Krikelopotamos:

• Length: 20kms.
• Put in: the bridge connecting Krikelo and Domnista
  
  
• Take out:At the confluence with Karpenissiotis, 50m before the bridge Dipotama, connecting Karpenissi and Proussos.
  
  
• Character: The river flows through secluded vertical gorges, of rare and unique beauty. The always present waterfalls section, called "Panta Vrechi" (picture right)is a highlight, among backpackers in the summer. Technically demanding in both lower and higher flows.
  
  
• General Difficulty: Grade III with a few grade IV rapids. In low to medium flow. In high flow, more rapids become harder, but no more than class IV+. In a few occasions, portaging in higher flows, is complicated and at least in one case, the Puff Pastry* gorge (see photo below), is not possible, due to vertical walls. (Mandatory passage class III+ to IV+, in high flow)
  (*) Name given by the authors of "Greco" guidebook.
  
  
• Time: 5-8 hours, depending the flow and the group number and ability
  
  
• Gauge info: There is a gauge meter, at the take out bridge of Dipotama. As this bridge is after the confluence with Karpenissiotis, the readings should be evaluated, regarding the flow of Karpenissiotis, which is affected by the drainage of two more snow covered mountains, Velouhi (Tymfristos) in the east and Chelidona in the north. In normal conditions the two rivers flows are similar.
  A gauge meter of 80cm indicates low flow, with 90-100cm marking the medium and over 110cm the high flow. See a picture of the put in and the take out bridge - photo 1, photo 2, in low to medium flow (88cm). Don't be fooled by the low level at put in, as many tributary streams, multiply the flow. If you can paddle without to much bamping, at the put in, then it will be sufficient flow.
  
  
• Km by km description: (Based on a low-medium flow run >88cm)
  
  • 2.3km: After a couple of bends, in a very low volume flow (class II) the gorge starts closing and a tributary enters on the right.
    
  • 3.2km: After the first minor gorge, a landslide on the right slope, has created a boulder garden (III+) The river path has changed, since our last year's visit, due to a flood that undercut the right foot of the slope.
    
  • 4.7km: A steep dirt road, access the river from the right. This can be an alternative put in, saving a lot of equipment abuse in very low flows, or an emergency take out. This difficult dirt road, starts 0.5km before the put in bridge.
    
    
  
  Nikos Mavris and Pavlos Georgilas in the first rapid (IV-)
  • 5.9km: Another tributary puts in frof the right. Before this point, the river is divided by a cobble island, offering two possible lines (class III+ left and class II+ right)
    
  • 7.0km: Psiana arced bridge.
    
  • 8.2km: We continue paddling easy class II to III stretches, in a geologic wonderland, when we reach a picturesque waterfall (river left)
  • 9.1km: A dirt road reaches the right river shore and a sign announces the villages of Doliana (Stournara) and Roska. This is a river passage in the low summer flow. This access can serve an emergency evacuation, even if there is a very long drive to the put in and Karpenissi, usually closed by snow, in the winter.
    After 100m, we reach the first part of the gorge's entrance rapid. This rapid, the most significant of the river, can and should be scouted from the left shore. Usually is run in two parts, while safety settings might be considered, before the entrance of the main 5km gorge. The usual line, middle-left, involves four steps, comfortably parted by an eddy.
    
  • 9.2km: Entrance of the main gorge of "Panta Vrechi". Wire cable foot bridge, on the rim of the gorge walls. A strong tributary puts in from the right.
    
    
  
  Above: Dimitris Konstantinidis in gorge's entrance rapid.
  Below: Pavlos Georgilas in the main gorge's first rapid
  • 9.4km: Paddling this magnifiscent gorge, shouldn't take our eyes, completely off the water in front of us. After the first 150m from the entrance, the canyon turns to the right. The first rapid of this gorge is right after that turn, a multistepped ledge, involving the next winding to the left. Class III in low flow (see photo above), but can be stronger, crashing onto the wall, in a higher one.
    
  • 9.7km: A few more easy ledges and we can't take our eyes, off the surroundings. Water slides from the gorge's walls, all around us, we paddle under huge overhanging walls, through refreshing watershowers. Everything is green and bright rainbows reveal when we take a look upstream. This is the place to stop, if you have time for a break! (see photo on top)
    
  • 11.0km: Having enjoyed the surroundings, it's time for some whitewater highlights. Three rapids (class III to class IV, in higher flow), small ledges, combined through S-turns, can be possibly scouted from the eddy above. Portaging is possible from the left.
    A huge waterslide, on the right mustard-colored rock slab, marks the entrance of the famous (for some of us, infamous) "Puff Pastry gorge", in the next turn. Scouting and photo opportunities are possible from the right shore (see photo on the right). Portage is not possible here, as the canyon in front of us is very tight, very tall, very long, very vertical and has a multistepped river-wide rapid, right in the beginning. This is a class III+ to class IV+ in higher flows. If you have to swim this gorge, stay on the left, the canyon ends in calm water 100m later. If stacked here, the steep slope on the left, eventually leeds to a path which leads to the small country church of Agios (Saint) Georgios and after a couple of hours to the Doliana.
    
  • 12.2km: A few more class III (III+) rapids and the secluded gorge ends. A concrete bridge is most of the times, a sign of modern civilization, an escape in our remote gorges vocabulary. But this doesn't apply in this case. On the right, a well defined path, climb to the desserted village of Kontiva and after that, keep climbing to the right, to find the path to Ag.Georgios and Doliana (3hours). On the other side of the bridge...??? We couldn't find any path, or some kind of gap through the forested slope. So keep paddling, the difficult part is all behind us.
    
  • 13.8km: The gorge ends, where a left tributary enters from the left, as the river turns sharp right. From here, the river offers nothing more than relaxing class I-II paddling. Following the ravine to the left, one may reach a road, some 200m above. This road leeds to the tiny village of Kastania and from there either the road to Proussos, or the river, 5kms further.
    
  • 18.8km: An arced bridge to our left, where Proussos monastery gorge reaches Krikelopotamos, is the first place, where a car may approach the river (the road reaches down to the water, in the next meters)
  • 20.0km: Dipotama. Confluence with Karpenissiotis, before the bridge connecting Karpenissi and Proussos. Take out left, before or immediately after the confluence.
  
  
  
• Maps: Anavasi publications, Evrytania, 1:100.000
  
  
• Shuttle: The normal shuttle from the take out, at Dipotama , to the put in, via Karpenissi, Raches Tymfristou, to Krikelo and the put in, last almost 45min (one way), if the elevated passage at Raches Tymfristou, hasn't much snow or ice. Have snow chains, anyway!

More pages about Krikelopotamos:

• River map with GPS marks
• photo gallery from a 2002 trip.
• An adventure tale. Soon...