Return from the rock abyss

Return from the rock abyss. 40th Anniversary of the First Descent of the Colca Canyon in Peru. , Paddling the Colca Canyon included more than thirty-three days of exploration and struggle with 94 kilometers of rushing mountain river squeezed between high rock walls that shut out the sunlight from the bottom of the abyss. Without any information about the conditions inside the canyon, precise maps, or the thermal imaging and measuring devices available today, it was the expedition into the unknown for the Polish kayakers. Most of all, it was a challenge that crowned all their paddling achievements to date., The expedition resulted in rich film and photographic documentation as well as the descriptions of characteristic places which the group, by the law given to explorers, had the right to name , John Paul II Waterfalls (in honor of the Polish Pope shot by an assassin on the eve of entering the canyon), the Polish Canyon, and the Shipee and Johnson Falls., The first descent of the Colca Canyon became an event that was widely spoken about in Peru and around the world. During the meeting with Polish kayakers, Peruvian President Fernando Belaunde Terry emphasized the importance of that achievement for the tourism and economic development of the country. The international research and travel community, in turn, highlighted the breakthrough that Canoandes made in exploring a place, which had up until that point been inaccessible. In retrospect, publications such as National Geographic and Paddler Magazine included the achievement among the most important river expeditions of the 20th century. The expedition also gained entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.