Day Eight - "The cold will leave you, but the memories you will have forever"


Rob and I rose this morning around 7.30am and got the kettle on.  I’m feeling tired again, and my body clock has clearly settled back to normal as I could quite happily have gone back to sleep.  I did a short session of pilates, and then when Matt and Clare emerged we all had breakfast together and discussed the plan for the day.  We are doing a long paddle today which covers about 4 sections of river at Grade 1-2, which is from Napoleonov Most to Volkanski Most.  It’s already hot and there are very few clouds in the sky.  Shortie Cag weather!

We packed the cars and put my boat back on (as I hadn’t paddled yesterday it went in the garage to save the others driving round with it all day) and after some faff, we headed down to Napoleonov.  We quickly got boats off and kit out.  We didn’t get fully kitted up as it would take around 45 minutes to run the shuttle.  Clare and I stayed with the kit and enjoyed some shade while we waited, we got our boats down the steep steps and just started kitting up as the boys got back.  It’s another gentle get in for a gentle day, and we all did the helmet full of water to cool ourselves down!




Pootling off down the river I’m feeling great again, happily in the middle of my comfort zone.  The first couple of rapids get my heart beating a little faster and provide a small adrenaline rush, and I have a little ‘woop’ at the bottom of them!  At one set of rapids the boys choose a far right line in, they go down with just a couple of scrapes over rocks.  The water is flowing but a good number of the rapids get a little shallow at low water.  Clare goes to follow and is a little to one side of the line Rob and Matt took, so she gets stuck and spun on a few rocks as she goes.  It’s not a big deal, and she works her way down quite fine, but I turn around and paddle back a little to take another look at the far left line.  I’m sure there is more water there.  It looks clear and Rob is in an eddy half way down the exit of the rapid, so I go for it.  This is the first time I’ve looked and picked a COMPLETELY different line to others in the group.  It makes me a little nervous, but I’m fairly sure of my choice and I’m sure Rob would be shouting/signalling if this was a bad one.  I was right, there was more water, a couple of bigger rocks to get round and as I reach Rob he signals for me to go to the right side of the big tree trunk he is sat by.  It’s creating a bit of a stopper to the left which wouldn’t be unmanageable, but the line is much nicer to the right of it.  Feeling pretty proud of myself but trying to make sure smugness doesn’t take over, as we all know that pride comes before a fall!

We stop at a nice little eddy with a beach and have a swim, Rob has picked this one as he saw some rocks with a deep bit of water next to them that we could jump in and cool down!  We all take a few turns jumping in before we move on again.

Further on a little way I take the lead, and again lead a fair bit of the river from now on.  We discuss the line options as we approach a few of the rapids and I’m starting to learn more about what to look out for.  At one section it was looking good to go to the left of an island until we got a little closer, we changed our minds and headed round to the right and I found a lovely line through.  Starting to feel pleased with myself and guess what...?  I had made my first leading mistake.  The others had a got caught on some shallow water and lost a little time in scooting round the top of the island to get over to the right line, and I hadn’t checked back on them so I’d got a fair distance ahead.  Lesson learnt, don’t forget to check the group more often.  I practice this more at the remaining rapids and I have to pick places to turn round strategically.  Although this is grade two, which I am quite happy paddling forwards, I wouldn’t yet want to be going down them backwards!

We came across some really nice grade two sections, a really good grade two.  Each one had an element to it that required a little thought, but it was within my capabilities, and the sections were short enough that dealing with them one at a time made them fairly easy.  My challenge added here was picking a line that was suitable for the whole group to follow.  At one point I heard ‘JESUS CHRIST’ being called behind me, I looked round and Clare was headed for a sizeable rock.  Having just gone past it I knew that the water was pushing you away from it, and although she will have felt like she was going to hit it, with a little forward paddling she would get round it easily (which she did).

Another stop at a beach to stretch our legs a little, and we get moving again.  Clare and I are getting a little tired and we have all noted we are feeling cooler.  There are a few clouds blocking the sun and the water and air temperature has dropped just enough to notice.  There is quite a long section of flat but as you will have guessed by now we don’t mind to much as the scenery is spectacular.  I feel like I’m repeating myself on that point a lot, but really and truly it is a beautiful place.  We pass over a few deep holes in the river bed and the water goes from crystal clear to sky blue and then to a deep dark blue, and here is about the only place where you can’t see the rocks and sand of the river bed.  Even in places where the river is well over a paddle deep you can see straight down, and some of the rocks we float over/past are like pieces of art, the river is an exclusive art gallery reserved for those who venture down it. 

When we make it to the end we are all a little tired as some reasonable effort has been needed, mostly on the flat sections.  It’s 3pm but instead of fitting in more paddling, today is the day we have decided to visit Slap Kozjak.  We bundle in to Matt’s car to shuttle back, swap to Robs car (Matt’s car now has 4 boats and is full with 4 lots of wet river kit, so we leave it at the put in) and after lunch we go to the car park for Slap Kozjak in Rob’s car.  It’s a bit of a walk from the car park to the waterfall, but as we head further in to the trees it gets a little cooler, and we pass through and round some WW1 tunnels which is quite interesting to see.  It gets cooler and cooler as we walk up the track along the river, that looks more and more like a fairy tale setting as we go, and when we reach the fall, in a hole worn by the river such that the sun never reaches there to warm it, we see Slap Kozjak.  Wow... I know I’m saying it again, but it’s just stunning... we set our bags down and get changed; we are going for a swim in the pool under the waterfall. 






My fairy rock stack :)
  As I said the sun doesn’t really reach here, so it’s FREEZING COLD, but I can’t come here and not do this.  Matt and Clare had quite sensibly bought their neoprene shorts and rash vests up with them so it’s not long before the Neoprene is doing its job and keeping them a few degrees warmer.  Rob and I however, just have normal swimwear with us so we get out a few minutes earlier to get dry and warm.  Not until after we have swum under the fall and got a few photos (hopefully... I need to get them off Matt’s Waterproof Camera.  I didn’t think of taking the GoPro until it was too late.)  My words can’t do it justice and the pictures will not relay the awe felt at such a spot.  As Rob and I are getting our things together a couple have come up the path to look, they have crouched down to feel the water and say how cold it is.  Rob and I both laugh and say ‘Very Cold!’ we pass a few pleasantries and the lady says something that may stick with me a while "The cold will leave you, but the memories you will have forever".

Otona - viewed from the bridge on the way back


Love locks on the bridge



We have to scoot off quickly even though we could all have lingered longer, despite not feeling a few fingers and toes at this point, because we need some supplies for dinner and there isn’t long until the shops shut.  Back at the house we have dinner and chat, it’s getting late already so I need to get to writing this before it gets too late and I get behind again.  Matt, Rob and Clare all drift away to bed.  I will be going shortly but not before I add photos to this post!!!

PS – Tomorrow’s Plan.... Zip Wires, and some Grade 3 water for me!!!

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