Just found this on Canoe and Kayak Magazine's Website...
"Conservation Through Exploration”
Papua New Guinea Expedition
In late August 2007, Epicocity Project team members Howard "Trip" Jennings, Kyle Dickman, Brian Eustis, Matt Fields Johnson, Andy Maser, and Scott Feindell joined a team of scientists and cavers for a six week exploration of the Hargy Caldera in New Britain, Papua New Guinea. This National Geographic expedition will give voice to the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Fund that this area be conserved.
The Hargy Caldera and its surrounding rivers shape a landscape fed by 200 inches of annual rainfall on terrain that drops from 7000 feet to the sea in less than 20 miles. The unusual combination of geology and climate has created some of the planet’s wildest whitewater, most biologically diverse forests, and most culturally isolated locales. The expedition will involve three whitewater first descents (reached by foot and helicopter), exploration of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest cave system, collection of scientific data, and collaboration with local tribes. “It’s a daunting adventure and a story that will be captured on film, in magazine articles and photographs,” says Kyle Dickman, Epicocity Project Producer.
About the Epicocity Project Team:
Howard “Trip” Jennings, the owner and founder of the Epicocity Project, has led whitewater first descents and expeditions in 6 countries throughout North, Central and South America. His films have been accepted into Banff Film Festival’s World Tour, Telluride Film Festival and have gained critical acclaim in the kayaking world. The Conservation through Exploration project rolls together Trip’s passions for the environment, kayaking and exploration. The team he is collaborating with is the most qualified group he has worked with to date.
Kyle Dickman is a producer with the Epicocity Project and a freelance writer. Kyle brings with him extensive travel experience from exploratory trips in Central America, Europe and New Zealand, and wilderness skills honed by seven years whitewater kayaking and five years fighting first.
Brian Eustis recently returned from paddling the length of the Mekong River. Eustis’s film about this adventure, “The Mother of Waters”, was awarded Telluride’s Indomitable Spirit award and finished second in Banff Mountain Film Festivals People’s Choice award. He has logged first descents in China, led kayaking expeditions in Costa Rica and spends his weekends paddling his favorite backyard run, Washington’s Little White Salmon. Brian’s experience with foreign cultures and his skills on the water and with a camera make him an invaluable part of this expedition.
Andy Maser just finished production on a full-length documentary that analyzed Columbian culture. Andy has logged numerous first descents from Costa Rica to Argentina and recently placed second at the Collegiate Nationals for kayaking. This will be his fourth international kayaking expedition. He is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications.
Matt Fields Johnson is joining the expedition as a photographer, a kayaker, and an expert in ropes and rescue. Matt is studying photography in Bowling Green State University. He has been on photography assignments in Antarctica, Ecuador and Argentina. When Matt’s not shooting photos he’s climbing hard traditional routes all over the world, or paddling his backyard run on the Great Falls of the Potomac River.
Scott Feindel has been paddling since he was 8 years old. He began developing his skills, and still is, on rivers all across North America, South America, Norway and New Zealand. Scott's experience on the water and his ability to maintain a positive attitude in high stress situations make Scott an integral part of this expedition.
Find out more about the Conservation through Exploration- Papua New Guinea Expedition and the Epicocity Project at www.epicocity.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Looking forward to life after PGN
We still have a bit over two weeks left to destroy ourselves in PGN, but I already have a great gig lined up for when I get back.
Portland based eNRG Kayaking is organizing a 15 stop Mid Atlantic/Southeast college tour in conjunction with the American Canoe Association. We are going to show up at each stop, conduct a film festival and offer a free kayak class. Some will be in university pools and some (as in the case of Frostburg State and UNC Charlotte) will be in whitewater parks. We will also be attending whitewater symposiums, an industry trade show and a legendary kayak race and a swiftwater rescue course. All events will be free and all will be a great time.
Dave Hoffman and I will be conducting the tour and we will be joined mid way by Sam Drevo, fresh from Nepal. As soon as the schedule is finalized I will post it here.
Portland based eNRG Kayaking is organizing a 15 stop Mid Atlantic/Southeast college tour in conjunction with the American Canoe Association. We are going to show up at each stop, conduct a film festival and offer a free kayak class. Some will be in university pools and some (as in the case of Frostburg State and UNC Charlotte) will be in whitewater parks. We will also be attending whitewater symposiums, an industry trade show and a legendary kayak race and a swiftwater rescue course. All events will be free and all will be a great time.
Dave Hoffman and I will be conducting the tour and we will be joined mid way by Sam Drevo, fresh from Nepal. As soon as the schedule is finalized I will post it here.
