Vaibhav Kala, owner of Aquaterra Adventures, Taming the Tons – Tons guides a safety raft through the teeth of the infamous ‘Khunigad’ rapid River, , stretch of whitewater. Our eager and

inexperienced crew has been lulled into Photo by Stephen Cunli!e Text & photographs by Stephen Cunli!e a false sense of security. One minute our ra" is zipping through the whitewater, “!is is a very rocky one, so I need everyone the next moment it catches on a rock just escapes the rest of us. He reacts quickly, to keep paddling through the rapid,” yells below the surface and grinds to an abrupt shouting, “Grab the line!” Rajat ‘Rookie- Sanjay in an attempt to be heard above halt. We have run aground on one of the Cookie’ Mathur is already airborne and the roaring river. “Speed is essential for many rocks that pepper the river above heading towards the angry river. Luckily, us to steer and to avoid all the rocks; if it and below the frothing surface! “Brace he has the presence of mind to heed looks bad, then I’ll give you the ‘get down’ yourselves,” yells Sanjay. But it’s too late; Sanjay’s timely advice and manages to grab command, so just be ready for anything.” our ra"’s rapid forward momentum and hold of the bowline before disappearing the sudden unexpected stop eject one of overboard. Rookie is immersed in the Sanjay Singh Rana, our highly capable our hapless bow paddlers over the front icy river water but, luckily, he remains river guide, is preparing us for what we tube and into the angry white cauldron connected to the all-important ra". Fellow might expect in the upcoming rapid, of Sticky Sarla. !ere is little margin for bow paddler, Arvind Vermani, moves Sticky Sarla, as our ra" bears down on the error on the Tons and slow reactions are across the ra" and quickly executes a noisy whitewater ahead. the di$erence between the relatively dry textbook rescue of the “short swimmer.” safety of the ra" and the dangers of an A"er much back slapping and a good deal Although the rapid is shallow and steep, ultra-refreshing, rocky river. our enthusiastic team of paddlers is of high #ving, we set o$ again, eager to see what the Tons might dish up around the overcon#dent and dismissive of what Sanjay’s years of river experience help him next corner. appears to be a relatively benign-looking to see things happen in a slow motion that

38 American Whitewater www.americanwhitewater.org November/December 2009 Aside from Sticky Sarla (which certainly ultimately emptying into India’s revered " Peak. It is a small-medium got the better of us), we successfully River. volume Class IV river with fast %owing negotiate the remainder of the rapids on water that could be politely described the Upper Tons. With Give Me Mori (a"er Camp Lunagad, Aquaterra’s ra"ing base as bracingly cold. Wetsuits certainly are Mori village), Sharp Horn (one of the rapids camp on the Tons River, is situated barely a welcome barrier against the icy waves on a long section called the ‘Horns of the 100 kilometres from the Tibetan border. that periodically crash over the ra". !e Tons’) and Looking Up Sandhra (called !e camp has an enviable location perched Tons ra"ing season has a small window so as it’s below the bridge at Sandhra) all on a grassy alpine meadow overlooking of opportunity that seldom exceeds 10 under our belts, con#dence returns to our the river surrounded by pine forests and weeks. Operators relocate from Rishikesh eager ra"ing crew. We will need all this abundant wild marijuana. !e campsite in late April and begin running the river self-belief and our newfound experience is at a pleasant 3,600 feet, making it the as soon as snowmelt provides su'cient as we progress onto the big rapids of the perfect escape from the sti%ing heat that water to allow the ra"s to negotiate the 35-kilometre Middle Tons section of our a&icts most of India at this time of year. ra"ing expedition in the days ahead. Sitting on the banks of the idyllic Tons, smelling the pine-scented breeze rustling !e Tons Valley cuts through the Jaunsar through the shady trees, all city stresses Bawar region of Garhwal where the seem a million miles away. Horses wade across the braided river upstream of river marks the boundary between ‘Give me Mori’ rapid, while safety kayaks keep an eye on the rafts progress through a sweeping bend of Uttaranchal and . !e !e Tons River is fed by glacial melt, with its shallow white-water Tons feeds into the River before frozen source in the snow#elds of the 20,720 Photo by Stephen Cunli!e

