Aussie paddler Lachie Carracher has completed the first solo descent of his country's largest volume river, the 733km (455 mile) Fitzroy located in the remote West Kimberly region of Western Australia. The entire journey took six days to complete, with a number of obstacles to overcome, including raging Class V rapids, precipitous waterfalls, and crocodile infested waters.
According to Outer Edge Magazine, who named Lachie their Young Adventurer of the Year, the paddler completed the expedition on Wednesday of this week. Once off the water, he immediately contacted his father and began to consider making another run on the Fitzroy, which is one amongst the top whitewater challenges in the world.
Making a solo descent of the river is no small feat. According to Outer Edge, the Fitzroy has an astounding water flow that measures 21 times that of the Colorado River as it passes through the Grand Canyon. That flow generates plenty of dangerously rough waters and lots of speed as well.
This is certainly an impressive first descent for any kayaker, and I want to join my friends at Outer Edge in extending a hardy congratulations to Lachie on a job well done. To read more about the paddler and his adventures on the Fitzroy, check out his website at Follow-The-River.com.