The first run of the Colca Canyon - May/June 1981

The first run of the Colca Canyon - May/June 1981. 40th Anniversary of the First Descent of the Colca Canyon in Peru. , On June 8th, after a few days' stay in Canco, the group returns to the Colca in a repaired raft. Canoandes continues its journey deep into the Colca Canyon. The water in the river is clean, almost transparent. The route seems to be clear of boulders that are buried deep enough not to interfere with their movement. Even the oars are not needed to move fast. The journey is gaining momentum. Finally, the paddles have a dream river for kayaking and rafting!, The next few days are spent covering the distance efficiently, passing the Class 5 and 6 rapids and waterfalls, undertaking portages, and camping under millions of stars illuminating the night sky. This relatively blissful calm is eventually broken by a waterfall tucked between the vertical walls on either side of the river. One member in a kayak conducts a short reconnaissance of the situation and finds that ahead there is not one but three waterfalls with a height of two to four meters each. And there is no way to portage around it! The raft falls two meters down, bounces like a ball, sinks in and bursts out, falls again, churns along the rocks like a tiger in a closed cage, becomes heavy and unsteady when filled with water, loses its crew and then finds them. But it moves on. Finally, the river flows into a tranquil pool crowning a series of waterfalls. Nobody says anything for a long time. It could have ended badly, but it didn't., The walls of the canyon on both banks are getting lower, more and more sunlight reaches the water; more and more plants appear alongside the river. The first ever descent to the deepest canyon in the world, the Colca Canyon, has become a reality.