Join a kayak/raft expedition on Río Presidio starting at a remote road access point just past several unrunnable chasms. We will face numerous class IV rapids through the second deepest canyon in North America, including in the initial 14 km of virgin river never paddled before!! Use your boat or ours. We welcome anyone: kayakers, rafters, and raft passengers/paddlers. Another 3 days of class IV may be available afterward (Río Baluarte).

GENERAL TRIP INFORMATION:

Río Presidio is a whitewater river gem flowing from remote areas in the heart of the Sierra Madre Occidental into Sinaloa. It passes through the second deepest canyon in North America and eventually debouches into the Pacific just south of Mazatlán. Aside from the spectacular scenery and side-canyon hiking possibilities, this trip should be very appealing to the whitewater enthusiast due to numerous class IV rapids and the potential for adding some class IV-V paddling at the start. Our descent will begin below the unrunnable chasms that were tackled by Stookesberry and crew in 2010 (read a little blurb and see a teaser video clip). They took out where we will put in.The first 14 km of our journey is almost certainly a first descent. It appears to contain numerous class IV rapids that are open and not obstructed with boulders, but with a gradient of 15 m/km (80 fpm), the potential exists for one or two of them to have class V holes/hydraulics. Compared to the neighboring Piaxtla, the Presidio trip has tougher whitewater, fewer calm days, and is more remote - we will not pass any towns on our journey (only a few houses at a place called "El Palmarito"). Unfortunately, the lower part of this free-flowing river was drowned by Presa Los Picachos in 2009. We still can enjoy the main whitewater-filled section of the river and take out at the head of the reservoir.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY:
Aug23 (Thu): rendezvous with participants in Mazatlán
Aug24 (Fri): DAY 1: drive to put-in (~8 hr; 4WD): 760 m elevation
Aug25 (Sat): DAY 2; rig; recon section above the put-in; class IV-V; 5 km
Aug26 (Sun): DAY 3; first descent class IV rapids; explore side canyons; ~15 km
Aug27 (Mon): DAY 4; main Presidio canyon; one potential P; class IV; ~30 km
Aug28 (Tue): DAY 5; class III-IV; ~35 km
Aug29 (Wed): DAY 6; class II; ~15 km

DAY 1: Most of our first day will be spent driving up into the mountains and then descending a dirt road to the river. The scenery should be amazing. We will camp by the river.

DAY 2: We will rig the boats and explore the upper sections of the river, hiking upstream on a trail from where we camped the previous night to a point about 6 km upstream where an interesting side canyon enters. Both the side canyon and a bedrock waterfall in the river should be enough to warrant the hike, but as an added benefit, if you carried your boat up, you'll be able to enjoy the class IV-V rapids getting back to camp. We will load up the rafts at that point and head a few kilometers downstream into the virgin 14 km section, tackling the first big rapid on the run.

DAY 3: Very soon after launching, we will face a number of difficult class IV rapids and decide what they should be called. [In 2010, Ben Stookesberry, Rafa Ortiz and crew took out at our put-in spot. On Rocky's pioneering first descent in 2000, the put-in road did not exist, so he hiked into Palmarito.] We will only cover about 15 km this day due to frequent scouting of the difficult rapids, a potential portage, and the presence of two other side canyons that look interesting to explore. We will pass El Palmarito and set camp downstream where the river enters more isolated canyon.

DAYS 4: Soon we will descend into a boulder-strewn section and face "Cascada Exageración" the toughest rapid in this section that was rated easy class V by Rocky on the first descent. It may merit a portage. We will attempt to make our 4th camp still within the more narrow confines of the main canyon. On Day 5 we will

DAYS 6-7: On DAY 6 we emerge from section where the river is narrowly confined and will cruise on class II-III water to a nice sandy camp. On Day 7, we will arrive at the backwaters of Presa Los Picachos, a reservoir completed in 2009 and now flooding its maximal amount at 80 m high. A short paddle across the initial parts of the reservoir should land us at a take-out road where we will meet our shuttle drivers and head back to Mazatlán.

