Back again here at Birol’s Greenpiece campsite getting ready to go to Georgia Phil Blain arrived last night and we will give him a couple of days on the Coruh before heading to Georgia. Just had a group of mostly US paddlers for a week. Seemed to tire them out as they were in Bed before 10 most nights! The Coruh is being dammed and they are putting in two dams one at Ispir and one at Koprugorem (halfway to Yusufeli) Both are scheduled to finish in 5 years. Yusufeli Dam is not scheduled to start for at least 12 years: people are building apartment blocks in town! In total they have 24 dam planned!
Still whilst it is here it is still a stunning paddle. and the Tortum, a tributary to the Coruh, has been running high – we had a superb paddle down it at the highest I know it to have been run: you knew it was a good run when everyone got off with huge smiles and blathering on about near misses and fast rolls!