Madamax

Julien was about to leave madagascar and I seized the opportunity to send him on a small river we paddled occasionally south of Antananarivo.

With low waters, it’s rather gentle.

Well, that wasn’t exactly low tide!

Julien, Joe and Liva boarded near Behenjy for what was supposed to be a cool day and an half with a few amusing rapids.

They encountered furious lines of challenging rapids for most of the section they paddled and were quite impressed by its potential with high waters.

You can see that the rapids look quite nice for thrill seekers and they left a few lines to be opened by strong groups of dedicated paddlers, …

We caught them at the pull out the next day all excited by this great descent and decided to return there again, …

Julien took the loaded Pyranha through really nice lines all along those two days.

Everybody convinced that Liva was to take the plunge!

Waoow, that was a fun one. Those Ark boats (Made in South Africa) behave very well in this kind of rapids.

Joe and Liva, proud of their performances, and raging Andromba overflowing in the background.

Local shuttle buddy, a seemingly constant of malagasy white waters, …

A cool good bye trip to Imerina rivers for Julien. He had the opportunity of exploring quite a lot of them during those few months spent with us.

The largest group we ever managed on the Lilly.

4 fully loaded rafts for a fairly large group of local residents and nationals.

Water was high over the week end and sections at a challenging level

We bailed out at “La langue”, a nasty looking drop which keeps boats and flush down swimmers past the hole!
Everything else went more or less smoothly with quite a few swims from unstable passengers, …

2 rafts capsized + 3 swims! That’s the very first rapid 200ms after launching, …

Wish we had more week ends like those, they’re great fun and everybody enjoyed the day.

Le portefeuille, just above “La Lola”, with so much water, the hole is full and it doen’t fold the boats that much!.

We took some time on the river for a cool lunch in the gorges and finished the descent in the afternoon.
Next week again with a smaller group of residents, but I won’t be there for the pictures!

Possibly the best drop of the section. First swimmed by “accident” by Lola, an epic weekend souvenir,

Last rapids before the pull out 50 meters above “Les Chutes de la Lilly” a classic tourist attraction.

Despite a moderate rain season, we keep on looking and opening new rivers to paddlers.

Local polishituation has killed the tourism trade and although we’re surviving, in urgent needs of travelers!
Mada is safe! Well, as safe as you decide!!!

Even through the worst periods of riots and protests, we managed to move around the countryside without any concerns about local troubles.

It’s even a perfect period to travel out here as everything can be bargained and hotels very empty.

Julien Pernot, Joe and Arthur were sent on a reco trip, northwest of Tana.

I dropped them right in Ankazobe, 100 kms on the road to Majunga.

What was supposed to be a reasonnable goal offered lines of challenging rapids and falls.

The boys stated bluntly that it was a river for the Young Guns, not themselves.

They left one Piranha kayak and one Ark inflatable canoe and I was supposed to pick them up on the fourth day.

Well, they maintained the schedule, but they had to work hard through rocky canyons, steep falls and remote backcountry.

It is now awaiting for bold yakers to open all the lines and drops.

There were quite a few portages and lining boats as well.

Being only 2 crafts on the river didn’t encourage Julien to dare too much.

Occasional croco sighting also tempered their boldness and interfered with decision process, …

Drive back is only 50 kms on an almost decent track during dry season. Not so advisable in case of rain.

A fun week end on the Ikopa river, south of Antananarivo.

Typical male dominant attitude and usual maried couple set-up!

Good flow, very average weather with a last gust of winter trade winds plus a light rain.

Saturday night camp under grey sky!!!

Ikopa actually flowing through Tana is a cool weekenders favorite spot.

A fun loving group celebrating a 40th birthday.

Typical Ikopa's riverside scene.

Being that close from city and that isolated is sheer luxury.

Super crew to handle the logistics and crates of beer, …

Heads feels heavy as lead.

Sunny sunday morning to heal hangovers from a very late lasting bonefire and Three Horses Beer (the local brew) carnage!

