Help save the Magpie River

Here is your chance to help one of the worlds best whitewater rivers by signing this protest. Every paddler knows how important it is to help save rivers from being dammed, it’s a constant battle which we all know really should not have to be fought. Dams are in no way an environmentally sound solution for creating energy, the destruction on the river, on flora and fauna is just devastating.

Please sign this protest to help protect one of the most amazing river in the world.

http://snapqc.org/en/index.php/campaigns/magpie/?fbclid=IwAR2Z5f5ev3A6f4pCe89jgqH9PbU0INjPNppJtpluk0mJ4CX_lU6LqjwJjFM

Never heard of the Magpie River? Well you really should. The Magpie River is in pristine wilderness in the north east of Quebec Canada which is considered one of the top ten whitewater rivers in the world by National Geographic. This river really has it all from spectacular scenery to quality whitewater that is as good as anywhere, however it’s just not as well known as other sections like the Salmon in Idaho. It does have a few challenging portages but this does make it all the more worthwhile.

At the end are some of the most jaw dropping waterfalls you will ever see in your life. Magpie Falls is one waterfall that makes you feel so tiny in this world, the power of the falls is just mind blowing. Also only a handful of paddler each year actually experience this river which makes it so unique and untouched.

The government is considering damming this world class river and needs your help. So please help by simply signing this petition to help support this natural wonder.

Thanks goes to Peter Holcombe for some awesome pictures of our trip.

Here are a couple of blogs that some of our kids on Explore Expedition wrote about their adventures.

Max Feild

Packing for and flying out to this expedition on the Magpie river, I vaguely knew what I was getting into, or so I thought. Jez, the trip leader, had completed this trip once before with a similar group of teenagers that had no idea. I knew from stories that the bugs were going to be miserable. I also knew that we were going to have to power through some challenging and strenuous portages. Despite these stories of a type 2 fun, which was described as painful, difficult, and exhausting, but overall worth it, I was ready to work for this once in a lifetime opportunity that I heard was so incredible. Once we finally landed on the banks of the Magpie river, and the sound of the last helicopter’s rotors faded into the distance, we soon understood how isolated from the outside world this place actually was. The excitement and the buzz of what was many of our first helicopter rides slowly began to dissipate and the realization that we were completely on our own set in. Jez had all of us sit still and listen for a few moments just to take it in. Ironically, I remember this being one of the most exciting parts of the adventure. To myself and many others, the most important part of these expeditions is not the whitewater itself, but the overall experience of reconnecting with nature and spending quality time with great people. Over the next several days, the team of 16 kids and 5 adults absolutely crushed some whitewater and had a great time doing it. There was nothing but pure happiness while we were all on the water, and it continued through the night as we transitioned to our campsites. Everyone had to help out and do their jobs. There was always something to be done and if someone didn’t do their part, the whole group would suffer. During all of this fun setting up camp and hanging out beside the campfire, there was an awful lot of scratching bug bites and slapping legs. The mosquitoes, the black flies, the horse flies, the gnats, they were all out in full force. It felt like a new type of fly was prominent each night; another installment in the tour of hell, each campground offering a different type of torture. I soon found that even my bug shirt could be bitten through in the meshy areas; my socks and my shoes were not impervious to the relentless army of blood sucking monsters that had probably never even seen a human before. Even at night, in my bug-netted eno, I was never alone. Just one second to open the zipper is all it takes for a few flies to follow you inside. In the morning, it wouldn’t take long to find a few more bites to add to the collection. The good news about the expedition was that while you were kayaking, the bugs were relatively not a problem, and neither were the bites as your mind was more focused on styling the next rapid. Occasionally, we would paddle up to a rapid that looked a little bit too dangerous, either for us or the rafts holding all of our gear, and we would have to portage. This is when our teamwork really shined. Everyone got out of their boats and started hiking over the rocks or through the woods, only to set everything down and hike back up for another load. It was repetitive and exhausting, but it needed to happen so everyone was on their A-game. Once all the gear made it down, everyone was drenched with a mixture of rain and sweat, had at least 15 more bug bites, and backs were aching. Now it was time to guide the rafts themselves down the rapid. The raft guides set up elaborate systems designed to get the rafts down quickly and safely, but it involved each person playing a part. Some people would be down in the eddy at the bottom, ready to collect anything if the plan went sideways, some would be pulling on the ropes to force the raft to go a certain direction, and others could be pushing on or catching the raft in certain places. Long story short, everyone was essential. There were a bunch of moving parts and it was really special to see everyone come together so smoothly when it desperately needed to happen. The last day of our trip involved the most difficult portage around an entire gorge, but also yielded some of the most rewarding scenes of my life. We woke up in the middle of the gorge with the sounds and the sights of the biggest whitewater rapids I had ever seen right in the backyard. A helicopter flew right into our kitchen, which was really just a semi-flat piece of rock on the side of the gorge, to help us with the portage. Just a short lake paddle away we stopped and had our last meal on the river by the curiously not so famous Magpie Falls. It was by far the most magnificent thing I had ever seen, and I wondered why I had never heard of it before. Jez later explained that the Magpie river is so remote that only a handful of trips get to go each year. He said that if Magpie falls was anywhere more accessible by the public, it would be ruined by crowds as big as those at Niagara. Imagining a trip like I had just experienced, but with the addition of hundreds of thousands of other people put a bad taste in my mouth. At that moment I really, truly understood the importance of keeping places like these pristine. The Magpie, we learned, was recently in danger of being completely void of whitewater. There was a large movement a few years ago aiming to place a few dams on the river to utilize the power of the water. One smaller dam was built before the program was completely halted. If that project were to have been completed, I would never have been able to have this experience and neither would anyone else. I hope that this river is never threatened by humans again, but if it is, you can count on me and anyone else on this trip to defend it to the extent of our power. I’m so exhausted right now at the end of the trip, and I cannot wait for a proper shower and sleep, but I have also never been so happy and accomplished. This trip was the golden standard of type 2 fun, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

