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(ALTIPANO, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 98) <br />W e have traveled just 60 miles from Laguna Colorado to a <br />refugio overlooking sapphire Laguna Verde yet this lake <br />couldn't look more different.The water is a milky blue - green, <br />thanks to the arsenic suspended in it From the ridge above it <br />looks passive and calm. In the morning we paddle toward the <br />base of Lianabur, the nearly 20,000 -foot volcano we intend to <br />climb the next day. It has been nearly 45 days since we last <br />needed spray skirts. Who knew wed need them hereon what <br />appeared co be a perfectly calm morning? Who knew that at <br />14.200 feet, in one of the most barren spots in the world, a cold <br />wind arrives quickly and builds to near - hurricane strength each <br />day, almost on the dot at I I a.m.? <br />We discover for ourselves only when we are in the middle <br />of the lake, sans skirts, with cold water splashing into our cockpits. <br />With the wind gusting to 25 mph, we are suddenly in the most <br />dangerous place we'd been in six weeks: The middle of a Cold- <br />water lake, far from shore, with a stiff wind blowing. One badly <br />placed brace and we'd be in the water. Nearfy frostbitten when we <br />finally get to shore, all we can do is lie down on the ground, using <br />the boats as windblocks to stave off hypotherrnia.We try again the <br />next day, learning from our nonchalance.An early start, hoods up, <br />spray skirts pulled tight We cruise directly into the waves, a fine <br />salt mist in the air, toward the foot of Ucancabur. <br />From the middle of the lake, Rodrigo Jordan, an old friend <br />and one of Chile's best -known climbers who has summited <br />Everest and K2. notes how valuable a resource the Altiplano <br />could be to the four countries sharing it if they could work <br />together. But the region is renowned for border conflicts going <br />back centuries. "If they could all just agree to get along, there <br />are many ways to get rich from this land," he says. "But I'm not <br />anticipating that happening in my lifetime." <br />(CASTING, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 54) <br />basic flies designed for the type of fish you're hunting. (Deceivers and clousers, which <br />imitate baitfish, will get reactions from salt-water fish.) You'll also need to choose a <br />leader appropriate for the type of fish you're after.The thin leaders used for river trout <br />will never be seen again if a salt water prowler strikes your fly. Most leaders are <br />monofilament but if you chase fish with teeth you'll need wire leaders. <br />Once you have all your toys together, place them on your kayak You'll want at <br />least one holder to keep your rod close. External rod holders are best because fly <br />rods don't fit well into flush- mounted holders. Attach a leash to your rod, to keep <br />that big red from towing it to Bermuda. Place all your flies and extra tackle in floating <br />carriers (don't ask me how I know this). Keep everything you might need within arm's <br />reach.When stalking a protruding tail, don't splash and bang about And take a small <br />anchor or rope to keep your kayak from floating away while you're wading. <br />After a trip or two, you'll fine -tune your kayak and gear so that further expeditions <br />run more smoothly. Just be sure to allays secure on -deck items. Nothing ruins a day <br />of fishing faster than a couple of hundred dollars going overboard. But once you <br />experience the synergy of kayaks and fly fishing, your biggest worry will likely be one I <br />can't help you with— finding more time to do it <br />(WATER PARKS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 85) <br />Lowheads and Flood Control <br />In an unlikely turn of events, one of paddling's deadliest hazards is quickly becoming <br />one of its greatest allies. Low -head dams have been the bane of whitewater boaters <br />since the origin of the sport These low, innocuous - looking dams often attract <br />inexperienced river users into their deadly hydraulics—with often fatal results. Until <br />recently whitewater boaters have portaged­or avoided —these features altogether. <br />All that is changing now ---dam owners and fish biologists are learning that in <br />addition to creating a liability, these dams are stopping fish migrations and limiting in- <br />stream habitat.The importance of some of these species has brought federal funding <br />to the table to modify dams so that fish can easily swim upstream and people can <br />safely navigate downstream. Enter another powerful avenue for funding and design: <br />the Fish Passage Whitewater Park <br />100 PADDLER <br />One such project is already nearing completion in Pueblo, Colo. <br />Where a dam once stood 12 feet high in the Arkansas River adjacent to <br />the historic section of downtown, the river has been re- graded to a more <br />natural slope for fish habitat and designer Gary Lacy has added eight <br />natural boulder holes for whitewater playing.The course will be celebrated <br />at a Grand Opening May 5.A similar project is pending at the Price Stubb <br />diversion dam on the Colorado River near Grand Junction, Colo., which <br />could create the state's first year -round whitewater Park, <br />A Similar Situation recently unfolded in Fort Worth, Texas. When the <br />town announced plans to repair four downtown dams on the Trinity River, <br />local boaters convinced planners to make whitewater features part of the <br />project "The city is ecstatic with its popularity;' says attorney Tom Ranells. <br />'The whitewater features have transformed the park' Whitewater <br />Proponents are now working to build on that success, but the city faces <br />two familiar problems_a limited supply of money and water. "We'r <br />looking at diverting and pumping water through a 10 -feature course;' <br />Ranells says. "But we'll need some creative funding to support it" <br />Whitewater parks can also serve duty in flood control. Denver's <br />Confluence Park, built for $1.2 million in two phases, one in 1974 and another <br />in '94, includes sidewalks, planters, flood - control and whitewater features. it <br />was also the first major municipal whitewater course in the United States, <br />built as flood - control for an amusement park Town planners saw th fl <br />control Project as a way to revitalize the river corridor while showing that a <br />greenway anchored by a whitewater park can help urban renewal. <br />(BURN -OUT, CONTINUES FROM PAGE 73) <br />Minnesota <br />ly, Minn., claims to be the canoe capitol of the world, and for good reason; <br />The town of just over three thousand hardy souls supports 22 outfitters, <br />I I guide services, a canoe manufacturer and a major national retailer catering <br />to canoe travel. From mid -May th <br />Duluth packs and bug spray. ro ugh September, the place is awash in <br />This little town is on the doorstep of one of North America's most <br />magnificent paddling preserves, comprising more than a million acres in the <br />Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and its Canadian sister, Quetico <br />Provincial Park The BWCA contains more than 1,000 lakes entwined with <br />1,500 miles of canoe trails, while the adjoining Quetico shelters another <br />500 lakes within 2,600 square miles of forest <br />Canoe bums flock here by the hundreds to escape from workaday life; <br />others have made the Boundary Waters their life's work The pioneering <br />environmentalist Sigurd Olsen chose Ely as his base for studying nature's <br />interplay, and renowned biologist Dr. David Mech made Ely the <br />headquarters of the International Wolf Center. <br />The vast majority of this territory is off limits to motorized travel-your <br />ticket to backwoods bliss is your tolerance for (or enjoyment o <br />diminished creature comforts and multiple portages. Still, you can live better <br />out of canoe than a backpack (as will the local creatures --so be sure to <br />hang your food). ELY <br />Don't worry if your bank <br />account is as burnt out as you are — Low for' Gi. it a <br />the Boundary Waters and Quetico C.a: t4 Daakte Noose for desserts <br />are blue - collar wilderness. A W the Elir Sank Haase he red <br />borrowed canoe, iron skill Will et, spool of Orhdn: Tile I:han %rsr facers Saloon <br />ten -pound test and well -worn flannel <br />shirt will carry you a long way.To that Ream. Ide lhie Heron led and <br />end, you're more likely to find stores T-101:1 ' CaiiiP dlwetik tm a^1' of the <br />hawking locally made head -nets and tYata ISN bla, <br />sled dog harnesses (no paddling in <br />January), than sun-drenched pottery $WVhW Tip <br />shops intermingled with wine and !is" c y whet, say <br />coffee boutiques. That's how Ely likes Paw _ 3 " b ib H rhym wish 'mirage." <br />it V --Rick Hill ♦ 06 nBe, any e1lktite4bdes desoipare <br />Idtme dl da <br />Just plug Magic -Air into your <br />cigarette lighter or any electrical <br />source. Magic -Air blows a high <br />volume of air for superfast inflating, deflates, <br />too. Works great in the "great outdoors ". <br />Use H for irsflatables, mattresses, towal>fes, <br />Pools...and more. Lightweight, compact. <br />All- steel, weather- resistant finish. 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