{"id":27244,"date":"2022-06-22T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T17:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=27244"},"modified":"2022-07-08T17:24:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T00:24:21","slug":"ganga-to-the-futaleufu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2022\/06\/22\/ganga-to-the-futaleufu\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Ganga to the Futaleuf\u00fa"},"content":{"rendered":"

To date, paddling the Futaleuf\u00fa River in Chile is one of the biggest highlights of my life. It was also the first time I have ever left my country. Few women in India paddle, let alone embark on international paddling expeditions. I owed it to myself, and to my fellow paddlers, to soak up every moment. Internalizing the experience, and now sharing it with others through my words, feels like a massive responsibility. I hope I do it justice.<\/em><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m Naina Adhikari<\/a>, a 21-year-old budding kayaker from Nainital, India. I grew up in a small hill station in Uttarakhand and studied in an all-girls convent school. I was thirteen when I started kayaking and haven\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not usually this forward or assertive, but after coming across Brooke Hess<\/a> on Instagram and following her for two years, I got up the courage to reach out. Brooke is an amazing kayaker and while I was super hesitant to write to her initially, it\u2019s safe to say that it turned out to be one of the best decisions ever made.<\/p>\n

Not only did Brooke respond, but after a few interactions her interest in my story\u2013a female paving the way for female kayaking in India\u2013had grown and she wanted to interview me and share my story. Within the span of writing the story she suggested we kayak together. Needless to say, her kayaking skills inspired me greatly, and while the idea in itself was nothing short of an honor for me, the chances that I could fly out of my country were brim.<\/p>\n