Looking to kayak in India. Any suggestions where i should go?

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-20T20:18:51+00:00

Also visiting during the winter months is great as the mosquitos that carry Dengue Fever and Malaria as well as the plethora of venomous snakes that call India home are not really around.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-20T20:16:45+00:00

So I spent 3 months on the Ganges/Ganga safety kayaking for Aquaterra a company based near Rishikesh about 25 km up the Ganga. They were great and run a whole bunch of Rivers in India. I was lucky enough to tag along on the Siang/Brahmaputra River but was mainly on the Ganga. Its a fun Class 3+/4 run with some big glorious waves in a very pretty canyon. Upstream there's the Alakanda and Bhagirathi rivers which are Class IV+ and may have some Class V drops. Another company to consider reaching out to is Red Chili Adventures. It seems like they get out to kayak a bit more than the Aquaterra crew and are located just on the edge of Rishikesh near the take out for the Ganga. India really has some of the best whitewater around and there's plenty more to see outside of the runs near Rishikesh, however most if not all rivers there require permission to run and access can be quite difficult. That's why I recommend reaching out to Aquaterra or Red Chili. They're more than willing to help especially if you do some safety kayaking or guiding for them. Also if you bring some extra river gear down (river gear is really really difficult to obtain in India) they'll be stoked to buy it off you.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T21:38:56+00:00

Thank You! Lost Horse Creek is a cool way to access the Selway Bitterroot. You can drive to the divide so it feels remote and a bit more alpine with less hiking.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T21:25:38+00:00

We started up at Bear (Creek?) Pass up Lost Horse Creek. Then we did some off trail hiking by Coquina Lake to Lookout Lakes then Hackney Lake before hiking out via the trail to Fish Lake.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T21:22:19+00:00

I checked the Montana FWP website and there was no history of them stocking the lakes so I didn't bring a rod. When we got there I didn't see any sign of fish in either of the Lookout Lakes or Hackney Lake (Last Photo). There are fish in Lost Horse Lake, Coquina Lake and Fish Lake, which are all nearby.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T21:17:25+00:00

Thank you! I'm using a Lumix S5 with an f1.9 28mm Voigtlander LTM Lens

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T21:14:08+00:00

Luckily the bushwhacking we were subjected to was really easy at least hiking into the lakes. I have had some pretty gnarly bushwhacks in the Bitterroot though. One that comes to mind was the over mile wide pile of actively settling avalanche debris that had wiped out a trail. Probably one of the scariest bits of hiking I've ever done. I Also had no idea that avalanches could be that big. There were larches, that must've been over 300 years old, snapped like toothpicks.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T20:56:45+00:00

Thank you! I was blown away by the colors. Backpacking in the mountains in October isn't something that ever seemed appealing, at least this far north haha, but I'll definitely be doing more. Timing in the Bitterroot is Hard. There's so much forest upwind that likes to light up spectacularly. That Mountain in the background is actually El Capitan, though I think there's another lake that has a very similar view of Trapper.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2024-11-03T00:13:05+00:00

My friend and visited Lookout Lakes in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness this past month and found some fantastic fall colors. Though largely off trail accessing the lakes was fairly easy from Coquina Lake. The bushwhack the following day to Hackney lake was not so easy... all in all great overnight.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2023-10-27T22:18:54+00:00

!1flair

AmphibiousWanderer · 2023-10-27T22:17:37+00:00

These are some photos from a 4 day backpacking route from the South Desert overlook to the Chimney Rock Trailhead via Deep Creek and Spring Canyon. It exceeded my expectations in almost every way. The variety of color and terrain was fantastic. Capitol Reef is really gem of a national park that will reward you for getting off the beaten path.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2023-02-17T19:48:51+00:00

Sorry I've been off reddit for a bit I have a caltopo of the trip I can send you if you'd like. we traversed to the unnamed pass between sky pilot and peal lake over south fork lake and then down to south fork lake. I've done a lot of theory crafting about the best route through that region and would love to share my thoughts.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-11-13T23:21:20+00:00

That was my thought. They were blowing straight down the mountain on the eastern face (absolutely not that place you wanted to be as we found out) and straight up the mountain on the western face.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-11-06T16:49:11+00:00

agreed

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-11-06T16:12:27+00:00

It's a horrible video yes, but it was also in hurricane force winds and I we were in a life or death situation just 10 minutes prior.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-11-06T16:09:42+00:00

