SUMMER2016
MOUNTAINLIFE
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one of the best heli pilots in theworld, but with 4,000-foot jungle canyon
walls, therewas noway he could get us down to thewater on 70 to 80per
cent of the river.We didn’t even have the option to long line.Who has a
4,000-foot long line?The commitment level was sohigh.”
After mulling it over, Stookesbury, Marr, Korbill andOliva made the call
and dropped into a 13-day, totally self-supported descent that included
blind canyons, high-consequence whitewater and portages that would
require ropes andbig-wall rock climbing skills tohaul the100-poundboats
and gear up the sheer cliffs. At one point, the team took an entire day to
make 500metres of progress.
“A good film needs characters who will push beyond what seems doable
and make it work,” Bryan adds. “There will always be opportunities to
throw in the towel, it’s too high, too burly or toomuch… And failure is
part of all our lives, and there is nothingwrongwith that. But people like
towatchpeople succeed, especially in the face of heavy adversity.”
He credits the instincts and talent of the entire paddling team for the
expedition’s success, but says Stookesberry’s experience and leadership
played a key role. “He questioned this very thoroughly and freaked out
a bit but he never said, ‘it doesn’t go’. If he had, I think that would have
been it, but this team had the right patience and persistence to let all the
little nagging impossibilities work themselves out. That’s not to say they
went into the river with all those questions answered... the first significant
gorge they paddled put them into almost two kilometres of runningClass
5whitewater blind. Itwas themost committing canyonon thewhole river.
Once they dropped in, theywere locked in.”
Check outBryan’s full length filmabout the tripat
ABOVE
Stookesberry takes amiddle line on the firstwaterfall of the expedition.
REELWATER.
BELOW
BennyMarr (me) onday 1.Onday 12 at the ocean, youwould see
similar smiles onhaggard faces of both the kayakers and filmmakers. CHRISKORBULIC
