Historic Expedition

Historic Expedition. 40th Anniversary of the First Descent of the Colca Canyon in Peru. , Traversing the Colca Canyon did not mark the end of the expedition. A month later, the Canoandes'79 team set off again in search of the destination that gave birth to their original expedition: Argentina. The group reached Argentina and Tierra del Fuego where, with the superhuman effort and resisting strong gusts of wind, they crossed the Earth's southernmost river , Río Gallegos in Patagonia. The end result of the Canoandes'79 expedition, which had lasted two and a half years, was the navigation of 23 rivers in North and South America including 13 rivers descended for the first time. In addition, extensive documentation was used to develop a guide for Peruvian rivers, published in both English and Spanish (Kayak Through Peru / Deporte Y Aventura en Ríos del Peru) as well as many other publications in Latin American media devoted to the Polish kayakers and their achievements. The experiences from the exploration of the Colca Canyon were presented by travelers in an article, „Roaring Through Earth's Deepest Canyon”, published in National Geographic. In most of the Latin American countries visited, the group also became promoters of whitewater kayaking, a sport which at that time was practically unknown in that part of the world., The obstacles that the expedition encountered at the beginning and delayed its departure from Poland also unexpectedly influenced its ending. In response to the imposition of martial law in Poland, the members of the expedition spontaneously formed the Solidarity Support Committee through which they engaged the Nobel laureate and well-known writer Mario Vargas Llosa to their cause. Almost all Peruvian political parties participated in the demonstrations of solidarity that followed with the Solidarity movement. Peru was filled with headlines and newspapers that „screamed” about the war in Poland ("Guerra en Polonia"). However, this spontaneous reaction by the Polish explorers also prevented them from returning home. When they eventually also had to leave hospitable Peru, it was the United States which would become their new homeland.