Crisis in the boat industry

2009 political troubles led to a change in Madamax boat renewal policy, …

We even took the time and the energy to do a bit of reforestation. With the beginning of rain season, it’s time to start planting.

Locals planting new trees

Fruit trees are our favorites for this kind of pico action.

And that’s what we do with our guests. Every day out during wet season is an occasion to put in a few more trees to develop agroforestry ideas and help locals (more info on our actions on woodenstock.org , In french only, sorry!)

Outsiders do their share!

Visitors always enjoy the chance to do their little bit of work towards a not so gloomy future.

I love those hours spent in peaceful Imerina countryside, away from city noises and troubles, 45′ away from downtown!!!

Boat's garage

Playful day on Ikopa's beach

Will be back on it with 100 paddlers in two weeks, stay posted, …

Hellooooo vrybody!

Just a few words from distant Madagascar red island.

Paddling really picked up around here, thanks to US paddlers who are definitely more adventurous than french boaters.

Over the past few years, we’ve had visits from the best american wild paddlers and their realisations are somehow outstanding

I will try to keep you updated about programs and feats all year long, but connections are loose around here and i’m often behind schedules, …

Please feel free to ask me as many questions as you want/need!

i will do my best to help you launching river trips with or without my logistical support.

infos are free and MUST flow freely!

Great sunday out here in Madagascar

While Tananarive is on fire with riots and protests we decided to celebrate our planting season and invited my sponsors for a day out , not in the fields, but on the waters!!!

Asanaty, my wife carrying a young plant to its final destination.

The Katsaoka is a rather gentle river flowing west of the capital, a best of week end specials, …

As we do paddle and take a lot of people on this short descent (7-8 kms) I decided to replant the banks both for decorative and anti erosive reasons.

We planted mainly fruit trees along with some deco (jacaranda’s, flamboyants, …). A bit less than 300 plants were loaded on our inflatable canoes and we set off for a fun constructive day.

Badria, my daughter (one of them) with laetitia a sexy commercial director paddling for trees

Sun was out after a week of cyclonic turmoil and it was great to get out of the stinky Tana’s mess.

Executives from BEAL company (french rope maker), Camusat (telecommunications antenna riggers) and Club 41 (a worldwide social club) as well as kids, girl friends, wives and else boarded along.

Philippe (manager of BEAL factory) and Alain (Club 41 malagasy) learning river tricks!

The day was spent drifting not always smoothly as the levels were above normal (told you cyclonic weather) and paired with total unexperience from most apprentice boaters sent us on a really fun action packed ecological time.

The full planter’s gang on rest

This was definitely a symbolic day as the association has planted 180.000 trees this year and it was just an occasion tio accomplish a gest together and learn to know better each other.

Badria and Laetitia drifting sideways through the day

I and the rest of the crew, just loved it and we promised that next year we would all be back on the stream.

I want 100 paddlers on the river in 2010 and if you visit at the same season, make sure to send me a message.

Note the trees at the back of the canoe

Paddlers from other remote part of the world, living in countries having deforestation problems should consider organising this type of symbolic action. Fun and very gratifying.

A great group for a great day.

People on the banks just loved the idea of having nut cases planting avocados, mangos, apples and other very useful and profitable trees. That will hopefully make us more popular on riversides, …

Love you all,

Wood En Stock for ever!

Sly and Pilou two french kayakists + a german tourist named Gust went with Edmond (you remember the beat up guy from last year!) for a 4 day descent on the upper Mania.

They launched boats in Sandrandahy, north east of Ambositra.

They ended up breaking one of the boat on day 3 of the Mania and switched on to Manandona, a bit further north, for a cool ride on the cata raft and an exploration of the gorges

The gorges received a lapidary comment of Sylvain who fears that some could try it!…

Quite a bit going on these days.

Reco on one of the numerous rapids encountered.

A strong team of US kayakists + film crew (including madagascar veterans Brad Luebben and Rush Sturges) have just completed the first kayak descent of the upper Betsiboka river.

Brad swings around holes

The river had been paddled by Sobek old timers back in 85 but that implied a whole lot of portages around major drops.