www.americanwhitewater.org American Whitewater 39 November/December 2009 boulder-strewn river. !e season draws Aquaterra, con#des in me that the last few !ese obstacles add to the challenge and to a close early in July with all personnel seasons have seen decreased precipitation, thrill of the ra"ing experience, although and equipment needing to be evacuated possibly as a result of global warming or no sane ra"er would willing choose to before the onset of heavy monsoon rains; abnormal El Niño conditions. !e result abandon the safety of the ra". otherwise, clients and equipment might is an incredibly bony river that requires remain stranded inde#nitely in this remote well-honed technical skills and teamwork Extremely low water levels have part of Uttarakhand. to negotiate. Aside from being shallow transformed the Tons into possibly the and rocky, the river boasts a multitude of most technical river that I have ever run. Although we are repeatedly told that the obstructions and challenges, such as half- Vaibhav concurs, “!is is arguably the water levels are particularly low this year, submerged tree trunks and whirlpools most technical ra" trip in the Vaibhav Kala, head-guide and owner of in the midst of the churning whitewater. and on a shallow, rocky river, there is no substitute for training, technique, timing and teamwork.”

Ra"ing crews need to practise and #ne- tune their skills before venturing into the continuous whitewater trains that dominate long sections of the Middle Tons. !e Tons requires a cohesive ra"ing team that can respond instantly to the rapid-#re paddle commands being issued by the experienced river guides. !is doesn’t mean that you need to be a seasoned ra"ing junkie to visit the Tons. !e guides spend the #rst few days drilling everyone—newbies and old-hands alike— on the use of safety equipment, the di$erent paddle techniques, and the various paddle commands that they will be using. By the end of this intensive and fun training regime, everyone feels more con#dent and ready to tackle the river that ra"ing legend Jack Morison rated as “one of the top ten world-class rivers on the planet.”

With some big rapids lying in store for us at Khunigad, as well as the infamous Five Minus Rana rapid near Tiuni Bazaar, our superstitious guides decide that paying a respectful visit to the local Hanol temple (dedicated to Mahasu devta) is a prerequisite for our safe passage downstream. O$erings are made to appease the river gods, a goat is slaughtered and tikkas are issued. At the end of the

The Tons River is a small to medium volume Class IV river with fast-!owing glacial-melt water that could most politely be described as bracingly cold

Photo by Stephen Cunli!e

40 American Whitewater www.americanwhitewater.org November/December 2009 ceremony we feel spiritually forti#ed and middle of this churning whitewater mêlée. !" # $% ready to embrace the challenges of the Anxiety is building among our wannabe & ''" ($) Middle Tons. ra"ing crew as we ponder what next the %* +*# ,- "( storm might dish up. !is is unpredictable .*$/ +*8+ &0"(1$234$536'"$27- We depart Camp Lunagad in bright ra"ing at its best! sunshine ready to tackle the mighty river Within a matter of minutes the storm moves o$, the sun reappears and we ! T3 Meridian Dry Suit with below. Our sunny day vanishes within relief zipper and socks (TMER) minutes. Gale-force winds come howling #nd ourselves returned unscathed to the Modeled after our GORE­TEX® Meridian dry suit, the TROPOS up the valley, sending heavy rain clouds tranquil Tons Valley. !e friendly smiling T3 Meridian also incorporates an overskirt to layer with your spray racing across the sky. With the approach of faces of inquisitive local villagers greet our skirt and keep water out of your boat. procession of ra"s as we paddle past small Two of our the monsoon, the Tons Valley is prone to most popular sudden weather changes, and the occasional villages. Homesteads cling to the hillside options (relief zipper and storm adds yet another dimension of surrounded by their tiny terraced wheat T3 socks) complete excitement to the ra"ing experience. !e #elds. Along remote stretches of the river the suit. The even the villages disappear, and goats, cows Meridian dry strong winds neutralise the river current suit (TME) is and at times it even appears as if the river and horses become the only spectators to special order only. Our has reversed its course and decided to our progress. !ey stare at us with a mild new TROPOS 3­layer fabric, %ow upstream! We remain warm in our curiosity bordering on indi$erence, as we known as carefully negotiate our way through the T3, adds a wetsuits and splash jackets as big raindrops protective thump on our helmets, smash into the ra" tight lines of rocky rapids. polyester tricot lining and splatter on the surrounding rocks. to the inside continued on page 55 of the fabric. !e ra"s become tough to control and Without adding much it’s a real challenge to manoeuvre them weight, through the rock-strewn river. !e roar durability Superstitious rafting guides felt that a respectful visit is greatly of the wind drowns out Sanjay’s urgent to Hanol temple was mandatory for everybody’s increased. The movement paddle commands and we %ounder in the safe passage downstream. In the foreground, the of moisture unsuspecting sacri"cial goat curiously eyes our vapor (also midst of the rapids. As the wind asserts known as its dominance over our hapless boat, we arrival... perspiration) is also improved for better comfort as the temperature or brace ourselves, bouncing o$ rocks in the your activity level increases. Two year Photo by Stephen Cunli!e warranty on TROPOS and T3 suits. Made in the USA.

