The Topo.

The Hammer.

This is a very appropriate first post. The Rio Topo, located in between the cities of Banos and Puyo, is one of the coolest rivers I have ever paddled. Huge white boulders, crystal clear turquoise water, and non stop class IV+ whitewater for 9 miles makes this run a premier destination for any whitewater paddler traveling in Ecuador.

Craig "The Hammer" Parks and I have 2 weeks off between trips, so we jumped on a bus from Quito to Banos as soon as we could.  Arriving at the Hostal Princessa Maria on Sunday, I indulged in some pad thai and cervezas at Cafe Hood, a good start to our 2 week vacation.  Being slightly chu cha qui from a few nights in Quito, we opted to chill out for the evening, in order to be fresh for some boofin' action the next day.

Hostal Princesa Maria and our host, Victor.

Safety first.

A great night sleep on a mattress that felt like a piece of plywood, a little breakfast, and it was time to head to the river.  We hired a truck taxi, threw our boats and gear in the back, and settled in for the hour plus drive to the put-in.  From banos, we headed east along through the Postaza River Gorge.  Lush green mountains and giant waterfalls made the drive to Puente Topo pass in no time.  Truly incredible.  Turning on to a dirt road, we drove up through the jungle, past a few farms and one town (approximate population: 37) to the puente.

  

Arriving at the put-in, sun blazing, I questioned the dry-top recommendation from The Hammer, but once we shoved off in to the river, it made sense. The water was low, but after just a mile or so, I knew that this run was going to be classic. Horizon line after horizon line makes this run steep enough to keep you on your toes, but not so steep that you have to get out every 30 yards.  We boat scouted all but 1 rapid, and only portaged twice.  Three and a half hours and 793 boofs later, the bridge was in sight, but the run was far from over.  The last half mile of this run is probably the steepest section.  After a mandatory portage, you run 4 big rapids, one after the other, and finish in the Rio Postaza...exhausted.  We caught a ride back with a farmer, whose truck bed smelled of cow feces, and arrived back in Banos well before sunset.

The Hammer on some Topo boogie.

Photo: Craig Parks

Photo: Craig Parks

Above the bridge.

The next day, less fresh than we could have been, we headed back for round 2, and found the water a hair lower than the day before.  We blazed the run, and caught a ride back on the coolest shuttle vehicle, possibly in history. A 45 minute ride back to Banos turned in to a 2.5 hour debacle as one of the raft guides got hit by a truck (he's okay), his brother punched the driver of said truck in the face (he's not okay), and then said truck drove off, making it a hit and run.

That's right.

Our shuttle driver was cool and stopped so we could check out the Piallon Del Diablo: a giant waterfall just below the town of Rio Verde.  Apparently, there is a 60 footer upstream that has seen some descents in the past month or so...and apparently some boys are rollin' in to Banos very soon to run it again...maybe I'll join them...maybe not.

El Paillon Del Diablo.

Peace.
Joe