Futaleufu, Chile Feb 2017

[mkeverline]

I fell in love last month. Taking my first solo vacation after a decade of family trips, I knew I wanted to be paddling. Given the time of year, I headed to the southern hemisphere – Patagonia, specifically Bio Bio’s whitewater camp in the Futaleufu valley.

Getting there is a chore; 36 hours of travel by large and small planes and buses over terrible roads, but the payoff is amazing. The Futaleufu flows out of Andes in Argentina to the Chilean side and on to the Pacific. As it winds its’ way through granite cliffs and green vertical pastures, it picks up flow from multiple glacier fed rivers, including the Rio Azul and Rio Espolon and offers long stretches of big water boating from class II to V+.

Though a novice kayaker, I have travelled widely and never before seen a boater’s paradise to match the Futa. The Patagonian landscape is indescribably beautiful and varied with each turn of the river. The water is drinkable and crystal clear, allowing easy visibility of the bottom at depths of 10-15 feet. Access from the surrounding roads allows for entry and exit at multiple different points. The pool-drop pattern allows for easy rescue and low consequence swims but a fast moving current between rapids means no long self-powered slogs between sections. The remoteness makes traffic on the river miniscule; other boaters are only occasionally seen and you never have to wait your turn, even in the middle of the main boating season. Then there are the rapids….that’s where I fell in love with the Futaleufu!

As a class III kayaker, I went in knowing that I couldn’t handle much of the Fu, but excited to run what I could. During my time at Bio Bio camp, I had the opportunity to run all the different sections either in a guided raft or a kayak, depending on the difficulty. The camp is situated just upstream of the most commonly run section of the river, known as Bridge to Bridge. This section is fairly continuous class IV water with large wave trains, surf waves and numerous holes. It’s all big and wide and there are extensive options for different lines to run. Just after B2B are 2 Class V rapids, Mas a Menos (more or less) and Casa de Piedra (house of rock). Mas is a big chaotic run that can go smoothly or you can get tossed about, thus the name. Casa is a technical run that reminded me of the Upper Gauley. Far upstream is Infierno Canyon, a tight canyon with multiple class V rapids and a few V+ portages. It is not for the faint of heart and is the only section of the river where I definitely would not want to be a swimmer. After the canyon comes “The Wild Mile”. This section is a blast. It is four large consecutive class III+ rapids with multiple different features and challenges. A few miles of class II and III rapids then lead to the river’s most famous rapid, Terminator. Terminator is a monster class V rapid. Big rapid, big waves, big holes, big pour-overs. The two class IV rapids that follow Terminator, Khyber Pass and Himalayas, are big and pushy but not scary. I had a swim at each once during my trip and never felt at risk. Nearby is the Rio Azul, which offers a creeking experience that can be class II-V depending on water levels.

Weather in the Patagonian summer is quite variable. My first 10 days provided sunny days in the 70s and brisk evenings and mornings in the 40s. My last 5 days on the river were rainy and chilly in the low 60s. It was well worth it though. On my last day, the rain transformed the valley into an Avatar-like dreamscape with dozens of waterfalls appearing in all directions. The river rose 3 feet and became truly raging. After the raft I was paddling in was surfed for 2 ½ minutes in a Terminator hole, the other rafts elected to portage the rapid. The Himalayas rapid lived up to its’ name with continuous 10-15 foot waves and the hole at Mundaca turned into a 25-30 foot tall surging wave that stood our 18 foot oar rig straight up before we crashed down the backside. In the front position, the view from far above the crest of that wave was the highlight of the trip and worth every minute of the travel time by itself.

As a novice kayaker, the Futa was a thrilling river that taught me to relax in huge waves. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to push myself on more difficult sections without fearing significant consequences. If you can make the journey, I would highly recommend the Bio Bio camp. It is the nicest and most convenient place to stay on the river, the food is great, the bar is always open and the guides are a world-class international crew.

[Dave Myers]

Did you take any photos or video? I'm sure all would like to see.

[Alicia]

Wow, Mike! That sounds amazing - thanks for sharing. Guess you'll be leading on the river next time!

[mkeverline]

Careful what you wish for....

Follow this link for some pics.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/146079671 ... res/5E7Rbt

[Dave Myers]

Nice photos. Looked like you had a great time.

[gromit]

It sounds fantastic. I wanna go!!