The journey this year was rather easy to Manali. After landing in Delhi, getting our boats to the bus depot and managing to negotiate the transport of the boats to Manali we met up with Shalabh and beers flowed!
The next day saw us flying up to the small airport of Kullu where Chris, his wife Shanta and his friend Tom came to meet us. Chicken was on the menu, the day was Sunday and so we paid Martin and his family a visit!
By the time we met up with Annie and her friend Kim a plan was hatched to run the Chandra River over in Lahaul. We were off to the river!
The journey to the put-in of Chhatru was relatively un-complicated! The monsoon had finished and with just a few places where the road had disappeared we made great time to Chhatru.
A quick stop for Chai (Tea) and we were back on the road.
We had magnificent views of the valley and the character of the river. It also gave me a chance to write down a few places where we would need to stop and scout the line!
After just 4½ hours we were at the put-in of Chhatru. The weather was getting worse and the snow started to fall on the top of the mountains!
The night was relatively warm considering we were at 3560m. The sun just started to poke itself around one of the summits and life was getting better. By the time we put-on the Chandra it was nice and warm with clear blue skies.
If only the river was as warm!! From the start we were full on, running steep, pushy rapids with heavily laden kayaks! It was non-stop action all the way down. Some rapids were long making scouting essential and keeping the line you were going to take down the rapid in your kayak even more important.
These big drops just added to the immenseness of the Himalayas!
Ute full of concentration in the Upper Gorge of the Chandra River.
The morning from camp 2. The frost and Autumn colours just added to the atmosphere! We were close to Koksar and expecting the river to change character and to chill-out slightly!
The river did manage to change character after Koksar for about 10km but just before the village of Sissu it just kicked off again! A landslide on river left got us scouting what we thought would be just a small drop. The rapid went on for over 2km! Big drops, huge holes, a couple of quick portages past some insane whitewater and then back in it.
We camped again towards the end of the rapid. The following day we ran the last couple of drops and the continuous class IV until the river turned its character again with some long moving flat water interspersed with some big class IV+ drops!
We were now getting the chance to admire the scenery, the setting and just the atmosphere of the Chandra River. A final gorge, followed by lunch and we were at Tandi, our take-out.
We were now getting the chance to admire the scenery, the setting and just the atmosphere of the Chandra River. A final gorge, followed by lunch and we were at Tandi, our take-out.
The Chandra is an unbelievable river and I would have to say it is one of the best river expeditions I have done.
Maybe it was the whitewater, the scenery, the Himalayas or just being on river time but the Chandra is a special place and I am sure it will not be the last time I am there!!
Team: Steve Brooks, Kim Grant, Ute Heppke & Annie Quathamer
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