Kokatat supports source to sea expedition of Europe’s longest river – Volga River marks third leg of “7 rivers, 7 continents” Project
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ARCATA, CALIFORNIA, (May 2, 2014) – In early May, Kokatat supported athlete Mark Kalch will depart down Russia’s 2,300 mile Volga River. The Volga is the third source to sea expedition in his “7 rivers, 7 continents” project, in which he plans to paddle the longest rivers on each continent.
In 2008 Kalch completed a descent of the Amazon River and he followed that up in 2012 with the descent of the Missouri-Mississippi.
From northwest of Moscow, the Volga moves east, before turning south through Russia’s giant, industrialized urban centers. The river flows past vast steppes in complete natural isolation and is punctuated by some of the world’s largest reservoirs before it empties into the Caspian Sea by way of a huge delta.
“The great rivers of the world have shaped the very existence of humans and the ecosystems in which they live,” said Kalch. “As a result water security and scarcity is fast becoming one of the planet’s most pressing issues.”
During each expedition Kalch will use multimedia storytelling and an online platform to tell the stories of the river and its people.
Following the completion of the Volga Kalch will begin planning the expedition for the project’s next river.
Amazon River South America 6937 km/ 4300 miles completed 2007/2008
Missouri – Mississippi River North America 6275 km/ 3912 miles completed 2012
Volga River Europe 3645 km/ 2266 miles departs May 2014
Nile River Africa 6650 km/ 4132 miles
Yangtze River Asia 6300km/ 3916 miles
Murray-Darling River Australia 3370 km/ 2904 miles
Onyx River Antarctica 40 km/ 25 miles
For the trip, Kalch will employ various gear from Kokatat including the Maximus Prime PFD and
Sign-up for updates to the 7 rivers project and the Volga River descent at www.7rivers7continents.com and follow updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MarkKalch
For more information on this and other Kokatat sponsored expeditions visit http://www.kokatat.com/expeditions.
About Kokatat Inc.
Kokatat has been manufacturing paddling gear in Arcata, California for more than 40 years. At a time when many technical apparel brands were moving manufacturing offshore, Kokatat continued to invest in infrastructure in the United States. Kokatat founder Steve O’Meara was committed to the development of the finest and driest paddling apparel in the world and recognized the need to control and continually evolve the development of our dry wear. In the early days, Kokatat worked closely with W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX®, to refine the sewing and sealing techniques required for full immersion suits and tops. Today, our hands-on approach to manufacturing continues to set the standard in paddling apparel. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com nd follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.
