Rafting the Futaleufu
One day in 1989, as Eric Hertz's rented Toyota van bucked along a dirt road through the remote mountains of southern Chile, he looked down from a bridge and was…
Fighting the Fu
Time may be running out for adventurers who want to tackle Chile's Futaleufu River - A 100-mile cerulean stripe that roars out of the Andes across the top of Patagonia…
THE SOUND AND THE FURY
The Futaleufu River's Terminador rapid can be heard surging from a quarter of a mile away. The Class V stretch of white water cascades over and around imposing granite boulders…
The best Whitewater Rafting
short of measuring the size of every wave, it's impossible to create an empirical list of the world's best whitewater. In addition to the water itself, we looked at the…
On the Wild Side of Chile
FUTALEUFU, Chile—So, my neighbor said, you really should come along. It's summer down there in February and this river is supposed to be beautiful.Chile? Yeah, right. That'll happen. Rafting? On…
Top ten White-water Rafting
A float plane takes you to Magpie Lake, the start of this eight-day trip through the remote pine forests of eastern Quebec province.
Rapid Descent
The blinds are drawn in Eric Hert'z Hotel room in downtown Kunming, China, though it's neary noon. The forty-year-old outfitter from New York State badly needs rest. His eyes are…
The Accidental Explorer’s Guide to Patagonia
WAS ON MY WAY TO MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH. I hadn't ever been there before and wasn't exactly sure where it was, but I knew, in the way a…
Rafting the “Unrunnable” Tsangpo
Since 1992, when the Chinese began admitting foreign adventurers to Tibet's "Great Canyon," the chasm's white-water rivers have acquired a sinister reputation. The Yarlung Tsangpo has so far claimed the…
The Colca Plunge
At Pope John Paul || Falls-a torrential spill of roaring brown muck at the bottom of one of the world's deepest canyons-they sat cross legged and prayed for a safe…