Currents
PAIN AND PLEASURE IN 5WS
BLUE-COLLAR RUSSIA. PHOTO: MARK KALCH
7 RIVERS, 7 CONTINENTS WITH MARK KALCH
When Australian adventurer Mark Kalch completed an epic, 153-day source-to-sea descent of the Amazon River in 2008, he had no idea the expedition would become the springboard for 7 Rivers, 7 Continents—a bid to paddle the longest rivers on each continent. Now based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his girlfriend and three young children, Kalch has turned adventure into a full-time vocation. In 2012, he paddled the Missouri-Mississippi Rivers, and in 2014 he made a first solo descent of Russia’s 2,300-mile Volga River. Off the river, he stays busy researching and planning the next leg, and sharing trip stories and images. —Virginia Marshall
WHO
DREAMT UP THE IDEA OF 7 RIVERS?
It grew out of a desire to continue undertaking long journeys after the completion of the
Amazon River. In 2010, I walked alone across the entire Islamic Republic of Iran. I was somewhat stumped in deciding what to do next. My girlfriend suggested a longer-term project whose successive expeditions were linked. Why not the longest
river on each continent? I was hooked. Now the project is such a huge part of my life, I am not
sure how there could have been any other option.
WHAT
WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE ON THE VOLGA?
First, the absolute beauty of the
river; it appeared largely pristine. Unfortunately, environmental studies have shown that the
strains on the river are massive and ever increasing. Also, I grew up in Australia throughout the end of the Cold War. As in most Western countries, I was fed a media-biased view of a menacing and cold Soviet Union, grey industrial cities and a population to match. I really
had no clear idea what to expect. But for the most part it was just magic. Out of all my travels, the most genuinely friendly people I have encountered.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to read the entire interview. WHEN
WERE YOU NAKED AND SMILING?
This photo sums up my Volga descent. As I approached shore late in the afternoon—
resigned to camping beside an old factory—Dmitri appeared and invited me to spend the night at his dacha (cabin) beside the river and introduced me to the ubiquitous Russian banya, or sauna. With the fire roaring, we filed naked down to the Volga and dove into its cold water. Then the boys produced branches from a birch tree and whipped the living daylights out of me. Dinner, vodka and laughter
followed. I had gone from the prospect of camping beside a dismal factory to one of the best nights of the journey.
This article first appeared in the 2015 Summer/Fall issue of Adventure Kayak. 28 PADDLING MAGAZINE
WHERE
WILL YOU GO NEXT?
Family, finance, preparation and water levels will help decide. I am really excited by the Yangtze River in China. It is a touch under 4,000 miles in length. The Upper Yangtze has some
very difficult sections. The lower is stifled by dams and huge in width and
volume. Another option is the Murray-Darling River. I have been a little dismissive of my own country's longest river, but it passes through some of Australia's most spectacular wilderness
areas. Throw in some of the world's most deadly snakes and spiders and it sounds pretty exciting.
WHY
DO YOU DO THESE TRIPS?
I really enjoy the simplicity of life on a big river. The greatest civilizations in history and modern times have flourished alongside
rivers. They provide a means of transport, trade, power,
food and water. Even now the impact they have on our planet is immense. To
paddle down huge rivers like the Amazon, the Volga, the Missouri and the Yangtze is an opportunity to experience and understand this impact first hand. Oh, and mostly I just really like paddling!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62