Longtime international expedition kayaker Mike Hayward has paddled the world chasing rivers, from the Scottish Highlands to Africa. In his new book, he shares an impressive travelogue of paddling adventures, brought to life with reflections and photographs. In it, readers discover how teamwork, planning and expertise can merge into those few rare euphoric moments you can only find paddling, inspiring you to paddler around the next corner on your next adventure.
Hayward’s a good person to fuel all our inner fire. Having led expeditions around the globe, including first Ds in UK, Nepal and Sikkim, he’s paddled more than 300 rivers in 23 countries over 40 years and is still exploring by river, sea kayak, canoe and mountain bike. We caught up with him for his thoughts on his new book, what makes him tick and the state of paddling today.
Paddling Life: What do you like about kayak expeditions?
On an expedition the challenge is many-faceted. Finding your way down that three-dimensional moving maze is obviously the reason for going, but it’s accompanied by other barriers that have to be tackled and removed before you even get there. Finding the information about the river; collecting the correct kit and getting it there; bringing together a team of paddlers you can trust; coping with a new environment often with language difficulties…all that can be just as demanding. But then on a multiday trip, the rewards come from being with your mates, finding our way through that maze, and sharing the successes and sometimes near misses. On an expedition, you have time to engage with your fellow paddlers, to enjoy and relax because of the river. Sharing the whole brings such camaraderie.
Paddling Life: What have been some of your favorite trips?
I loved paddling in Corsica, which is bedrock heaven; however, all the runs are day trips. We also drove for six days to get to Eastern Turkey to paddle on the Coruh River, picking off some rivers on the way there and back.This was such a combination of everything that is great about paddling trips. I also led a team to Sikkim in 1993, where we explored some of the rivers and we assumed that we were the first team to paddle sections of the Lachung Chu and Teesta. Ajeet Baja of Snow Leopard Adventures did a lot of the leg work before the trip which made the logistics easier. We started paddling from 2,800 meters surrounded by snow-capped peaks, what a privilege to be there. Every day was a big challenge. We had to portage some sections on the Lachung Chu, but paddled most of the Teetsa on sight. It was a bold idea, but a great success, and so rewarding.
Paddling Life: What’s your favorite river out of all of them?
This has to be the Haut Tarn in the central Massif of France, an 8-km granite bedrock gorge from Pont-de Montvert to Florac. This section contains so many slides, falls and tricky drops but they all go, apart from two.There are a couple of sections about this classic river in my book. It only runs at Easter on snowmelt or after a suitable amount of rain.
Paddling Life: What was your closest call on a river?
Fortunately, I have never been pinned or had a major epic. I had bit of a problem in an innocuous mid-river stopper on the Fuy in Chile. I tried all I knew but ended swimming out.
Paddling Life: What’s your take on the state of kayaking today?
I’m super impressed.The kit is much better. Sharing knowledge and information is second nature to most. So many more ordinary paddlers are paddling higher grades, and the average bar has risen. Those paddlers that are pushing the limits of what is possible have a different mindset. Some are willing to risk lots on big falls. Paddling some huge volume stuff looks like madness to me, with the paddler taking many seconds of downtime while they get flushed under and through. It is so wacky. Being in control no longer seems to be the driving factor for some.
Paddling Life: How did you first get into paddling?
I did a bit at school, then started properly when I did outdoor education as part of my teacher training. Following that, I got a job in an outdoor center where some of the other guys were keen to get out and let me tag along. It all just grew from there.
Paddling Life: What do you like more…big water or creeks?
I started paddling rivers in Cumbria, we don’t have big water here. So I learned my skills and expertise on creeks, we call them becks here. I didn’t come across big volume paddling until I went to the Alps, with rivers like the Inn in Austria. So, I had to adapt what I knew to cope. So, if I had to choose it would be steep creeking for me.
Paddling Life: What gear do you use?
Currently I paddle a medium Dagger Mamba or medium Code, depending upon which river we are paddling or the water level. I use Mitchell Blades. My sea kayak is plastic Valley Etain; it’s just reliable and conformable. No need to worry about crunching a composite boat on rocks. I still paddle ‘Sherman,’ an old black Coleman canoe, which I won in a photography competition.
Paddling Life: What’s harder…paddling a hard run or writing a book?
Funny question…I don’t paddle so many hard runs these days, But I guess on a river I know what I am doing. Writing a book is much trickier, with so many learning curves and so many aspects that you don’t even consider before you start.
