July 8-10 - Kuujjua

The Kuujjua river is the largest river on the island, and the most famous river amongst canoeists.  I carried an inflatable pack raft to cross it, although the Kuptanas told me the elders used to talk of a place where you could cross the river by foot.  

It took me two days to get to the river (roughly 40km – 25 miles - each day) travelling through a geography that illustrates the history of largescale volcanic eruptions over 700 million years ago.   Steep hills topped by cliffs of ancient magma line the route.  The valleys were often wet and green, fed by the melting snow and ice that intermittently crashed down as I walked.  As everywhere on the island, the scales are immense, and the pictures can’t appropriately capture the panoramic views.

On Day 4 I travelled 10km (6 miles) up river and then crossed using my pack boat.