THE TEARS OF SHIVA
In April of 1999, Scott Lindgren, Charlie Munsey, Willie Kern, and Mark Hayden ventured into the headwaters Nepal’s Humla Karnali, returning with stories of a devilish canyon, steep committing gorges, difficult portages, and incredible whitewater. Nearly 20 years later, Mikel Sarasolsa, Aniol Serrasolses, Todd Wells, and Surjan Tamang returned to Shiva’s Gorge to help tell the greater story of this most sacred river. Though the gorge itself had changed little, the Nepal surrounding it was a different place: A region perched on the edge of development, seeking the balance between progress and pristine nature.
Mention Nepal, and the word adventure immediately resonates in my head. High peaks, extreme nature, and historic expeditions. Though Nepal’s charm and allure for adventure lovers remains unchanged, Nepal is no longer the country that it was not too long ago. Everything has changed excessively fast as both the country and the people have tried to adapt to the demand for development and progress, and words such as chaos, business, overcrowding, and lately, hydroelectric development accompany “adventure.”
Nepal is one of the world's most alluring meccas of whitewater kayaking, and is renowned for its expedition kayaking potential. Nowhere else in the world can you find so many rivers where you can paddle interesting whitewater continuously for days - or even weeks! The majority of the country’s major rivers originate in the Tibetan plateau or the high peaks of the Himalayas, at an altitude about 4000 meters, running through the country from north to south until they reach India, approximately 100 meters above sea level.
The first kayakers appeared in the country near the end of the ‘60s. Countless expeditions took place as kayakers and rafters began to explore the rivers closest to Kathmandu, the Sun Kosi, Trisuli, Dudh Kosi, Arun… During the ‘60s and ‘70s, descents were generally made only on the rivers' lower reaches, the intrepid explorers limited by their fiberglass kayaks and wooden paddles. Then the advent of polyethylene kayaks began the revolution, paddling techniques
