The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-la

Written by Todd Balf

Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris

The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-la is a breathtaking account of the ill-fated October 1998 expedition of an American whitewater kayaking team who traveled deep into the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet to run the Yarlung Tsangpo, known in paddling circles as the "Everest of rivers." For Wick Walker and Tom McEwan, extreme whitewater pioneers, best friends, and trip leaders, the Tsangpo adventure was the culmination of a twenty-five-year quest for glory. Yet the team's magnificent dreams crumbled when their ace paddler was swept over a thunderous eight-foot waterfall, never to be seen again.

Here is a fascinating exploration of both the seething big water and perilous terrain of the legendary Shangri-la, and the men who dared challenge the furious rapids that raced through this 140-mile-long canyon. The Last River invites us to view the Himalayas from a totally new perspective -- on a historic river so remote that only the most hardy and romantic souls attempt to unlock its mysteries.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Sep 12, 2000
• ISBN: 9780375417474

Todd Balf

Todd Balf is a former editor at Outside magazine whose writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, GQ, Runner’s World, and elsewhere. He is the author of The Last River, The Darkest Jungle, and Major.

Reviews for The Last River

[pizzadj2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

quick read, not super well written, not a lot of pages devoted to the time on the river, most of them character background. seems like a decent intro book to expedition paddling, i don't paddle or raft

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As someone who has never been in a kayak I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could understand the mechanisms, skill level and passion involved in white-water kayaking. Balf does a great job describing not only the people involved in this tragic adventure, but just how dangerous it really was. Balf also is wonderful in giving cultural, historical and geographical backbone to the Tibetan landscape.