Rivers have long been called teachers of lessons in life, humility, perseverance, and patience. The Humla Karnali, located in the northwest corner of Nepal is no exception. 180 kilometers of horrendous portages and humbling rapids set in the awe-inspiring background of the Himalayan Mountains have schooled kayakers for decades. When Anup Gurung, Man Bahadur (Michael) Kadel, Rajip Tripathi, and Suman Thapa became the first Nepalese paddlers to experience the Humla’s waters, they found themselves immersed in the strange but familiar, confronted with truths about themselves and their country, forced to answer questions they had never thought to ask.
When we landed in Simikot, 2800 meters high in the Himalayan Mountains of Northwestern Nepal, soft, falling snow and curious gazes greeted us. After an eighteen-hour bus ride and a twenty-four-hour flight-delay,…
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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Summer 2018