West Burge

   Everything about the Canadian wilderness is to the extreme. The slopes, the bugs, and the whitewater. Since everything is so extreme the scenery is just breathtaking. If you don’t believe me, then take a trip down the Magpie river eastern Canada.  This river is the sort of river that can be life changing for so many people. The type of river that brings groups closer together. By sitting out in the pouring rain, or helping each other on the portage.

I will start by talking about the whitewater. The river is a lot like the Ocoee,  but less consistent. To make up for the consistency, the Magpie provides absolutely stunning scenery. At any given moment you could see a bear, or a family of ducks. Also so many trees, all of the trees combined with the mountains and the rock faces is just overwhelming. It is just raw beauty in its most natural stage.

This is really amazing, because this is one of the last things that poses this true beauty. But it is teatering on the edge of being humanised. Things like this are so fragile. It is incredibly easy to break fragile things like this, which is why we need to provide the Magpie with support. Helping this river  will make it less likely to change, which will provide the chance for more people like me to have their life changed by this river. I think that the hardships that we experienced will be the perfect reference point in our lives, like when we think it is hard in school, we can remember the portage on the Magpie. And how we walked with, in my case with a boat and gear that is heavier than I am.  We walked through  mud, mousquitos and misery. This misery will make us strong when we are feeling weak. If we are going through something hard, we know that we have made it through the portage on the Magpie. But, there is also a aspect of fun. When doing hard stuff where you struggle is fun afterwards. At Explore we call that type two fun. This is the idea of it not being fun in the moment, but afterwards looking back in it is fun. This is such a great and special place to the few people that have gotten to experience this river.

The river is also a large booster of the local  economy. All the little stores and shops that we visited on our way to and from the Magpie have benefited from that river in many ways. People heading out on Expeditions will stock op at all of the local stores with supplies and souvenirs. Also it will draw in tourists not running the river, just to experience the outdoors that the river has created. The Magpie has its own special ecosystem that is amazing to just be in the area of.

Camp life on the Magpie is one of the best parts. Hanging out with the boys is probably one of the best feelings ever. I remember that one night in camp we made a river wide foamy boating hole. I looked at it and thought, when we all work on something it turns out way better than you expected. Also you get to enjoy it with some of your best friends ever. After the first few days in camp we got into a rhythm of efficiency. Everyday we got smoother, and faster at setting up and breaking down camp. In camp you are completely reliant on yourself to do things like dry your stuff and roll your dry bag. This is good because you become more confident in yourself, and more self reliant.

Another great component of this trip is the rescue training. We had the privilege of one of our guides, Julian was a swift water rescue trainer. Julian has an extensive knowledge of rescue techniques and gear. He showed us the z-drag mechanical advantage to pull a kayak up a Hill with Jez in it. He also showed us how to hook a boat with just a stick, caribener, and some zip ties. We now have a large knowledge of rescue gear and haw to use it. This rescue knowledge is so crucial to whitewater kayakers, because the safe boaters are the people want to boat with. Over all, this trip was so beneficial in so  many ways.

