Mexico 2012 Part 1: The Roadside Alseseca

Below: Matt Beauchamp walking to the put-in, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Matt Beauchamp on one of the more vertical drops, photo by Adam Goshorn

For seven out of the last eight winters I have been lucky enough to make the annual drive south of the border to spend a few weeks enjoying Mexican rivers, creeks, and tacos! In December of 2012 we started the drive down with the biggest crew yet, nine people and three cars. However, the crew would get trimmed by a third before we even got to the border. While driving through Texas, one vehicle developed transmission problems and was deemed not worthy to continue the drive. To further complicate things the three friends in that vehicle were only planning to be in Mexico for one week while the rest of us were planning for two-weeks. If we were all on the same timeframe it would have been possible to cram all nine people into the remaining two vehicles, but due to work obligations they could not extend their trip and the rest of us were unwilling to cut our trip in half. The unfortunately reality was that they would have to try to get their car fixed and hopefully join us in a few days and salvage what they could of their trip.

Below: Matt Beauchamp running S-Turn, photos by Adam Goshorn

The remaining two cars and six people continued, crossing the border in Brownsville Texas and spending an entire day driving to the city of Tlapacoyan, in the state of Varacruz, Mexico. Luckily for kayakers, located just outside of Tlapacoyan is Aventurec, a campground, hostel, shuttle service, restaurant, and rafting company that makes life pretty sweet for kayakers in the area. Despite arriving at 11:00 at night we were able to score cheap lodging in a couple of their hostel rooms and make arrangements for breakfast the following morning. Wiped out from the drive and looking forward to getting on the water the next day, we all crashed out as soon as we got to our rooms.

Below: Adam Goshorn on the Roadside Section, photos by Matt Beauchamp

Our first day on the water, we headed to the classic roadside section of the Rio Alseseca, which is always a staple for paddlers in the region. This section of the Alseseca easily ranks in anyone’s book as one of the best class IV creeks anywhere. I’d put it right up there quality with Brush Creek in CA, Johnnies Creek in AL, the Watauga in NC, or the Tallulah in GA. Like any of those other runs, I’m sure high water significantly increases the difficulty, but at the moderate flows we encountered, there was really only one class V rapid. The rest of the run is a seemingly endless series of class IV drops that are carved out of the basalt bedrock. The result is a playground that seems like it was designed specifically for kayakers.

Below: Matt Beauchamp on the Roadside Section, photos by Adam Goshorn

What I didn’t know at the time, was that our first day paddling in Mexico would also be the only day of the trip that I was able to do any filming. After filming the first day, my video camera became badly damaged with condensation. Luckily I was able to let it dry out for a few days and then it started working again. However, by the time it was dry and working again, it rained every day for the remainder of our trip, so I never got to do any more filming. However, since we were scouting our way down on the first day anyway, I was out of my boat and able to film a fair amout on the first day and below is the resulting edit of that footage.

You can see more pictures and keep up with my other adventures at: www.granolapaddler.blogspot.com

Until Next Time…

-Adam Goshorn

Below: Trees along the Roadside Section, photo by Matt Beauchamp

Below: Adam Goshorn finishing another fun sequence, photo by Matt Beauchamp

Below: The view from the outside dining area at Aventurec, photo by Adam Goshorn

Below: Adam Goshorn filming on the Roadside Section, photo by Matt Beauchamp