Costa Rican Whitewater Experiences! Final Trip report!

The whitewater kayaking experience I just had in Costa Rica is one I
will never forget! It all started a few weeks ago with Mario Vargas
from Costa Rica picking us up from the airport in San Jose. Mario
drove directly to a hotel where our game plan came together to run as
many rivers and different sections of rivers and canyons in the
surrounding area due to the abundance amount of rain the rivers were
getting.

We had a trip on the Rio Patria, which had amazing class V whitewater
for nearly nine miles long before coming out into the confluence of
the Rio Sucio. This trip took us three days in total and had more
than at least five or so mandatory portages. I can only explain this
river best as a shallow vertically steep run with must make boof’s and
micro eddy catches. At certain spots in the river you could see down
stream for maybe a few seconds, see multiple horizon lines, and slot
moves everywhere. The Rio Patria was one of the most challenging runs
I have ever done. The Rio Patria all starts with a grueling
three-hour hike on a muddy trail slipping and sliding on your feet
with 65 pounds of gear trekking along side a ridge with a 75 degree
slope falling hundreds of feet beneath you.

Once you arrive to a few channels of water coming together you know
you have finally made it to the put-in. Day 2 started with a few
really manky boney moves over ledges and around boulders. Then you
see the river go through a boulder garden with a land slide on the
left and canyon walls rising high with a slot move entering the
canyon. Once in the canyon you are locked in and had to run a
mandatory 20 footer into a seventy footer, it was the biggest drop I
have ever run.

We also had a run in a canyon on the Rio Sara with vertical and
overhanging walls nearly five hundred feet high. Later on in our
trip we got on the Rio Toro for some creek boating with Mario and took
out at a natural hot spring ending our trip on a great note.

Here are a few photos from the trip, enjoy, I would like to thank my
sponsors Jackson Kayak, AT Paddles, Level 6, & FNA headgear. Look for
article write ups and video to come out soon by Ben Stookesberry and
Boyd Ruppelt.

Brad

Hotel Charley Section