Blog day 1: By Whit Tiller

On our first day of the trip in Canada we all woke up in Elaine’s back yard. We had slept in tents the night before and woke up at around 6:30. We ate bacon and eggs on an English muffin, with some fruit and hot chocolate. After breakfast we packed all of our stuff up, packed our lunches so we could eat on the river. After we packed our lunches we put onto the Jacques-Cartier. The is a small creek that is class 2-3. What’s cool about the river is that it is in Elaine’s backyard, so it was super easy access. It was a great little warm up river before our great expedition on the Magpie. We got off the water at a little public take out after some small class 1-2 boogie water. We packed all of our stuff up and ate a small snack made by the cook crew for the day. Then we got on the road and drove to our camp site for the night. On our drive we stopped at a small pizza shop and the guides and jez were nice enough to buy all of us pizza, we had 3 or 4 different types of pizza. We got back on the road after the pizza for about another hour and a half. When we arrived at our campsite we unpacked all of our stuff and set up the tents. While all of the kids, jez, and tay tay were setting up the tents the guides were setting up the tables and tarps to protect from the rain, and also so we didn’t have to do it in the morning. After everything was set up we gathered around under the tarp and talked about what was going to happen the next day. We ended our day with us talking about the fairy ride the next day, how long the drive would be, and the sadness of not being able to paddle after the 7 hour car ride. We were all super tired so we went to bed at around 9:30

.

Abby’s blog river day 1

Today we awoke early. In fact, we woke up at 5am and got dressed in our kayaking gear in hopes that our helicopter ride to the river wouldn’t get canceled like it had the day prior. I groggily packed up my gear into my dry bag and jumped into the truck to drive to the helicopter. I’m not a huge fan of heights or flying in planes and wasn’t quite sure how I would feel so high in the air with one propeller holding me and carrying me so high and so far. But given that I was the on the last helicopter ride to the river I had lots of time to gather my thoughts which I concluded was excited. I didn’t realise how excited I was until the helicopter landed right before me.  The pilot would laugh every time I would take a picture of the helicopter. He walked us through the emergency exits, windows and doors, headset, and how to safely fasten the seat belt. Ben, West, and I all eagerly jumped in and waited for the pilot to takeoff. After taking countless photos and videos I put down my phone and took in the scenery. It was so incredible to see a different perspective because sitting at camp now I would never have known about all the hidden lakes and streams or how little the river actually shows me of this beautiful place. After 20 incredible minutes of flying we landed the helicopter and met up with rest of the crew. We put onto the water and paddkestroke after paddle stroke we inched further and further away from society. On the river we had many rapids. I think my small Antix was a good choice because I found some awesome stern squirt spots as well as one hole where I could loop! All in all, we had a super incredible first day on the Magpie and I can’t wait to see what is to come!

C-Huck

The Magpie River is the most amazing expedition I’ve ever been on. Not only is the whitewater fantastic, but the scenery is amazing. Picture yourself in the middle of nowhere on a river while being surrounded by lush trees and tall mountains. We started off with an amazing helicopter ride through the mountains. We landed in a clearing next to an amazing lake. We had to quickly offload gear in order for the helicopter to get back quickly. After everyone arrived we got onto the water and began our five day paddle in the middle of the wilderness. We started off the trip with some amazing whitewater and then got off at our campsite. We set up camp and then chilled out. We slept under our tarps and listened to the cool rain hitting the top. This continued for most of the trip. We did a few portages here and there, but mostly we just enjoyed the scenery and paddled the sick whitewater. We arrived at our last day and the longest portage of the trip. We hiked our boats through thick mud and down steep hills. It was a long hike, but everyone made it allright. This night we had the most amazing campsite which was on the cliffside of a steep gorge with some class 6 unrunnable rapids in the gorge. The next day we woke up early and got our gear ready. This would be our last day on the river. We ate breakfast and packed up in wait of the helicopter which would pick up all of our gear. The helicopter landed and set up all of the nets to fly our gear out. The helicopter took multiple trips to get the gear as we hiked down to where our kayaks were. We hopped in our kayaks and waited for the helicopter to come and drop pack rafts for the guides to paddle. We paddled down to our last portage of the day, Magpie Falls. The falls is a beautiful rapid that would not be too fun to paddle. After portaging, we hiked up for pictures. We ate our lunch on a rock that looked at the falls. After the falls, we had a short paddle out to the take out. The Magpie is the most beautiful and amazing river I have paddled in my life. It is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Alex blog

