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"...although it sounded like another one of Trent's cunning plans to kill us, I had little time to consider my options..." First Descent of the Upper Canyon of the Grona Elva, Norway, summer 2003.

Team

The trip team consisted of the usual suspects Trent Garnham, Allen Ellard, Christian Chester, Aaron Hamerlee, Richee Rich and Jim Cummings.

Mission

As usual the mission began after a hell bent night in Pensj (the local bar in Sjoa). I received a text from Trent suggesting: “meet at the base, on a mission, maybe something new, leave in five minutes”. Although it sounded like another one of Trent's cunning plans to kill us, I had little time to consider my options. Before I knew it my confused mind had replied yes and I was stumbling out of bed, grabbing my boat and racing down the valley...

We had been driving for about an hour before the map came out and we started looking for possible trails to the river. We had some vague information on location and approach, from an earlier team who had tried to paddle the river but had been largely put off by the high water. After much investigation we decided we had found the trail so after a brief scout of the first few hundred meters we concluded it was good to go, thus donned our equipment and started the walk upwards. The trail followed the river for about two hundred metes before it quickly disappeared upwards into the forest at a frightening gradient. We decided upwards was the only way to go so we continued walking for what felt like hours. In silence we all stopped as we heard the river again, excited that we had to decide to either put in here…or continue closer to heaven… half the group's heads were hurting and voted putting in here was the best option. Luckily Allen was keen as ever and bullied us further until we eventually broke the tree line, and came to what appeared to be the plateau. At this point we looked at our watches and realized it was late already, making the decision to put on here fairly simple.

The first kilometer was straight forward small boulder gardens. We bumbled down secretly worried what all the gradient was going to do. On our approach to the first horizon line we could clearly see the river was choking up and disappearing into a canyon…. Was the river about to drop off the universe? What would we find next?

We left our boats and began to scout; some on one bank and Allen on the other. On my initial inspection I was amazed by the totally vertical walls of the canyon. I was soon convinced that the first tough few drops were unrunnable though very spectacular, especially with the added uncertainty of what was below... I was about to begin to portage when Allen shouted from further down the gorge that he could see the rest of the canyon and thought it looked possible. Before we knew it we were climbing, scrambling, sliding and falling to inspect what we would soon learn was the first canyon of the Grona. After much inspection we decided it was probably just about possible though incredibly exposed.

The run consisted of a narrow sheer sided canyon filled with a combination staircase of five drops, with varying characteristics. Boofs, slides, cascades and falls culminating in a total drop of around 30 meters. All drops bound together by the canyon and the fact that once you’re in - unless you’re related to spiderman - you’re running them all. They all were runnable, though each had moves to make that individually would pose no great obstacle, but together formed a formidable challenge.

Excited that such a fairy tail canyon would be clean enough to run, Trent asserted himself and began the walk back to his boat, whilst the rest of us descended our way to safety, and video stances eagerly awaiting the show to begin!

Trent pealed out of the eddy above and with no more then 2-3 strokes cleaned the first boof with ease, the pressure was on for the rest to go well! He continued down and off the next drops and through the gorge. Although the rest of his run was not without a roll Trent styled it as usual, finishing with a grin that would make Colgate pleased. He was quickly followed by Allen who did the same then the rest of us rapidly descended through the tall steep walls of the grona’s upper canyon.

It is rare when you are kayaking with friends you feel so alone, for a moment in the canyon this is what I felt though the reward as my boat resurfaced after the last drop soon displaced this feeling. We all reunited at the bottom of the canyon smiling super stoked of what we had achieved so far, but knowing there was much more to follow.

So without hesitation quickly onward we went, now paddling close together hopping from eddy to eddy, intermittently stopping to scout and occasionally portaging cascades and falls. After the canyon the river presented some tough rapids, short canyons and steep falls but all paled into comparison after the upper canyon. We reached our takeout, as the sun was setting behind the mountain.

Come tomorrow

Tired, excited and relieved, we shook hands and exchanged smiles as we returned to the car. We quickly packed up as it was late and sped off hungry and thirsty, eagerly awaiting the first gas station to buy a pulsar and coke (one of Norway’s finest delicacies, a hot dog). As we drove we yarned about the day and again praised the motherland for presenting the goods and began planning the next adventure for tomorrow.

Norway is truly a land of adventure!

--Jim Cummings