NOTE: Although Rocky did this trip in 2000 (paddling all the way to Mazatlán), he started at Palmarito and does not have many good photos of the trip. He recalls it as one of the best class IV journeys in the Sierra Madre and suitable for rafts. Part of the point of the trip in 2011 is to get better photos and video of the river, explore the upper section around the put-in road, and hash out the current logistical details.
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PRICE: $600
The general price for this trip is $600, minus discounts (see below).

Trip price includes:
-Transportation from Mazatlán to the river and back
-All meals while on the river, including bowls, plates, and utensils
-Guides to show you the way and help provide a safe outing
-Rafts to carry you and/or your camping gear down the river
-All kitchen and group camp items
-PFD, helmet, jacket, drybag
-Kayak or inflatable kayak (check with Rocky: limited selection and availability)

Price does not include:
-Hotel stays on either end of the trip (doubles run ~$40/night in Mazatlán)
-Mexican tourist visa [you will need a passport to obtain it an also pay ~$20]
-Food during travel to/from the river (bring at least $40 for these meals and incidentals)
-Beer/wine (we can purchase and carry a certain amount for you, but you pay more)
-Personal camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, headlamp)

Discounts: Subtract the following from the full normal price of the trip ($1000):
$100: for bringing your own kayak and gear ($20 off if you only bring drybag, PFD, helmet, skirt)
$100: if you are a SierraRios member and joined SierraRios for another week-long trip in the previous month
$100-300: if you have a rugged vehicle and can shuttle yourself and some gear/folks (we provide shuttle driver)
- additional discounts may apply depending on services rendered

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. In general, they are low for the first guided descent of this river because it is being run as part of the nonprofit,our guides are compensated below typical rates, this trip is not fine-tuned yet, we expect many in the group to be experienced, and the available selection of kayaks is limited. All excess revenue will go to SierraRios and its goal of promoting conservation of rivers in Mexico (specifically, it will be applied to equipment purchases for future guided trips, training guides in Mexico, providing additional information about the rivers, and advertising). These first-trip prices are about half of what other outfits typically charge for week-long trips (general prices are $1600 for 6-7 days of boating).

RESERVATIONS
If you are interested in this trip, send Rocky a note regarding yourself, your paddling experience, what boat you would want to use or bring, how you would arrive. Once you get the go-ahead from Rocky, you will need to provide a deposit of $500 to reserve your place on the trip. Full payment must be received before the trip. Deposits may be made preferably by sending a check (make out to James Contos, 5071 Constitution Rd., San Diego, CA 92117), transferring money via PayPal (as a "gift" to rocky@sierrarios.org), or making a credit card payment online. Final balances can be made via PayPal (as a "gift" to rocky@sierrarios.org) or in-person to Rocky with cash or check.

As of February 6, our group total stands at 1 (we can handle 10). If we are full, you should still send a note of your interest in case we arrange a second trip around the same time. You may make a deposit or pay a balance with the "donate" button below. ($400 deposit for each person; when paying remaining balances, specify any discounts that apply); be sure to send Rocky a message with a little info about you and your group

CANCELLATIONS

We reserve the right to cancel the trip at any time. In particular, the trip may not be feasible to run if there are too few paying individuals. If we cancel the trip, all deposits and payments will be refunded.

If you must cancel the trip, we reserve the right to keep a percentage of your deposit according to the following guidelines:
5% if you cancel >40 days before the trip
50% if you cancel 20-40 days before the trip
100% if you cancel <20 days before of the trip