Nuestro viaje al Río Magpie con Explore Expeditions a sido uno de los mejores viajes de mi vida. Comenzando con varios problemas de logística que el equipo pudo solucionar nos pasamos al helicóptero que nos dejo en medio de la nada donde estabamos completamente aislados de la sociedad. Mientras volábamos sobre el rio que durante los siguientes días íbamos a descender ibamos apreciando las increíbles vistas por las ventanas. Al dejarnos e irse el helicóptero me llego el pensamiento que pasara lo que pasara estabamos a cientos de km de la civilización y que la única manera de salir seria remando atravez del rio. Lo que hizo que me emocione aun mas por el rio y el increíble lugar en el que estabamos. Despues de esto y de cargar las balsas que nos iban a apoyar con nuestro equipo por el descenso empezamos el primer dia en el rio donde a pesar de no recorrer ningún rapido muy difícil, todos fueron muy divertidos. Asi continuamos nuestro descenso peleando contra los mosquitos e insectos del area, armando campamentos en lugares  con unas vistas increíbles a plena orilla del rio, comiendo una comida buenísima todas las noches acompañados de unas buenas anécdotas de todos los del equipo junto a la fogata. Hasta que después de 5 dias y 4 noches en uno de los lugares más pacíficos y hermosos en los que he estado llegamos al final de un viaje que nunca hubiera querido que terminara

Our trip to the Magpie River with Explore Expeditions has been one of the best trips of my life. Starting with several logistics problems that the team could solve, we went to the helicopter that left us in the middle of nowhere where we were completely isolated from society. While we were flying over the river that during the following days we were going to descend we were going to appreciate the incredible views through the windows. When we left and the helicopter left, the thought came to me that whatever happened, we were hundreds of kilometers away from civilization and that the only way out would be to row across the river. What made me even more excited by the river and the incredible place we were in. After this and to load the rafts that were going to support us with our team for the descent we started the first day in the river where despite not going through any very difficult rapids, they were all very funny. So we continue our descent fighting against the mosquitoes and insects of the area, setting up camps in places with incredible views on the river bank, eating a delicious meal every night accompanied by some good anecdotes from all the team next to the campfire. Until after 5 days and 4 nights in one of the most peaceful and beautiful places where I have been we arrived at the end of a trip that I would never have wanted to end.

Holden Dewey         

After going on the HUCK trips for the last few years and experiencing some of the best times of my life. When I heard that the HUCK trips were ending and that Jez and Claire were starting up their own company. I thought last years HUCK was my last but when I got the invite to embark on another new amazing adventure with Explore Expeditions I knew I needed to take advantage of this and to support the people who taught me everything about the sport that I love.

                 I had heard from kids in the past that the Magpie was an adventure that cannot be missed given the chance. I had only seen photos here and there about the Magpie. Going in i really didn’t know anything about what I was about to do. When the time came I packed my bags grabbed my boat and gear and set sail for the Magpie. Every step of the way I faced challenges ranging from not being able to maybe fit my stuff onto the plane and then having my flights change and delayed multiple times and then worst of all finding out my bags weren’t going to make it in time for the magpie so that I had buy and rent all new gear for the toughest expedition I had ever done.

              I had been told going into the Magpie that I wouldn’t be challenged by the white water but I would be challenged by every other aspect like the bugs, portage’s weather etc. After running possibly the coolest shuttle in the world involving a helicopter. We had been dropped off and abandoned  in the middle of nowhere. I had tried to keep my positive attitude throughout the trip but it was extremely challenging when we had to put on for the river and non of my gear fit well, my boat was not what I would choose and my river shoes were off brand converse from Walmart. This expedition was going to be hard but I had been set up for failure from the start and I knew I was going to have to stay positive and pursue through this, because I knew if I got through it I would remember this as being one of the most amazing trips of my life.

          After the first day I was very irritated because I wasn’t able to take the lines that I wanted to because the “risk V.S reward” factor was not worth it for certain rapids and boofs etc. I was feeling uncomfortable on the water getting used to my new gear and it just got my hopes down. Our first campsite was not the biggest and so that all tents were crammed and the bugs were horrendous. After a decent night sleep I woke up to rain pouring into my tent and bugs eating me alive. Turns out one of my fellow tent mates had left the rain fly and bug net open when he went to cook crew and never closed them. That was one of my all time lows. It was extremely hard to get motivated to kayak with all wet gear and cold temperatures.