The mission was a complete success, BUT...
Because we have some things worked out with National Geographic, I'm not allowed to publish anything before they have a chance to refuse it first. It's called a Right of First Refusal and we all signed it so...
I did type up a description though (it's pretty wild) and am emailing it to people who are interested. If you are, shoot me an email at amaser@mac.com and I'll send it to you. Basically though, we explored a cave, paddled a bunch of crazy whitewater and ended up at the ocean. Now we're all totally haggered and resting for a couple of days before the next mission. Our whitewater adventures are not nearly over and we have some cool stuff in our sights.
Sorry for promising an update and not coming through, but hopefully we'll have a sweet article in National Geo Adventurer complete with the amazing photos that we have and all will be ok!
Cheers for now.
I did type up a description though (it's pretty wild) and am emailing it to people who are interested. If you are, shoot me an email at amaser@mac.com and I'll send it to you. Basically though, we explored a cave, paddled a bunch of crazy whitewater and ended up at the ocean. Now we're all totally haggered and resting for a couple of days before the next mission. Our whitewater adventures are not nearly over and we have some cool stuff in our sights.
Sorry for promising an update and not coming through, but hopefully we'll have a sweet article in National Geo Adventurer complete with the amazing photos that we have and all will be ok!
Cheers for now.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Preping for a mission
Tomorrow, the six-person kayak team is combining forces with a 3-person caving team to execute the mission of our dreams. We are leaving at 8:00 am to drive to the end of the road and then hike in to the town of Tuke that Trip and I previously explored.
In Tuke, we will drop into a sinkhole and descend 1500ft in about 1.5 miles to the mouth of the cave. The mouth is amazing - a huge archway with a gorgeous crystal blue river flowing out. The plan is to drop into the cave at the top, work our way though paddling along the way and then paddle/swim out into daylight.
About 100 meters below the cave exit, the river flows over a series of cascades that are about 800 ft from top to bottom. Trip and I scouted the drops out last week and all of them go except for the last drop of about 50 ft or so.
After the waterfalls, the kayak team will paddle 3 days out to the ocean, where we will be picked up by a freighter and taken back to civilization. The caving team will hike out and we will meet up in time to celebrate the PNG independence holiday on Sept. 15th.
This should be a good one folks; an update and pictures to come when we make it out in 1-2 weeks. Cheers!
In Tuke, we will drop into a sinkhole and descend 1500ft in about 1.5 miles to the mouth of the cave. The mouth is amazing - a huge archway with a gorgeous crystal blue river flowing out. The plan is to drop into the cave at the top, work our way though paddling along the way and then paddle/swim out into daylight.
About 100 meters below the cave exit, the river flows over a series of cascades that are about 800 ft from top to bottom. Trip and I scouted the drops out last week and all of them go except for the last drop of about 50 ft or so.
After the waterfalls, the kayak team will paddle 3 days out to the ocean, where we will be picked up by a freighter and taken back to civilization. The caving team will hike out and we will meet up in time to celebrate the PNG independence holiday on Sept. 15th.
This should be a good one folks; an update and pictures to come when we make it out in 1-2 weeks. Cheers!
Friday, August 31, 2007
PNG land issues
Here in PNG, land rights issues are a bit different than they are in the U.S. If you have read my previous posts, you will notice that we ran into an access issue that threatened to shut down the expedition before it happened. Last night I got to sit down with the local man responsible for mediating and securing access for us. I learned a lot about how things work here and why there was an issue to begin with.
In PNG, there are multiple types of land: There are public lands (govt owned,) privately owned land and customary land. Structurally, it’s very similar to how things are set up in the States, but with one very major difference.
In the States, the westward explorers and the U.S. Govt. decided that it was totally in charge and that they had more right to customary land (land owned by the original inhabitants) than the locals did. So basically, the U.S. Govt., instead of respecting the fact that native people already lived on lands, they pushed through and just took it all. The customary land was taken by force by the U.S. Govt.
Things are different in PNG. There was an imperial presence here and as a result the govt does hold land. This happened on a much smaller scale here than in the U.S. though, so there are also huge tracts of land that is owned and controlled by the subsistence dwellers that have lived here since the beginning. Thus, when the govt wants to expand its holdings, whether it be for logging, mining or otherwise, it has to work it out with the customary owners. If they don’t want their land logged, it doesn’t get logged.