YOUR GUIDES:
(1) Rocky Contos, the trip leader, has explored nearly every river in Mexico, including the main Presidio in 2000 done as a solo first descent in 2000. He has ~200 first descents in Mexico covering ~8,000 km of river and ~55,000 m of drop. He wrote the guidebook to the Sierra Madre Occidental and is preparing guidebooks to the rest of the country. Your participation in this trip will be documented in the next guidebook to be printed. Rocky is fluent in Spanish and has paddled over 150 multi-day journeys on rivers, with dozens in the range of 5-22 days. While attaining his Ph.D. in neuroscience, Rocky worked as a kayak instructor and guide for UCSD's Outback adventures from 1993-1996 and gained valuable trip planning skills for large groups. Although primarily a kayaker, Rocky started rafting in the mid-1990s in order to introduce more people to the wonders of river travel. Since then and throughout his years as a postdoctoral research associate, he has organized numerous large group raft and kayak expeditions, including five through Grand Canyon (18-22 days), two on the Salmon River (4-10 days each), and dozens to destinations such as the Salt, Kern, Rogue, Deschutes, John Day, Thompson, Similkameen, and Baja (2-6 days each). Rocky first paddled Río Mulatos-Aros in 2002 on a solo kayak journey. He returned in 2010 for a raft descent with his wife (Barbara Conboy), Lacey Anderson and Neil Nikirk and is eager to introduce this gem of wilderness river to the world. Rocky founded SierraRios with the goal of conserving the rivers of Mexico, and hopes that increased awareness and enjoyment of the resource will lead to protection. He is organizing all aspects of the trip, including logistics and half the meals. He will be rowing a large cataraft or self-bailer raft with gear and passengers most of the time, but may hop in a kayak here and there for play or safety purposes.

(2) Other guides have yet to be determined. However, it is possible that German Arroyo will join the trip with a 14' raft. German lives in Mexico City, has been a raft guide for many years, rafted the Aros in 2011, and participated in one of the recent SierraRios Usumacinta trips.

TRANSPORTATION
We will have a vehicle to pick you up in Mazatlán and transport you to the river and back. Depending on the number of paying participants, this vehicle might be a large pickup (5-person capacity), Suburban (9-person capacity), or combination of the two.

FOOD
We will organize the food and bring the kitchen (tables, pots, plates, bowls, utensils, and stoves). You can expect to eat to your tummy’s content - as much as you can handle. If you have specific food restrictions/preferences let us know and we will try to accommodate you. There will always be vegetarian options. If Rocky plans the food, it will generally consist of the following:

Breakfast: usually there is a range of foods to choose from: coffee, tea, fruit, cereals, milk, tortillas, and perhaps something special such as eggs/omelettes, pancakes, or french toast. If you have specific preferences, let Rocky know and he will accommodate. There will also be drink mixes available, such as Gatorade, iced tea mix, or lemonade.

Lunch: Items typically available are trail mix, dried fruits, energy bars, chips, cookies, and sandwiches. Sandwiches can vary: early in trip maybe ham/turkey, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, mustard, mayo; later maybe tunafish; always PB&J). There may be wraps or pita/hummus type food one day. We will have many dates available (produced in the nearby desert).

Dinner: Rocky’s dinner menu will include selections from the following types of food: Mexican (tamales, chile rellenos or tacos along with beans/tortillas/guacamole/chips/salsa and possibly tortilla soup), Italian (pasta with marinara, pesto, or alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese, chorizo and/or sauteed squash; salad), Indian (Tasty Bites, curried lentils, couscous or rice), American (turkey, steak, and/or salmon; mashed potatos, sweet potatos, corn, gravy), and maybe Greek/Asian. Meat will always be prepared separate. The meal plan will be sent out about a week before the trip.

Desserts: There will always be some form of sweet to eat – cookies, chocolates, flan, etc.

ALCOHOL
Alcoholic beverages are not included in the price of the trip. If you would like some, you can let Rocky know how much and he will buy and pack it ($2/beer or $10-15 per bottle wine; limits apply). You can bring your own and we’ll pack it, but a carriage donation of $1/beer and $5 per bottle of wine applies). There is a limit to the amount we will carry for you, which depends on the amount of space we have available on the rafts and the amount of alcohol requested. DO NOT pack beer cans in your drybag because the cans often burst! Wine and hard liquor should be packaged into plastic containers or lightweight metal bottles beforehand - for example, you can get a 1.5L water bottle from a supermarket, empty the water, and fill it with 2 bottles of wine. Don’t expect ice-cold beer all the time – we will have cold coolers only the first few days.

