MISSION
" This wasnotthejourneyI
hadplanned.Halfmyteam was
missing,theriversandmountains
werebeing excavatedcontinuously,
and myfive-year-olddaughterwas
asking me to come home. "BudiGandaki- Sittingona
peacefulriverbankat Yarukhola
ontheBudhigandaki.Soon,allof
thiswillbesubmergedbya hydro-
electric project. ©Kripa DongolHumlaKarnali- BeforerunningthissectionofHumlaKarnali,villagerscameandtoldtheteam
that this was exactly where their friend Adrian had last been seen in his kayak. ©Roshan LamaAswelaunched,a senseofuneasecreptin.It wasourfirstrunwithallourgear,andour
kayaksweighedabout 40 kiloseach.A fewweeksago,I hadsharedbeerswithMariano,
anexperiencedkayakerandfriend,andrecommendedtheTambakoshiasa challenging
butrewardingriver.Unfortunately,a siphonontheriverhadtakenMariano.Hehadbeenon
mymindsince,highlightingtheveryrealrisksofwhitewater.I prayedthatourteamwould
readtheriverwell,understandourskillsandabilities,andevaluatetheconsequences
beforerunningrapids.Hari,Tarjan,andRoshanhadallrepresentedNepalatthe 2016
WorldRaftingChampionship.Theywerefit,experiencedcommercialpaddlerswhosaw
meastheir'dai’orolderbrother.ThoughI hadmoreexpeditionexperience,I didn’twant
tobetheirdai- I wantedtobea teammember.I neededthemtobeabletocriticizemy
leadershipif necessary.I wantedthemtotakeownershipofthemission-toexpresstheir
aspirations,desires,andfearshonestly.I had some doubts about their creeking skills, but
alsoknewtheyhadplentytoteachme.Weallstruggledwithourheavyboats,andI struggledwiththeadditionalburdenof
flashbacksandmemoriesofMariano,yetwepassedthedaywithgoodlinesandhuge
smiles.Thatfirsteveningwasa strangeoneforme.SomeoftheuneasinessI feltbefore
puttingonremained,buthearingtheboys'stoke and positivity about the mission gave
metheconfidenceI neededtocontinue.WecontinuedtoLarkeKhola,wherein 2015 wehadrescuedinjuredvillagersfollowing
theearthquake,includingtheneleven-year-oldDinesh.Wehadbeenfundinghisschooling
eversinceandwantedtoseehowhewasdoing.Dinesh'smotherrecognizedmyname,
andDineshofferedtobeourguidewhenwescoutedtheUpperLarkeKhola,hopingfor
a firstdescent.WereturnedonBhai-tika- a specialdayforbrothersandsisters.With
marigoldgarlands,silkkhatas,andcrimsontikas,Dinesh'smotherwelcomedusasnew
brothers.It is believedthatwhenYamaraj,theGodofDeath,receiveda tikafromhissister
onthisday,hewassopleasedheannouncedthateveryyear,onBhai-tika,if a sisterputs
a Tika on her brother's forehead, no one can harm him. We would need more than skillsandconfidencetocontinueour journey. Here, far away from home, we accepted a vital
blessingofsafepassage.Tambakoshi,Balephi,Bhotekoshi.Buses,rapids,villages,dams.Wemastereda rhythm,on
andoffthewater.Wearrivedattheput-inofthewildandscenicDudhKoshiRiverand
metvillagersinfullswingoftheharvestseason.A baaje,a grandfather,askedafterthe
foreigners,expectinga commercialexpeditioninsteadof ourfamiliarfaces.Hearingabout
ourmission,hebecameourbiggestfan.Hetoldushowproudhewastoseea Nepali
teamexploreourcountry.Baaje,uneducated,andilliterate,toldusabouttheirchanging
weatherpatterns,cropyields,andharvests.Heexplainedhowtheproposeddamwould
wreakhavocnotonlyontheriverbutonthewholelocalecosystem.“Itwillbetheend,”
hesaid.Hethenaskedusif hecouldpaddletheDudhKoshiinourkayaks,statingthatit
wouldbeakintoheaven.Thenextmorning,our65-year-oldbaajedonnedour gear and
playedaroundinourboatswithenergyandenjoymentofa smallchild.Notlongafter,wereceiveddevastatingnews.Adrian,anotherexpertpaddlerandfriend
supposedto joinusonourmissionin easternNepal,hadpassedawayontheKarnali.Two
weekslater,Cassandra,ourdearsisterandfriend,passedawayontheUpperSeti.Her
deathhitcloseto home,andourmissionfeltsomehowmoreimportantthanever.Thatsame
weekwereceivedournewSpadekayaks.Asa youngkayaker,I hada 10-kgpaddleanda
skirt that leaked like a fishing net. Now, I had a brand-new, sponsored kayak. If this wasn'tFROMEAST
TO WEST