This applies to our expedition because the area we are exploring is on customary land. Lake Hargy and the Nakanai Mountains are rugged areas that have never been logged or farmed because the people, so far, haven’t wanted them to be. In many remote areas of PNG these practices seem very attractive because instead of simply living off of their land, they can make a living off of their land. The environmental consequences are often very serious though, and in many cases the locals are not aware of these consequences. They sign deals for Malaysian logging companies to come in and clear timber and, a year or so later, realize that a clearcut tract isn’t so sweet after all and maybe not worth the small amount of compensation they receive.
The man I sat down with last night explained to the local people that our team will provide very valuable services to them. The scientific side of the team is studying the amazing biodiversity of the area and the kayaking/film team is going to show the world what is here. Ideally, this will open doors for the Nakanai people to make money off their land without having irreversible damage. One proposal involves establishing a permanent research station and sustainable ecotourism destination. Whatever happens, I think the local people have come to understand that we’re here to educate ourselves and help them rather than take advantage of their customary land. So now, everyone’s happy!
In PNG, there are multiple types of land: There are public lands (govt owned,) privately owned land and customary land. Structurally, it’s very similar to how things are set up in the States, but with one very major difference.
In the States, the westward explorers and the U.S. Govt. decided that it was totally in charge and that they had more right to customary land (land owned by the original inhabitants) than the locals did. So basically, the U.S. Govt., instead of respecting the fact that native people already lived on lands, they pushed through and just took it all. The customary land was taken by force by the U.S. Govt.
Things are different in PNG. There was an imperial presence here and as a result the govt does hold land. This happened on a much smaller scale here than in the U.S. though, so there are also huge tracts of land that is owned and controlled by the subsistence dwellers that have lived here since the beginning. Thus, when the govt wants to expand its holdings, whether it be for logging, mining or otherwise, it has to work it out with the customary owners. If they don’t want their land logged, it doesn’t get logged.
This applies to our expedition because the area we are exploring is on customary land. Lake Hargy and the Nakanai Mountains are rugged areas that have never been logged or farmed because the people, so far, haven’t wanted them to be. In many remote areas of PNG these practices seem very attractive because instead of simply living off of their land, they can make a living off of their land. The environmental consequences are often very serious though, and in many cases the locals are not aware of these consequences. They sign deals for Malaysian logging companies to come in and clear timber and, a year or so later, realize that a clearcut tract isn’t so sweet after all and maybe not worth the small amount of compensation they receive.
The man I sat down with last night explained to the local people that our team will provide very valuable services to them. The scientific side of the team is studying the amazing biodiversity of the area and the kayaking/film team is going to show the world what is here. Ideally, this will open doors for the Nakanai people to make money off their land without having irreversible damage. One proposal involves establishing a permanent research station and sustainable ecotourism destination. Whatever happens, I think the local people have come to understand that we’re here to educate ourselves and help them rather than take advantage of their customary land. So now, everyone’s happy!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Bush
Wow, what a week it’s been. Trip and I just returned from a 6-day exploratory mission to the bush and are nursing wounds caused by hiking all day, every day through dense rainforest.
Our mission had two parts. The first was to hike into Leli and discuss with the locals the waterfalls we had scouted from the air and see if they could take us to them. The second was to go to a cave outside of the town called Snake Cave and retrieve a frog for the scientists back at the Lake Hargy camp. Ralph Cutter is researching the effects of global warming on reptiles and wanted a sample from a cave – someplace less affected by global temperature change.
On Sunday, John G of Hargy Oil Palm drove us 3 hours to the end of the road at a town called Pago. Only in the last year has the road even gone that far – a result of the increasing presence of Malaysian logging companies. From Pago, we hiked all afternoon downhill to the Pandi River, across the river and then up the hill on the other side to the village of Leli. The vertical descent was about 800 ft almost strait down to the river level at about 400 ft above sea level and then about another 900 ft up to the top of the next plateau.
About 5 years ago, a group of U.S. and Canadian missionaries, representing a group called New Tribes, came to Leli to set up an operation. Their goal is to translate the entirety of the Bible to the local Pigeon language so that the people can be “saved.” Not being quite as hearty as the locals, the missionaries built an airstrip in the village so that they could fly in the necessary supplies to create a comfortable oasis in the midst of a very rugged bush community. Our first exposure to the village of Leli came when we emerged from the jungle onto this very out-of-place feature.
We walked down the neatly groomed grass airstrip until we came to the first house. We were greeted by an obviously surprised man who, in English (luckily,) welcomed us to put our bags down and rest. We asked about the missionaries and were told that they had gone back to their countries for a couple of months (somewhat of a disappointment to us, as we had hoped they would help us communicate with the local people.) Luckily, there is a primary school in the village that teaches English, so there were a few
“big men” who spoke English pretty well. After a quick wash and a tour of the village, we returned to the house that had been offered to us to cook dinner and relax. When we broke out the stove to make rice, we got our first taste of what would eventually drive us totally crazy.