          After that day of hardship I had come to my senses and realized that I didn’t come on this trip not to have fun so I made a full effort to keep a strong positive attitude. For me I had lots of experience with hiking my boat and camping so the long portage’s and the rest of the trip was amazing and I learned lots. I got to focus on taking pictures and having fun with the people on my trip instead of having to worry about my stuff and be sad about how much better this trip would have been if I had my gear here. One day on the river I had just been goofing around and found my self in possibly one of the worst situations I had ever been in while kayaking. Long story short I had a very scary swim. I learned a lot after this swim, it showed me that even though we were taking easier lines the river was always going to be stronger and better then me. It gave me even more appreciation for this river and the magpie will forever have a place in my heart.

Blog by Noah

So the first day was probably the longest for me. Chip and I flew international from Atlanta to Toronto, Canada. The flight was not that long itself but it probably just felt long because we had to wake up and 3:30 am. So after we landed in Toronto we had about a 3 hour wait in the airport for our next flight to Quebec City, but I had  no service. So it went slower than 3 hours for me. When we finally boarded the plane it was some off brand rinky dink plane with like no foot room or any like seat leaning back buttons and it was hot. So the experience was pretty self explanatory. So once we had gotten off our plane we grabbed our gear and met up with Tay Tay and Claire. About after 15 minutes of talk Jez and West arrived, then after that everyone started arriving. I got to catch up with some friends that I hadn’t seen in a few years and some new friends.  Once we had enough people we took a 15 minute van ride to the camp site. When we pulled up and the site it was like something from Chasing Niagera. There were like tents everywhere, food cooking, people talking, kayaks, and even a trampoline! I got to meet everyone who had already arrived at the site and catch up with more friends. We also learned the Holden was still flying in and would arrive late the night. So that night we had a good introduction talk with everyone but Holden, then passed out faster than a mug. The next morning Holden was at our campsite and so everyone was there. We ate breakfast and geared up for the warm up river. It was called the Tewkesbury. We rolled down the river just getting a refresh of white water and getting adjusted to how everyone worked together, which was well I thought. We ate lunch at the last rapid and then went down to the take out. Down at the take out we loaded the boats and gear which was mostly kept in dry bags. Then the cooking crew cooked up a quick snack. Then we said bye to Claire and headed to our campsite. The next two days were full of driving. The final night before we were supposed to fly in to the Magpie we stayed at a lit campsite with like a bouncy air thing and a park that was definitely for teenagers. But the next morning the flight to the Magpie was cancelled because of how foggy it was so we ended up staying at the campsite again which was not that bad because we had a beach and the bouncy boy. Also luckily Jez had planned just in case this happened so we would still be able to finish the river at the same time as planned! The next morning we helicoptered in to Lake Magpie which was pretty sick actually. Then Ty and Júlian blew up their rafts and we geared them up and paddled down the lake to the entrance of the Magpie river! The first day had some sick rapids and some sick boofs that Jez didn’t let us run, because we were in the middle of nowhere. But we still had lots of fun. The campsite that first night was very sandy and wet. The bugs weren’t terrible but it was raining when we woke up so we packed up our tents in the rain and sand, cooked breakfast, packed the rafts then headed out. The next day made up for the previous nights experience because we got to run a sick boof. It was about 6 feet high and everyone ran it. Ben though ran it like he had boofed Niagara Falls. You can see him coming down with a straight face not even really trying and he just boofs the snot out of the rock. As Tay Tay would say, “if that rock was an email, BEN SENT IT.” The rest of the day was also pretty stout. We had our first portage on double drop and we pulled the rafts down it. Then we ran the second drop. We camped out at a pretty sick campsite and I made a foamie boating hole. The third day we did a really awesome 20-25 foot rock jump which was super fun. We also ran a rapid called saxophone and C-huck looped his Nirvana which was pretty sick and Abby looped her Antix too. We ate lunch at Saxophone and learned a bunch of safety stuff from Jùlian, “how to save a pinned boat”. That night was probably the worst night with bugs. I was in a eno and the bugs were very bad. The next day was our second to last day, and probably the scariest thing that ever happened to me during whitewater kayaking and probably during my life so far happened that day. It started as a normal day, get up pack up your gear make breakfast pack the rafts, warm up and get going. The beginning of the day was some boogie water and flat water and one big rapid. But around lunch time we arrived at probably the biggest rapid I ever paddled before and I was one of the first to come through so I got to see everyone come through. I would say one of the scariest things that can happen to someone is not your own death but the death of one of your friends. Holden Dewey peeled out of the eddy above the rapid and headed for the left line which was perfectly runnable, in fact Ben had run that same line. He ran the line and floated towards the small hole at the bottom of the rapid. He punched the hole with a little angle aiming for the curls raining over top of the hole as soon as he punched the hole it sucked him back in. He then gets worked in the hole and swims. The rest of that day was kind of gone in a flash everyone was sort of shocked. That night we ported our boats through knee deep mud with the most mosquitoes I have ever seen in my life to the bottom of the gorge. That night was extremely buggy but we did sleep well. The last day of our trip a helicopter landed in our kitchen. It was pretty sick actually. Then we kayaked down to the infamous Magpie Falls. We portage’s our boats to the bottom and looked at the falls, which were absolutely sick. The we paddled about 30 minuets to the take out. Now we are driving back to the airport from one of the most informative, unforgettable, and insanely sick trips I will ever do in my entire life. Ten days with some life long friends doing things we all love to do and making memories for life.