This time the boys have paddled most of the 275 kms section excepted three very short portages.

Garden of boulders, a typical channel navigation on the Betsiboka

Water was fairly low the first day, then rains on the plateaux kept feeding the river till the last day and levels rised considerably over the 12 day trip.

They dropped over 3.000 feet somehow concentrated azround short sections and crocs were gentle to them.

Josh, Rush and Brad contemplating a small specimen in a remote village

Accidentally we also had a raft who struggled to follow and took considerable risks to paddle most of the rapids.

The team on a flat section on day 2

Numerous strenuous portages were necessary to keep up with the boys, leaving plenty of time for the film crew to document the expedition and plenty of work for Sylvain (a french kayakist from Lyon/Hawaî sur Rhone).

Haven’t been very present and active on this blog. Well few paddling adventures since my croco night on the Mangoky.

I’m presently on a project of an eco lodge on one island of the Ikopa, just above the Young Guns section.

Ikopa island in the background in between furious series of rapids

November-december could be torrid with a massive venue of three kayak/film expeditions all at once. A surreal occasion to gang up and spend a few days on the ikopa with the best US kayakers. I’m sure you’ll hear of it in a few weeks, …

In the meantime, we wait for the rain as water is at its lowest, forbidding smaller creeks rather dry at this time of the year.

Definitely, one of my greatest night, so far! A solo night ride on the lower Mangoky, last saturday night was certainly a nerving experience. it all started with a classic line of taking geologists out there for research.

Riding up the river with an engine was a challenge, with insidious sand bars and dead channels to get lost but that’s the kind of stuff we manage and there was nothing that special.

An indecent rigging job to motor up the flow!

For some reason, I ended up 30kms from pull out at night time although I had to be there by 6 am the next morning in order to drive to the airport and fly out to Tananarive.

So, here I am loading my ARK inflatable Croc boat at 7 pm on a moonlessnight and a good 4 hours of paddling laying ahead.

needless to say that I was moderetaly enthousiastic to leave by myself and leave my gun behind in camp!…

I had always thought that finally there wasn’t that many crocs on the Mangoky and I know the river well enough to handle this ghostly night ride.

How wrong I was to be, ……..

Less than 100 meters from camp two splashes and waves sharply remembered me that we were not in winter and females were laying eggs on the banks!

The rest of the trip was a thrilling and terrifying experience. i had to repeat myself the malagasy saying “crocs don’t attack dug outs” at least a thousand times every hour. I tried to avoid flashing the light to see how close those very inquisitive animals were as I needed to keep the little night vision a brilliant starry sky gave me . I spoke out loud and sang silly songs. I even (shame on me) spilled some gas on the boat to deter them. I peed on it!

An early evening visitor, …

More were to come!!!

Nothing did it I couldn’t appreciate the beauty and the grandeur of the scene. I had a few sections of great happiness when floating away from the shores I forgot for instants the presence, so massive, of predators to be respected, but the paranoia was hitting back at every occasion. Chasing crocs from sand banks on which I drifted inadvertly on too many occasions, having to drag the boats between reeds islands, lost on a mile wide river. I even rowed upstream for at least 15 minutes before realizing I hadn’t moved a meter!

Around 10.30 pm a young female, kind of “flew” over the stern, chased from a higher river bank by my noisy passage and that’s when my nerves decided to take a break. I aimed at a sand bar and tried to find a spot without too many close tracks, gathered dried wigs and reeds, built a wall with my bags and even my shoes, again, peed everywhere, spilled more gas, and finally crashed out in an uncertain sleep.

Back to life with the sun burning the last bits of morning fog.

I woke up after a night of refueling fast burning reeds, listening to splashes and crocos noises in a rather good mood.

They were all gone when the temp dropped late in the night.

The 2 remaining hours were really cool with all the beasts sleeping in their holes and the river for myself.

Arrival at pull out was certainly noticed and locals still wonder if I’m totally stupid or a real nerd!…

I do too, ………..