Leli
Leli
Since the only way for the locals to get to the nearest town (Navo) is to spend most of a day hiking down to the Pandi, back up the canyon on the other side and down the road about 6 or 8 km, they are isolated from any practical form of trading. Thus, they are a subsistence culture – they live off of what they grow and produce and little else. They have little to no money because they have no practical way of getting goods to market and since there are no roads in to the village, very few people pass through. When Trip and I broke out our potable petrol-powered stove and started cooking, half of the village surrounded us and stared.
As night came, the village “big men” came to us and requested that they sit with us and “tell stories.” We were one of only a very small number of groups of westerners to visit the village and the first to, instead of staying with the missionaries, slept in the house of a local. Never had any outsiders sat with them and explained why they were there. We showed them the aerial photos we had taken of the waterfalls and they immediately knew where they were – a two days’ walk in the village of Tuke. They also knew immediately where Snake Cave was. They agreed to guide us to Tuke and show us the cave, but they wanted something in return. First, they told us that they wanted a DVD player and a screen to watch movies on, something we obviously were not going to be able to carry in or even afford to buy for them. Their next suggestion was clothes for everyone in the village, which again we explained we could not carry in to them. To this, they suggested we charter a plane and just fly in – something we were forced to explain was outside of our very small budget. Finally, after a long and awkward negotiating session we agreed to pay they guides who would take us to Tuke and to Snake Cave.
The next morning we woke up at 5:30 to begin the full days’ walk to Tuke. The very primitive trail was extremely steep, slippery and lined with thorns. Leli and Tuke are only 6.5 miles apart, yet we had a very full day of some of the most challenging hiking I have ever done. It rained on and off the whole day, making the already slippery trail very messy. Along the way we passed through a handful of small villages where very surprised and curious locals greeted us.
We arrived in Tuke in the late afternoon and were greeted by two German missionaries from a group called SSEC. The locals took us on a scouting mission where we not only found spectacular whitewater, but also an amazing cave. In Tuke, as in Leli, Trip and I could not go anywhere or do anything without being stared at by a crowd of very curious locals. We completely understood why we were being stared at, but it was starting to be a bit overwhelming. During a church service conducted by the Germans, we snuck off for a little time by ourselves.
The next morning we woke again at 5:30 to make the hike back to Leli in the rain.
Back in Leli, we cleaned up, had a conference with the local people, ate some dinner and went to bed around 9:00.
Wednesday morning, we ate a quick breakfast and set off to Snake Cave with three local men and a handful of local children. Most of the 2 km hike was very manageable, but as we got closer the trail went completely vertical and instead of hiking we found ourselves down climbing. All the rain made things muddy and extremely slippery, so sections of the “trail” were very very sketchy. We finally got to the bottom and to a huge rock archway that led into a dark cavern full of screeching bats. The local children led the way and Trip and I slogged through the ankle-deep mud after them in search of a frog to capture and take back to Ralph. While we were busy shooting video and hunting for a frog, the locals were busy killing bats with sticks and stuffing them in their pockets. It was strange and a little gross, but we let it slide because we were focused on our mission. After about an hour in the cave, we had our frog ad were ready to climb back up the very steep hill to the trail and walk back to the village.
Snake Cave
Back in Leli, everyone was curious to check out the frog that we had found and hear about how our visit to the cave was. After heading down to the creek to wash the bat crap off of ourselves, we returned to our house to find the children cooking the bats they had killed and eating them. They would take the whole bat and stick it onto hot embers, blow on the embers to generate more heat, cut them open and dig in. It was very gross but made for some pretty interesting photos and video.
Checking out the frog
The catch
Cooking bats
Girl enjoying some bat meat
Wednesday morning we lazily woke up around 6:00, packed our things and hit the trail. Our legs were shredded from so much hiking and our patience short from sliding down steep, slippery trails and being stared at constantly by the locals. We made it back to Pago just after noon and began walking down the road to hitch a ride. We were eventually picked up by a truck that took us to a logging camp, dropped off, then picked up again by another truck that took us to the house of the General Manager of one of Hargy’s other plantations. This morning, he gave us a ride back to our base at Hargy Oil Palm HQ.
And now, we rest and figure out the next plan. On Monday we are going to the local schools to give presentations on the scientific work that is being done and the social contributions we hope to make to the local towns and villages.
Trip shooting...with an audience.
Trip resting...with an audience.
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