bread and sweet lollies. Tanya and Nikki are kept warm complements of woolen jackets. Freddy was the most popular taking part in their many vodka toasts.
Day 4 more paddling. Something like 80km we are treated to the end of the rain and a sunny evening to dry everything out.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Get this thing off of me!!

Day 5 we are within 15km of Razdolnoe Village. With the village in sight we are reminded of a sad reality of the famous Kitoy River. We come across a team of drunken rafters with their raft wrapped on a log jam. One of them flicks his throat to indicate that he is drunk. John, Alex, and Freddy get into the thick of unwrapping the raft.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Unpinning the raft near the take-out

One of the rafters decides he wants to help. With no life jacket on he falls in on the upstream side of the log pile sucked completely underwater. Alex and Freddy grab his extended arm and pull his head above the surface. His legs are still stuck. John straddles two logs and bear hugs him with all he’s got. Slowly the Russian emerges from the water with his pants torn off and a badly bruised leg. Lucky. The rest of the crew pulls the raft off the log and we set off towards the village and a ride back to Irkutsk.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Finally the take-out no more flatwater

It takes us 9 hours to travel the 100 km from Razdolnoe Village to Irkutsk. An even greater epic than arriving at the put-in but this is Russia and that’s part of the fun.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Tanya makes one last push carrying her boat (this time minus all the food) to the center of Razdolnoe

Kitoy River "Pearl of the Sayan" Take-out

The skinny on the take-out of the Kitoy-
We get out at a foot bridge in the village of Razdolnoe and drag our boats 1km to the town center where the main store is closed. Beer sure would be nice right now we think. After a couple hours of people watching and playing with goats Victor finds a smaller shop on a side street.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Waiting in Razdolnoe- Why does the shop have to be closed?

We have oranges, apples, chocolate, and beer.--Yummy!! Still no one is heading to Angarsk where we can easily find a ride back to Irkutsk. We wait some more.

photo by Nikki Kelly-Anyone want to give us a lift with all our stuff?


photo by Nikki Kelly- Life in Razdolnoe seems pretty nice


photo by Nikki Kelly- Nice cruising bikes


photo by Nikki Kelly- It seemed that everyone had their own motorbike


photo by Nikki Kelly- Russian villages

After 5 hours of basking in the sun and playing with the goats a big truck shows up and gives Alex and Fred a ride with all the boats 30km to the nearest bus stop. Everyone else and the paddles will wait for the once a day bus and ride that to Angarsk. The plan is to meet back in Irkutsk.

photo by Nikki Kelly- Russian Villages again


photo by Nikki Kelly- Still waiting foir a ride

Fred and Alex get to the bus stop, the bus comes, and convince the ticket lady to load 6 kayaks. By the time we reach Angarsk the bus totally packed standing room only. Only one person was upset by the boats, everyone else was curious and friendly. Finally Angarsk. It takes Alex 2 hours to locate someone to drive us and the boats back to Irkutsk. We load them up and head towards home. As we enter the city a car pulls up behind us. It is the rest of the crew. Way to go it only took 9 hours to complete the whole process. Gotta love Russia- patience and persistance goes a long way.



photo by Nikki Kelly- Hey goat, quit chewing on the drybag!!

Onot River Heli Scout

We fly Monday to the Onot and should be out next Sunday. See you then!!!!!!!

photo by Oleg- The EC-120 and pilot which the film crew will be using to access the Onot

On July 6 John Grace did a heli scout of the rivers that the team was interested paddling for the expedition. His four hour flight uncovered some very interesting and inticing whitewater on the Onot River as well as some incredible views of the eastern Sayan. From these photos and 40 minutes of video footage that was shot during the flyover we have decided that the Onot looks like the goods.


photo by Oleg- One of the more difficult rapids in the "Long Gorge" on the Onot



photo by Oleg- We call have been calling this one "Bitchin' Boof" Looks a 4-5m falls with a sweet lip on the river right side


photo by Oleg- This one is a bedrock slide possibly into a sticky hole

Our main concern is water level of course. Right now the rivers in this region are uncharacteristically low. This is a benefit to the Onot for sure. The two main gorges look to be about 80% runnable with the current water level. We are really looking forward to putting on the river. Monday, July 25 is the tentative date depending on the weather situation. The plan is to fly (MI-8 style) to the top and be out in 5 days. Total length is about 90km including the 40km paddle out to the Onot Village.
What we know about the Onot River is that it is a bit shrouded in mystery. The locals of the Onot Village refer to it's gorges as ominous places and very few have ventured there. The river has been attempted from the top by catarafts and possibly kayaks. We know the first big rapid has been run by a cataraft, but the longest gorge has not been navigated at waterlevel and possibly the grand canyon, as it is called, with the 20m falls (definitely a portage) as well.


photo by Oleg- "First Gorge" is a pretty burly rapid. There is a picture of a catamaran negotiating this rapid. The vertical part at the bottom is estimated to be 6-8m.


photo by Oleg- "Grand Canyon" of the Onot River. This falls is estimated at 20-25m and lands in a huge pothole. What a spectacular place!!

Our goal is paddle as much of the river as we can. We anticipate several technical portages in the gorges, but are quite excited about the possibilty of running some really good whitewater.

Some bonus pictures of the Eastern Sayans-