Douglas Del Castillo, Adventure traveler

Location: Chamonix, France

Stats:

• Models paddled: AdvancedFrame, AirFusion and AirFusion Elite, and Packlite Kayak.
• Water that he paddles: Lakes, Coastal/Ocean, Bays and Estuaries, Slow moving rivers.
• What he uses his yaks for: Touring, Adventure Travel, Multi-day Expeditions.

Bio:
Born in Bogota Colombia, and now living in Chamonix France, Douglas has 18 years of mountaineering experience with an extensive knowledge of the Andes Mountains from Colombia to Argentina, and has done expeditions in Alaska, India and Nepal. Douglas discovered sea kayaking while living in Denmark and, for the last 8 years, he has done kayaking trips in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece and Colombia. He spent the winter of 2011 kayaking in the French region of Finistere. Not only a Trail Runner, mountain biker, climber, and Skier; Douglas is an avid kayaker always looking for new and exciting adventures on water just like his upcoming sea kayaking and ski touring trip in Norway.

Favorite AE Story:
Living in the French Alps, autumn starts the cold process to winter; a perfect time to go in search of the sea. The opportunity of a kayak adventure in my home country of Colombia really excites me. With 24 hours of travelling by train and 3 flights to reach the Caribbean cost of Colombia, travelling light is a must. Thankfully my travel companion is my AirFusion kayak, light enough to carry with me on the planes without extra charges. My chosen challenge is to paddle a portion of the Caribbean coast, from the little town of Tolu to the major city of Cartagena de Indias. I am running on a tight schedule with 120 kilometers to go In 5 days. Jet lag and high temperatures hit me hard the first day, but gradually I get my rhythm to paddle around 25 km per day. I am amazed by the beautiful landscape and super friendly people I found in this little hidden corner of the country. 5 days later I arrive in Cartagena with just enough time to pack my kayak and hurry to the airport to catch my flight to the capital. When I arrived, I found myself explaining the dripping water still coming out of my luggage!
View the details of my past and upcoming adventures at: http://packingadventures.com