Charging the Chenab Photo by Trent Garnham

Alas, it was not to be! Nearing the dam we found that it was far closer to completion that we had expected and our plans of simply floating past were shattered as we stood faced with a 60-foot wall of concrete and no way past.

Dam workers and security officials roped our boats up and we climbed up and around to suspicious looks from the security guards and workers. Apparently we were in a 'restricted zone' and had to leave ASAP. They directed us to the river and told us that it was steep for about two kms then flattened out all the way to Kishtwar. It should be "no problem sir" we were told with a smile. It didn't sound too bad, and with no sign of Prakesh we had no choice but to take the chance and try to wing it.

Unfortunately the dam officials had no idea about what was runnable and what was not in a kayak. Rather than being steep for two kms then flat for the remaining 13 to Kishtwar it turned out to be intense and getting steeper and steeper until eventually we found ourselves in the nightmare of gorge boating. A huge horizon line loomed with polished, vertical walls, narrowing in and spray rising from what looked like the drop of doom. With light fading fast and no overnight gear or food, our situation was not looking good. It looked like we were faced with a four km hike back up the gorge to the dam site. With it almost dark we resigned ourselves to spending an uncomfortable night in the gorge. Just as we were about to start looking for lots of wood to build a fire we spotted a small house up on the hillside not to far from where we were.

We walked up to the house and were given directions to another larger place further up the hill where we might be able to find food and shelter. A long climb saw us eventually make it to the house.

" A huge horizon line loomed with polished, vertical walls, narrowing in and spray rising from what looked like the drop of doom."

This turned out to be an amazing night and one that can only be experienced in remote places such as this. The small hillside family that had very few possessions took us in, fed us rice and milk before laying the best family blankets down and inviting us to sleep, they then tucked us into bed, stoked the fire and waved goodnight. Although we were virtually unable to communicate with them we were amazed by their kindness and generosity, it is people and events like this that help to restore our faith in mankind. Things had taken a dramatic turn for the better, we had gone from being stuck, cold and hungry in a dark gloomy gorge in the middle of a staunch militant zone to being fed, warm and sheltered for the night, sweet!

A grueling four km walk out the next morning saw us back at the dam where the guards were surprised but relieved to see us. The security guard explained that there was lots of militant action going on at the time and they had been concerned for our safety and were happy to see us unscathed!

We spent the next three days under armed guard and were transported out of Kashmir under military escort until we eventually made it out of the state and back to into Himachal Pradesh. The trip home was an adventure in itself worthy of its own story!

Finally, we made it back to Manali and were able to reflect on our adventure, 14 days and loads of new whitewater under our belt. It was a good feeling to sit back to a cold beer and eat as much food as we could get our hands on and think about where we had just been.

India proved to be an amazing place to both travel and paddle. With amazing rivers, scenery and above all beautiful people I am sure that I will be going back!

Big thanks must go to the following sponsors and people whose help and support made this trip possible:

Pyranha Kayaks, Macpac, Teva, Smith Sunglasses, Robson Paddles, Paddler Zone, HF, Himalayan Journeys, British Canoe Union and above all the people of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu/Kashmir.

Courtesy of New Zealand Adventure

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