"Wilko" wrote in message
news:FiI9b.44905$tK5.5172590@zonnet-reader-1...


I know here in Kinshasa, I have had so many people tell me how the
rapids on
the outskirts of town here are 'Unrunnable' that I want to puke. Its
basically a solid class 5-, with an entrance where you skirt a huge Lava
LedgeHole-sized pourover, run a Hance Lookalike wave train, then catch a
Niagara Whirlpool-sized eddy. I've run stuff this big in rafts a dozen
times
with no problem. The stuff downstream is rumored to be worse, but I
wonder
if its just continuous instead......

Sounds like you need to get a couple of rafters and their equipment over
there... :-)


Not that I haven't thought about that!! Some Belgian (or French) guys tried
to run the gorge about 10 years ago, and the story says that they
disappeared without a trace. Not that I doubt that some folks died trying
it, but the 'disappeared without a trace' part sounds like my information
sources are uneducated. And I know that boating technology has come a long
way in 10 years. Without seeing the actual gorge (thats in the works via
charter flight) I can't say for sure, but my gut feeling is that the gorge
is actually runnable, and its only a matter of logistics and equipment. I'm
really looking forward to the flyover.

I tell you what, if some posters (or lurkers) want to start planning an epic
expedition, I'm ready to participate. We'd need some safety kayakers.

--riverman