EXPEDITION
A
floodofmemoriesfillsmymindaswemakeourwaydownfromthenear
15,000foot-Andeanmountainpass,ourboatsbalancedprecariouslyonthe
backsofdonkeys.NouriaNewman,RobertDerias,andAugustinPariettiwere
stillinprimaryschoolwhenSilvioGuerrietiandI lastpaddledtogetheron
theTunuyan 14 yearsago.Inreality,ourgroupoffiveis headingintothismissionatthe
wrongtimeofyear.Butwithtwolargescalehydro-electricfacilitiesrecentlyapprovedfor
14,000hectorwatershed,thetimetoreturntoa still-wildTunuyanis now.Day1 - RefugioScarabeli- Elevation:10,104’(feet)8 pm: Robertstandsoutsidethecenturies-oldstone-hutinthefadinglight,spittingrain
andferociouswind,deepconcerninhiseyes.I imaginewhatheis thinking:15,000-foot
pass,December,thisweather,thatriver,theunknown.
WhenRoberttoldmetheTunuyanwasonfortheendofDecember,I foundit strange.Both
successfuldescentstookplaceinMarch,thebeginningoffallinthehighAndes.Both
unsuccessfuldescentsdidnothappeninMarch.WhenI spokewithSilvio,hesaidthat
theriveris differentnow;“It’sdrier,andDecemberis thetime.”WhenNouriacalleda few
weeksagotosayshewasinwithorwithoutme,I said,“In.”“Whatsheseesis a vertical-walledboxcanyon
intheabsolutedepthsofthismassiveAndean
Canyonthatis,“Goodtogo.”WhenI takethe
binoculars, the magic fades and I say, “Portage.”
Day2 - Déjávu- Elevation:10,104’->14,763’->9350’9 am: Themorningis a matrixofdéjàvu.Stubbornmuleswon’tcarrykayaks,andthe
arrierosscreamanddemandobediencewitha CRACKofthickleather.I don'twantto
ridea horse.ThelasttimeI rodewasherein2005,andit wasthemostchallenging,
uncomfortable,anddangerouspartof thetrip.ButSilvioalreadyrequestedhorses.Nouria,
whohasneverridden,asksfor“elcaballomassympatico,”andreceivesa tranquil-looking
marenamedRosie.I callmynewtravelcompanionDickbecausehehasoneandkicks
anythingthatmovesclose,includingRosieandherindignantrider.
12 pm:Thecloudsblanketingthevalleyareinhaledbytoweringmountains,covering
usincoldmist.2 pm:Atthepass,weclimbabovethecloudsto4,500metersona
trailcarvedthroughdeepsnowoneweekago.Thehorsespassshoulder-deepthrough
themassivedrifts.A kayak-ladenmuletumbleshoofoverass.I hatethispart,butI stop
judgingandhelp.4 pm:Wehikeandsledtheboatsdownthepassinperfectweatherin
a welcomereprievefromthesaddle.Nouria,Augustin,andI finishthesnowportagewell
beforeSilvioandRobert.Silvioadmits that his knee is not what it used to be. I can’t help
butworryaboutwhatis tocome.Day3 - RioPalomares“ChangaStyle”- Elevation:9350’->10,334’->9350’10 am:Silviohasa plantoexplorea tributarycalledPalomareswithoutkayaks.I argue
tobringboatsastherestofusarekeentopaddle.2 pm:Silvioisn'tstoked,butweleave
withboats.5 pm:Fourmilesup,SilvioandRobertarehittingtheproverbialwall.Tensions
betweenSilvioandI escalateandthendeteriorate.Still,wecompromise.Weleaveboats
behind,andNouria,SilvioandI continueuntilthePalomaresabruptlytransitionsfromflat
tounrunnableneartheborderwithChile.
730 pm:Thesunandtemperaturesdip,butweputon. 745 pm:Nouriarescuesa shi-
veringAugustinfromthebrinkofa river-widesieve.Augustinis shiveringbecausehehas
noneckgasketandiswearing shorts. The Palomares is beautiful Class III-IV, but frigid
without proper gear.BrownforBreakfast:Benfollows
Augustininto"Son-of-a-Bridge"
Rapid on the morning of Day 4.