But the scariest part was that his boat got recirculated even after he swam and so did Holden. He had been under for a while before we saw his blue helmet barely at the surface of the hole under the curler. He said it was only for a second, then it sucked him back down for a while and he popped up about 20 feet down stream. If anyone on our trip but Holden was in that hole they might have been in trouble just because Holden is probably the most experienced kid on this trip and he knew to stay calm and focus on what he needed to do to stay alive, “survival instincts.”

T Buckley

Yesterday was a partially sad day and a partially exciting day. It was sad because it was the last day of real whitewater but we had a super sick campground and a very (type 2) fun portage. The campground was overlooking the big waterfall at the mouth of the gorge, and that was quite literally the best view I’ve ever woken up to. Looking at the falls before going to bed in my hammock got me thinking about how this beautiful powerful piece of nature is always here and 99% of the time nobody is there to see it. To me that is truly amazing. But before we could enjoy that view we had to complete the long portage. It started it off with a very uncomfortable walk through mud, and when I would put a foot down in the mud it would sink deep into the mud. The rest of the hike was a skinny and poorly kept up trail, with a couple steep hills that we slid down in our kayaks, which we had to carry the whole way. To top it off, it was hot and the bugs were ferocious. But that moment where you reach the end of the portage and drop your kayak, take your gear off and jump in the water is the moment that makes it all worth it. The moment of satisfaction and the feeling of accomplishment at the end is one of the best feelings I have ever felt. Jez describes it as type two fun which he says is fun that sucks while it’s happening but when you look back on it you know it made you better and you are glad it happened, which is a perfect definition of what that portage was. 

Day 3 Max Redic

Today was another day on the desolate Magpie River. We woke up to the voices of our guides and the clamor of the kitchen crew. We had a carb-filled breakfast of eggs, English muffins, and cereal. The day on the river got off to a fast start with a cliff jump that only was for the daring. Our crew was up for the challenge. With the trip motto, “Send it!” in our heads, we each took the plunge. The cold water was a great wake up for those of us who went without coffee. The flatwater that followed was a great opportunity for great conversation and constant shenanigans within our groups. Around lunchtime we ran the only real rapid of the day called saxophone. It was called this because of it s shape which was strikingly similar to a . At the bottom of the rapid there was a large wave hole that gave the beaters and the talented members of our trip a huge beat down. Everyone got window shaded or spat out in under five seconds. It was a blast to see everyone get worked. Afterwards we ate a subpar lunch of quesadillas. Before eating we learned from our guide, Julien some safety techniques and ways to unpin a kayak. It was quite complex and confusing for me and it was an example of the less glamorous part of kayaking. The day was full of dozens of small surfing waves that were an exciting change of pace from the flatwater. We traveled longer today than any other day, but that was not a factor once we arrived at camp. We are currently sitting around the campfire after a hearty dinner having a rock fight. We are never tired and are experiencing the Magpie to its fullest.

Blog by John Briggs

This morning we woke up and drove an exciting three hours to the place where we would meet the helicopter we were flying in. The flight was exceptional and I had not experienced anything like it. We were just above the trees and we got a look at what we were going to be kayaking. I felt like I was gliding just above the mountains. Second of all the whitewater was amazing I had never paddled anything like it. It was filled with lots of big water. My favorite rapid we ran today was Marmeat, which means boiling cauldron. It is called this because their are lots of boils at the bottom of the rapid. Another cool rapid we ran was called White Snow, which had two big holes that we got to punch, and some huge wave trains. All in all it was an awesome day.

www.exploreexpeditions.org