Story by DOOM. Photos by Juan Femat. Read Part 1 by Lizzy or Part 2, the awesome quick guide to Veracruz packrafting, by Juan!
WILD ADVENTURES IN VERACRUZ BY BIKE, BOAT & FOOT...
Multi-sport adventuring in Veracruz
In late 2012 I was invited to join a group of like-minded packrafters on a wild adventure through central Mexico. This was the third and final installment of Luc Mehl’s mission to climb the three highest peak in North America via “fair means.” And I was delighted to receive the invitation to join.
Our small group would ride cheap Mexican Walmart-style bikes from Puebla up to the base of Pico De Orizaba. There we planned to summit the peak with a meager kit of homemade over boots, mismatched ice axes and crampons, gifting and selling said kit to eager Mexican guides once we topped out.
We then would continue on toward the Gulf of Mexico, gifting our now heavily worn steeds to locals at the put in to the Barranca Grande. Then we’d paddle out to the ocean to complete our summit to sea journey.
Veracruz’s Whitewater Inspired me
Although we enjoyed a wide range of adventuring on this trip, it was the whitewater packrafting aspect that began to pique my interest and what would ultimately bring me back to the area, albeit 13 years later.
This trip was the beginning of my more focused journey toward running harder whitewater. Other factors included working at Alpacka Raft, and the major boat improvements that were being implemented there, and having a new paddling mentor Ben Phillips. Years passed, and Lizzy Scully and I launched Four Corners Guides in 2019 and I’ve been teaching and guiding now for six plus years.
The 1st Mexican Packraft RoundUp
In 2026, I had the pleasure of joining Rodrigo Alfonso in his VW bug (the “Vocho”). We drove from Chiapas to Veracruz, Mexico, to participate at the first annual Packraft Mexico Roundup, based in Jalcolmulco, a small river town we breezed through so many years ago on our Orizaba trip.
It felt like a bit of a time warp to be paddling under the same bridge that dominates the river access in town. And on our first run up to the Pescado section I could only recall a couple of the features that we had paddled way back in 2013.
With new boats and greatly improved river skills, this place felt like a river playground. And we quickly ticked off all the local runs, lapping some numerous times. The passionate local kayakers and general river town vibe was palpable. And we got to chat about how in 2014 the entire community and surrounding area came together to block and ultimately defeat a massive damn project that would have all but decimated the river and communities that rely on it. These folk are proud of their river and for good reason.
A few words about Rod and his work there
As mentioned above, the paddlers in Mexico are passionate about what they do. And our friend and partner Rodrigo is no different. Rod has single-handedly built a packrafting community out of nothing.
We first met Rod here in southwestern Colorado at one of the packrafting courses I taught some years ago. Rod came specifically to learn how to paddle and not-so-secretively convince us to co-guide in Chiapas the following year. During the next couple of seasons, Rod built up a library of gear using mules (aka visiting packrafters and their extra baggage capacity) to import paddles, PFDs, and various freak boats.
But more importantly Rod continued to build his paddling and teaching skills by taking more and more classes from mentors and peers alike. It was no surprise to me when he mentioned the Packraft Mexico roundup and that he was organizing and bringing it to life. Our participation at that point seemed like fate. It’s my understanding that after such a successful inaugural year, the event will be held again in Jalcomulco in 2027.
See you there!
~Doom