WATER
We will bring filters and treatment products and provide safe drinking water on the entire expedition. The river generally runs with a lot of silt and takes more effort to convert to clear drinking water than many of the clear side arroyos. The arroyos with little or no habitation contain pristine water that is usually safe to drink straight from the creekbed. To be safe, we will treat water either with hypochlorite, iodine, filters, or boiling before drinking. Water will be transported in two 5-gallon containers and some collapsable containers with spigots. You should have your own water bottle.

CHORES
SierraRios trips are designed to be participatory in nature, and therefore participants are expected to help with camp duties including loading/unloading rafts, camp set-up, food preparation, washing dishes, fire duties, and burning trash. We generally have a rotating schedule. Duties can be swapped with others, as long as someone is there and you end up contributing equally in the end. Everyone is expected to help load/unload the rafts each day and rig/de-rig at the start/end of the trip. A few individuals may be designated to help with specific camp set-up chores. Two individuals will be assigned to help with food preparation and two others to wash dishes each morning and evening. After washing and rinsing, dishes are sterilized in a dilute bleach solution. If you are assigned to help with the food, please make sure you wash your hands and keep them clean. We will make sure the camp is left just as we found it or better. SierraRios trips practice leave-no-trace as much as possible. We do not leave ashes or trash at any camp and try to clean up trash we find. Those who pay their deposits early have the advantage of signing up for the chores they prefer. If you have no preference for chores, let Rocky know a few things about you so he can assign appropriate ones:

-Do you really enjoy preparing food or specific things like pancakes?
-Are you more of a night-owl or a morning person?
-Do you have pyromaniac tendencies?
-Are you willing to set-up/deal with a groover station?
-Do you prefer to wash dishes?

Duty list:
Kitchen set-up: Day 2; 3; 4; 5; 6
Kitchen pack-up: Day 2; 3; 4; 5; 6
Oar tri-pod set-up (for lantern): Day 2; 3; 4; 5; 6
Groover set-up/take-down: Day 2; 3; 4; 5; 6
Dishes: 2 individuals each time: Day 1b; 2a; 2b; 3a; 3b; 4a; 4b; 5a; 5b; 6a; 6b;b
Food prep: 2 individuals each time: Day 1b; 2a; 2b; 3a; 3b; 4a; 4b; 5a; 5b; 6a; 6b;
Fire and Trash/TP burn: Day 2; 3; 4; 5; 6;

TOILET AND BATHING
For bathing, the river and side streams will be quite warm on the trip. You can bath directly in the river using biodegradable soap. We may also have a solar shower, which may be preferable as the soap goes into the dirt and decomposes there instead of in the river. Please wash and bath with a minimal amount of soap/shampoo and try not to leave foamy residues for others in the camp to find.

Toilet: Urinating should be done directly into the river or away from camp and out of sight of others. We generally will bring a toilet system to carry solid human waste out of the canyon. With this method, at each camp we will set up a groover box with a toilet seat and lid. Someone in charge of this will set up, take down, and clean up if need be. TP and a TP bag will be by the groover. TP should be placed in the bag for later burning. A paddle across the path to the groover indicates the spot is occupied; an upright paddle indicates it is not. There will be a washing station by the toilet to wash and sterilize your hands after use. Always clean your hands before handling any food!

Alternate toilet method: On rivers with few or no visitors, we may use a designated latrine instead of a groover. The latrine will be excavated away from the camp. Again, a paddle across the path indicates the spot is occupied; an upright paddle indicates it is not. TP and a TP bag will be by the latrine. TP should be placed in the bag for later burning. A wash station will be nearby - always wash your hands afterward. The latrine will be covered with dirt in the morning before we take off on the river.

If you think the latrine disgusting, you may also find your own place to away from camp to somewhere above the high-water line, dig a hole 4-6” deep, and cover your feces. A kayak paddle can come in handy in this regard. Carry your TP back and put in the TP trash bag or burn it at the spot and bury the ashes with the feces.

