organicfood,andlivedsimpleyethealthylives,eventhoughtheylackededucationand
healthservices.I askedaboutbuyingpropertythereandfounda willingsellerina new
brother.I fantasizedaboutmyownlittlevillagehouse,witha gardenoffruit trees next to
thestream,ofraisingmydaughterina NepalI wantedhertosee.
IntheWest,I foundnotonlya naturethatwasslippingawayfrommebutonethatI still
hada chancetosave.TheWestreintroducedustothegenuineNepalihospitalityand
camaraderie.Later,takingpartintheriversummitgaveusa chancetoseeandbepart
ofthelocalorganizinghappeningthere.Fortheboys,seeingall"development" brought
homethescaleofdestructionandmadethemquestionwhattheir futures held. Could
theycontinuetoearna livingontheriverif noriverswereleft?
AttheendofMarch,theNationalRiverConservationTrustorganizedthethirdNational
RiverSummitontheKarnaliRiverinremoteWesternNepal.Wehadbeenpartofthe
lastsummitrepresentingNepalKayakClubandwewereexcitedthatit linedupwithour
expeditionthistimetoo.Weplannedtoscreensomeofourshortsthereaspartofour
activism.Weweresurprisedtomeeta scoreofintelligentscientists,environmentalists,
andactivistsfromalloverthecountrycautioningagainsttherapidexpansionofhydro
development. The summit also attracted dam investors and builders who preached the
" If this is what
development cost,
I wasready to
sacrifice it all. "BudiGandaki- ManyhighlandstheteamvisitedhadneverseenNepalesekayakers before, making
it hard for authorities or police to believe their purpose was only to explore.Heli Rescue - Keeping Hari alive after he fell off a 35-meter cliff was the longest night of their lives.ThuliBheri,WestNepal-
Theonlyconvenientwayto
carry a fully-loaded kayak.In tenyears,theteamfearstheirwill
be no free-flowing rivers left in Nepal.