Jones began kayaking in November 1965 at age 14, around the same time as his sister, Christine, who is the mother of Olympic canoeist Tim Baillie.
Jones was seventeen at the time and worked "feverishly" over a five-week holiday to raise his contribution to the expedition's funds.
On arrival at the Inn, he soon realised why it had earned the title of the hardest stretch of water in Europe – it was in a steep gorge and from 1,000 feet (300 m) above the rapids still appeared huge.
Jones's subsequent expeditions included the Blue Nile, where local bandits were as much of a threat as the river.
The expedition suffered many problems with finance and sponsorship, and several people declined any involvement as they felt the risk of dying was too great.
A film – Dudh Kosi – Relentless River of Everest – recorded the expedition,[4] and it won 12 international awards in 1976.
[6] A memorial message inscribed upon a wooden paddle was affixed to a tree nearest the spot where Jones was said to have died.
For ten years Dave Manby organised and ran the Mike Jones Rally in Llangollen North Wales to raise money for this fund.