Kayaking in Altai
I was really lucky to get the opportunity to go to Altai mountains in the last possible moment this year - many many thanks to Vasja and his willingness to take me to a kayak trip and get me all the needed equipment.I didn't think too much. I got information about it on Wednesday and on Friday we already were in car going to the south. The distance between Чуя, the river we went to, and Томск is more than 1000 km. But the Mitsubishi Pajero was really comfortable even on Russian roads, so it was absolutely no problem.
View Larger Map
We came to Altai in the night. It was the first time I saw a burning forest upon a hill. It was a magic picture.
Unfortunately my camera is rubbish for night scenery and therefore I have no photos
.
We stayed for the whole week at the same river going up and down, training, eating, sleeping and talking. Чуя is an amazing river with a deep canyon where every kayaker finds rapids with the right difficulty. For me, it was one of the most difficult rivers I have ever gone. Particularly the beginning of the lower part in the canyon was scary, with strong rapids and fast falls. The most important in such situations is to know the right line. Unfortunately, sometimes we didn't have that much time to go from the boat and take a look at the rapid - I tried to follow kayakers who had already known the line.
It was very hard to take photos in the canyon since there were only some places where one could descent to the river. Also the nature was beautiful - normally I appreciate it best when I come home and see the photos and when all the memories return. But not this time - I was naturally enjoying every moment there and I really regret that I did not stay for another week for the upper Чулышман...
УАЗ = UAZ, the ultimate car: 14 kayaks + 17 people inside.