WATER LEVELS
We have timed this trip to coincide with highest probability of encountering good river flows in the Presidio. In Aug-Sep, flows average ~50 cms (1700 cfs) at the put-in. It is very likely (~80% chance) that we will have 15-150 cms (500-4500 cfs) during our trip, but there are slim chances it will be higher (10%) or lower (10%). Water levels can fluctuate rapidly due to spotty intense thunderstorms that are characteristic of the monsoon season in the region. The river can become extra difficult at high flows. Also, it is important that rafts be tied up well so they don’t drift away in a rising tide on the river. Equally important, the camp must be set at a high enough location so it will not be flooded. We may encounter rapidly rising river that reaches camp (usually in the evening). If this happens and you are the first to notice, please wake the guides first, and we will assess the situation. It may be necessary to move camp higher.

WHAT TO PACK
You will need to pack appropriately for spending 7 days/nights out in the Mexican wilderness. Although it will generally be quite warm on the trip, our first night out on the rim is expected to be cold. Even at the bottom of the canyon, it can get chilly at any time due to thunderstorm activity. Come prepared. Your personal camp gear will be transported down the river in one large drybag. We will provide one if you need it. It is best to have one with straps that can be worn as a backpack due to the potential hike involved into the canyon initially. Do not pack excessively. It is in your best interest not to overpack your drybag because it often causes lack of proper sealing and consequent leaking if dunked.

River items to bring:
-Shorts, shirt
-Paddle jacket (we may be able to provide one if you don’t have)
-Water shoes (preferably multipurpose for wear on the river and hiking)
-PFD (if you don't have one, we will provide)
-Kayak gear (only if kayaking: helmet, skirt)
-Hat and sunglasses (with retainer)
-Small drybag for your kayak or on raft (for passengers)
-Large drybag for camp gear (if it is a very large bag (>3 ft3), your small drybag must fit within)
-Water bottle (preferably with a carabiner to clip onto a raft)
-Sunscreen

Camp items to bring:
-Tent (a 2-person tent can be used by an individual)
-Sleeping bag (consider using your fleece or other item as a pillow)
-Therm-a-rest (chair and bed; we may have a few chairs for the camp)
-Basic clothing (t-shirt, shorts, light pants, light long-sleeve shirt, fleece, underwear)
-Camp shoes (these can be the same as your river shoes or a different dry shoe)
-Headlamp (plus extra set of batteries)
-Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, lotions, etc)
-Special medicines/lotions (anti-fungal cream, bug repellent)
-Lighter/matches (remember to check it if flying)
-Pocket-knife (remember to check it if flying)
-Mug (for your hot beverages; we'll have plastic cups for water/wine/etc)
-Reading material
-Bug repellent (very important for comfortable hanging-out in camp_

Sep 29 (Wed): DAY 1 drive to put-in (Palos Verdes); explore upper La Petaca put-in; class II-III; 5-15 km
Sep 30 (Thu): DAY 2 paddle bulk of Main Baluarte; camp near Massive Boulders; class IV; ~30 km
Oct 1 (Fri): DAY 3 pass through Massive Boulders; continue down to small reservoir; class II-III; ~40 km

    The Main Baluarte is a fairly short run with dirt road access into a beautiful clean river and canyon with amazing scenery and lots of class III and IV rapids. The Pyramid Rock and Massive Boulders sections are truly amazing places to pass through. This river has a dam planned on it near the last Massive Boulders section just before it opens up and becomes class II (~km 52), so may not be possible in the future. If you paddle it, you may have a last descent!
see slideshow: BALUARTE(Main)

NOTE:There are several take-out opportunities between 56-80 km after the upper La Petaca put-in at the Las Habitas Diversion Dam. Our trip may be as short as 56 km. Also, with enough expert clients, there may be an option for class V kayakers to run the section above our put-in on the first day and meet us at our camp (this would be the lower Río Los Laureles - pending easy access by Puente Baluarte - construction crews may still have the area closed off).