No “Trip Report” for La Venta
Well, if you came here for my regular blow-by-blow trip report, unfortunately, there won’t be one for La Venta. I got about halfway done with a day by day report when I started to have this funny feeling. When I first started researching the Arrigetch Peaks in the Brooks Range, I found almost no information except some photos and a few videos to prove that it did, in fact, exist. Hours spent pouring over the old annals of the AAC gave me just enough information to rally a team and book my flights. Part of the lore of the Arrigetch is the lack of beta, guidebooks, and general information. To me, La Venta felt the same. While more and more people are running La Venta, it still remains a bit of an enigma to the river community, and there is something to be said about Doom, Thad, and crew rolling up a few weeks prior, sight unseen, and sending it. So, even though it would be much anticipated, it’s just not the right thing to do for such a mysterious, ephemeral place. I am going to share a few photos and general information, in case you are interested.
Tyler Marlow - Four Corners Guide
Reserva de la Biosfera Selva el Ocote
The Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve is know for its diverse river and cave systems. […] “The Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve is home to more than 2,950 species of plants and animals”, including 712 forms of flora alone. It was recognized by UNESCO in 2006. The limestone formations in the reserve are mostly karstic in nature, and are estimated to be around 87 thousand years old.
*There is only 1 legal access point on the upper river via El Aguacero, anyone paying for guided trips that do not use this access point should HEAVILY QUESTION the legality of that operator.
Random Notes
Nothing dries
You’ll probably get rained on
You’ll probably get sick (the poops), bring a lot of Cipro & Immodium
I think having a free-standing tent with poles was an advantage vs UL tarp tents in the sand, but both worked
I wish I had brought a paddling top (not just my rain jacket)
Good footwear is IMPERATIVE, especially for the portages
There weren’t many bugs
I was fine at night with a 30* UL quilt on a 2R sleeping pad
Four Corners Guides
Four Corner’s Guides - Who treated the river and community with the utmost respect and humility, brought all of us together, and made sure we didn’t die (at least not from drowning). If you’re interested in any kind of packrafting, bikepacking, or anything inbetween - I couldn’t recommend them enough. And a special thanks to Lizzie, who did EVERYTHING behind the scenes.
Special Thanks
Mexican CONANP Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas - Without your permission and support, none of us would have been able to enjoy this incredible place.
Lizzie - Four Corners Guides - who was did all the food packing, logistics, and anything else we needed behind the scenes.
A Lesson in Growing Up
I swam…I swam A LOT this trip. I swam almost everyday on this trip, and sometimes on the fucking dumbest of features. Swimming in La Venta wasn’t bad, mostly because Doom, Thad, and Tyler kept us away from any strainers and sieves, and most of the spicey stuff we ran just spit you out into a pool or eddy. What I didn’t expect was battling feelings of shame and humiliation (entirely self-projected) on this trip. I had spent the better part of the last few years packrafting alone, in an isolated bubble of what I could extrapolate from others, on thoughtfully risk-averse trips that I really enjoyed. But now I was with everyone else and I realized how inadequate my skills were compared to most of the groups. Some people on the trip I had waited years to paddle with, and now I was the loser who couldn’t get it together some days. Let me be clear, everyone on the trip was nothing but incredibly supportive, telling stories of their own past mistakes and swims, but it was a rough mental learning curve, and something I didn’t prepare myself for when I was going over all the other huge aspects of this trip. Oh, and I cried a few times, turns out I just needed snack.
