If anyone could accomplish the feat, Wickliffe Walker and his friends were the men. World-class paddlers all, they had pioneered expedition kayaking in the Himalaya in the early '80s, but the Tsangpo eluded their grasp. For years, they talked of returning, but not until 1998 did the dream become a reality and serious planning begin. Their ambitious project, as complex as any assault on Everest or K2, would combine trailblazing exploration, whitewater adventure, and sudden tragedy played out against the breathtaking backdrop of the Roof of the World.
All rapids have holes.
But those on the Tsangpo were immense, unnavigable, and deadly, the biggest 20 verticle feet in height and stretching more than a hundred feet across the river's width. Their circular flow would snatch up and recirculate a boat and paddler, and, unlike the pulsing, breaking waves, their steady, violent recirculation could tumble a boat, or log, or any floating object for uncalculable lengths of time. Check your local bookstore.