First descent of Kumey River, India
In February 2026, Chris Baer and his crew embarked on a multi-day mission down the Upper Kumey River. Over four days, they moved from mellow whitewater into Class IV rapids, exploring the river and the jungle around.
Awakening to the stale smell of petroleum, Arjun Sagoi, Manish Singh Rawat, Daman Singh, and Chris Baer make their way out of their evening accommodations, huts crafted from repurposed, flattened oil drums. Sleep had not been a priority until late the night before. On a pitch-black, bouncy, twisting mountain road, they stumbled across a small fire and chatted with the local road construction crew, who graciously invited them to spend the night in the roadside huts.
The following day, the team traveled upstream of the town of Damin to a small bridge. The view from there revealed stunning blue-green water and Class IV rapids stair-stepping into a relatively confined gorge. The left wall was sculpted, and although stunningly beautiful, it raised concerns about undercuts and siphons. The right side, despite being slightly less vertical, was a nearly impenetrable jungle. After some arduous scouting, the team dropped in to find phenomenal whitewater, calling it a day at a new bridge just downstream of Damin.
On the second day, the crew continued to the town of Parsi Parlo. Water volume increased rapidly as multiple tributaries entered from both sides; the Kumey started to feel like a proper river instead of a creek. Fun Class IV rapids interspaced the section.
« The Kumey started to feel like a proper river instead of a creek. Fun Class IV rapids interspaced the section »
On the third day, the gradient mellowed, creating dispersed Class III rapids between long pools. This section was rumored to have been run by Russian fishermen ten-ish years ago. Unfortunately, at least one of them reportedly did not survive the expedition, and the rest of the team had hiked out.
Manish Singh Rawat soaking it all in
After a night camping in the jungle, the crew reached a bridge just before the Kurung-Kumey confluence on day four. The walls, although not nearly as vertical as they were on day one, began to tighten once again. This constriction, along with the addition of countless house-sized boulders, created a fairly stacked section of pushy Class V rapids to finish the descent.
Sadly, like so many other rivers in this region, the Kumey is scheduled to be dammed, which will likely flood most of day 4 and may extend toward the village of Parsi Parlo. This would displace many of the locals who are doing their best to slow or at least financially hinder the project.
Words & Photography: Chris Baer