! Seeker !"#$%&'(#%)*+&,#-./)0%.#("1#%23#4'25%.# 6+2.#1.6)*".1#&2#5.%%#)"#%23#72%$8.# whitewater and touring boats. The 5 ("#0.# adjusted with the shock­ cord lacing system using one hand, and the lacing system is covered to eliminate snag hazards in or out of the boat. Made from 3mm double­lined neoprene with a vulcanized rubber sole, toe cap and heel counter.

www.americanwhitewater.org American Whitewater 41 November/December 2009 continued from page 41

When we stop to camp on the riverbank Activities available: Whitewater ra"ing for the night, a large crowd of children is the premier attraction on the Tons, gather on the fringe of our camp. !ey sit however trout #shing, day hikes (the quietly and observe the strange goings-on Sandhra-Mora loop walk is a very pleasant until Rana, one of the lead guides, gets 3 hour stroll that provides picturesque everyone singing and dancing to break views across the Tons Valley), overnight the ice. Everyone is friendly and having a trekking options, forest walks to hidden good time under the full moon. I slip away rock pools, bird watching and relaxing on to my thoughts and re%ect on a superb the riverbank, all add to the diversity of day of ra"ing that saw our ra"ing teams attractions on o$er. pull together to conquer long stretches of near-continuous high quality whitewater. What to bring: In addition to personal Earlier in the day the Tons entertained items and toiletries, do not forget to bring and terri#ed us in equal measure. It was your ra"ing sandals, a wind/water-proof adrenalin-spiced entertainment at its very jacket, towel, and %ashlight, as well as a best and now I’m happy to see we have hat, sunglasses and sun block. become a novel source of entertainment to our newfound friends. How to get there: Camp Lunagad and the Tons River are located 450 kms from Delhi and can be accessed in your own vehicle or Tons Technicalities via rail/%ight to and an onward vehicle transfer to the camp. !e easiest Accessibility: !e Tons River ra"ing option is to board the over-night Mussorie season is relatively short, running from Express from Delhi’s Nizamuddin station. May through to early July. Ra"ing is On arrival in Dehradun you will transfer accessible to anyone over the age of 12 into an Aquaterra vehicle for the 6-hour years and, although swimming ability is drive to the Tons. !e mountainous route not mandatory, it certainly is desirable for boasts picturesque views as it passes anyone wanting to run the bigger Class Mussorie, Kempty Falls and on to the tiny IV rapids. village of Mori, located on the banks of the Upper Tons River. Ra"ing equipment: All ra"ing enthusiasts are supplied on arrival with 3mm Trip duration: Anything from 3 – 10 neoprene wetsuits, splash jackets, life days is recommended dependent upon jackets and helmets. !e use of this state- your available leave, your inclination of-the-art safety equipment is compulsory. for adventure and need of rest and Internationally imported self-bailing ra"s recuperation. and experienced river guides ensure your safe enjoyment of the river. Recommended operators: Aquaterra (www.aquaterra.in) and Himalayan River Camp Lunagad: Accommodation is in Runners (www.hrrindia.com). comfortable twin-bed deluxe tents with all linens and pillows provided. Meals are Further information can be found at: served as a bu$et with a wide range of www.indianhimalayas.net. scrumptious Indian and mouth-watering western dishes on o$er. Showers are provided at base camp with hot water upon request. Toilets come in the form of rustic, environmentally friendly, dry pit latrines. www.americanwhitewater.org American Whitewater 55 November/December 2009