View book trailer here:
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About the book
Route finding along the bottom of a deep gorge, or facing a huge breaking wave, the challenge is to succeed. The adventure, whether it be on a steep 2m wide stream in the Scottish Highlands or the mighty Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, brings with it great rewards, but occasionally close calls. Mike shares an impressive travelogue of paddling adventures, brought to life with reflections and photographs. He introduces us to a light-hearted consideration of scrimblies and deeper notions relating to the motivation and reasoning that has inspired him to seek out new challenges, through paddling white water. We discover how teamwork, planning and expertise can merge into those few rare euphoric moments of pure content. You will be inspired to go and look around the next corner for your next adventure.
Review from Andy Murphy (who paddled from Lands End to John O Groats up the west coast of UK).
In the last 40 years the world has become a much smaller place with integrated travel, a plethora of guide-books, online sources of information, tour companies, email and improved equipment standards allowing today’s young paddlers to progress through the ranks with remarkable speed. The explosion of interest in adventure sports is well-known but it’s often forgotten that only recently were most of the world’s ‘next corners’ and ‘last great problems’ paddled for the first time. Mike’s book describes in detail what it felt like to be at the forefront of an ‘amateur’ movement of fortunate adventurers who happened to be young ‘at the right time’; a time when many of the world’s great ‘adventure honeypots’ were on the cusp of being ‘discovered’.
Thankfully Mike’s book doesn’t go into the technicalities of reading moving water – there are (now) any number of instructional schemes and ‘lesson plans’ available – but far more importantly the book takes us on a personal journey of development from ‘dare I?’ through to ‘that was great… what’s next ?’ Starting in the adventurous years of the mid-80s, when so few people aspired to paddle ‘the impossible’ and before sports psychology, personal trainers and ‘professional standards’ had cornered the market, the reader gets a gripping sense of what it was like to be the first around ‘that corner’.
The writing style and inspiration comes from original hand-written diary notes and so gives a unique glimpse into the honest aspirations and motivations of paddlers who, of necessity, had to ‘work it out’ for themselves. Paper maps were all the rage and, with pencil-profiles and contour interpretations telling of river gradients and blind-bends to come, a handful of activists went out in search of the upper grades at home and abroad.
These were the days of hearsay; a guidebook-free world in which Ace helmets, Wild Water buoyancy aids (made in Pateley Bridge), Schlegel paddles, homemade throw-lines and fibreglass boats raised the bar even before putting afloat … with irate farmers and fishermen in lesser known valleys merely adding a degree of spice to the mix.
At first glance there may be temptation to think that the book has little relevance for the paddlers of today: not so; there is much here which may, actually, extend a modern class 6 paddler’s life- expectancy. Two chapters in particular “The PRAT Scale” and “Scrimblies” amount to essential reading for those intent on pushing their limits and Mike is uncompromising when it comes to sharing his thoughts regarding the dangers of allowing a ‘wayward ego’ to have too much influence on ‘objective decision making’. “If your assessment of your ability and the intricacies of a rapid or fall is inaccurate you may well pass the threshold of adventure thus entering the realms of misadventure unless luck intervenes. Misadventure can have serious consequences, even death”.
Delving into the mindset needed to paddle at the upper limits, not for the sake of developing ego or the Instagram feed but simply for sheer enjoyment and fun is as relevant today as it has always been: here is an honest record of Mike’s own psychological development – a record which doesn’t flinch when it comes to honestly describing ‘moments’ when things could so easily have gone awry and when luck did indeed play its part. Other moments when the paddling team worked so well together that descents became sublime and yet others when egos and personal views impeded enjoyment and so clouded long-lasting impressions. It’s as good an insight into paddling sports psychology as you could hope for – though of course without the pretence, jargon and arrogance of the faux-practitioner who’s rehearsed every move through the 3D maze by searching YouTube.
The cast of amateurs who are named in this book are, for the most part, still seeking out new places and continue to push their limits just for the love of it and though they may now be more reluctant to divulge the location of their new personal ‘honeypots’, they continue to inspire.
For those who are still formulating their own notions of adventure, honing their skills in managing risk and who are not deterred by standing out from the crowd then accumulate as much experience, wisdom and humility as you can muster …
“The real truth is that it is simply fun; the combination of skill, challenge, the environment, the journey and exploration… . It is rare to experience them all, but occasionally on one trip it all comes together.”
—Andy Murphy Feb. 27, 2023