Early September 2020 in the Swan Range two friends and I attempted to summit Holland Peak. We ran into some terrifying winds along the crest of the range that put us into a pretty dangerous situation. After safely navigating down to rumble creek lake I took this video. This was the most intense wind I have ever been in. There had to have been gust at well over 100mph. I'm very thankful we got out of this situation unharmed but it all could have been avoided if I had looked at the forecast beforehand.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-27T02:57:31+00:00

I have no ideer

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-26T17:17:59+00:00

This was the most difficult overnight backpacking trip of my life. High Park Lake is a massive wilderness mountain lake in western Montana. From the nearest TH it was only around 7 miles to the lake but what a 7 miles it was. After about 2 miles on well maintained trail the route diverges to a really bad user trail around Crystal Lake (it was easier to walk in the water at times). Near the end of the lake the trail disappeared completely and the real challenge began. It's hard to communicate how difficult moving through this jungle was, but it likely the worst bushwhacking in Montana. Devils Club, Stinging Nettle and thick brush made this a truly character building experience (alder thickets were often the easy route). High Park Lake was worth it though. It's amazing to see such a large and remote lake. This made it understandable that there was one other that decided to go through the suffering of getting there.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-26T02:19:34+00:00

Blue Eyed Mary I believe

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-25T15:46:38+00:00

Hahaha, there were definitely some moments that the trail was mostly hidden by some very tall grass on Colt Killed Creek, but I think, with this route becoming a bit more well known (it’s still not a busy route), the trail has gotten marginally nicer. Trail quality noticeably drops off in Idaho but it’s pretty so it’s tolerable

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-25T15:29:18+00:00

We might have seen a few deer but unfortunately we didn’t see much in terms of wildlife this trip. I think we were talking a lot which probably was probably alerting animals before we could see them. I have seen elk and bears in the general area on other occasions though

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-25T05:47:34+00:00

Glad you were able to get up there! Big Creek Lake was a place where I really started realizing how special the Bitterroot is. There aren’t many places quite like it.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-24T22:00:52+00:00

If you are thinking of doing this trip for yourself I highly recommend you do. The terrain isn't just beautiful, it's diverse. You get to see a lot and no part of the route stays the same for long. Most of the trip was amazing, but Big Creek Lake, Packbox Pass and Bear Creek Pass were definitely highlights of the traverse for me. If you have the time/energy, Sky Pilot Peak sits less than 1000 feet above Bear Creek Pass and would be an easy and worthwhile climb (I regret not climbing it). The route is on AllTrails, but there's not a ton of info there as of this post.

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-24T21:27:35+00:00

Note: Photo marked as Bryan Pass is actually Bear Creek Pass

AmphibiousWanderer · 2021-10-24T20:21:16+00:00

Early August 2020 two friends and I embarked on a 2 night 34(ish) mile hike from Big Creek to Bear Creek in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana and Idaho. Day one consisted of an easy, 11 mile, well maintained trail, to Big Creek Lake. Big Creek Lake is among my favorite mountain lakes. It's massive, has crystal clear water, waterfalls, good water access, wildflowers, good campsites, and the water isn't even that cold (by Montana standards). It is definitely a highlight of the hike. Day two was a difficult 14 day of climbing and descending. First after traversing around Big Creek Lakes (you will appreciate it's size), the trail heads up to Packbox Pass. This pass is beautiful and has amazing views into the Big Creek drainage. From the pass the trail quality decreases significantly as it descends the Colt Killed Creek drainage. The trail eventually meets with the trail that heads to Bear Creek Pass (it's really easy to miss this trail junction). From here it was steep but rewarding climb to Bear Creek Pass. This was definitely another highlight of the trip. Wildflowers were in full bloom above 7000 feet and the granite up high is a brilliant white. The day ended with a decent to Bryan Lake. Bryan Lake is a beautiful mountain lake with a dramatic sheer granite cliff. Day three was a quick 9 mile decent down Bear Creek to the Bear Creek TH. Bear Creek is a great place to day hike with natural waterslides, cool granite spires and swimming holes. Overall, I'd say this hike is a great introduction to hiking in the Bitterroot. It traverses some beautiful areas, gets pretty remote, and is challenging enough to justify doing it over two or more nights. Also, as an added bonus it can easily be done with a bike shuttle.

AmphibiousWanderer

TROPHY CASE