Six kayakers completed a first descent of the Yu Qu, a large tributary to the Salween, in November, 2015.  The team consisted of Travis Winn, Will Stauffer-Norris, Jim Shrimpton, Simon Tapley, Tom Downs, and Tom McCoy.

They put-in at 28 51 29N, 98 27 58E, elev 9800' and took out at the confluence with the Salween at 28 35 45N, 98 21 57E, with an average gradient of about 60'/mile over the sixty mile stretch.

Several portages were required. Fortunately, there is a trail along the river, documented by photos taken in 2004 by Tomatsu Nakamura, the editor of the Japanese Alpine News.

Accessing the put-in required a multi-day hike from the Mekong over a 16,000' pass.