It's my life!

Working the eddies

After getting my confidence back a little on a piece of water I’m happy with, we discussed our plans for Tuesday. We decided that going back to the section between Sprenica 1 and 2 would be good for me if I spent some time working on it, rather than floating through, and then Sprenica 1 to Trnovo 1 would be good for the others to work on, with the option of running to Trnovo 2 if anyone fancied it. The usual breakfast, kit arranging, and shuttles were sorted and we all got on at Sprenica 1. This cut out the Grade 1-2 bit above which was a scenic float trip but not useful for what we needed today.

After floating through the first tiny wave train, the group split up in to 2 smaller groups. I asked to have Chucky and Keith in my group. Chucky had really helped break down the rapids for me after my swim the other day, and I feel I can learn a lot from him. I don’t think he has any burning desires to be a leader and is usually paddling on stuff that’s not for me, so I want to take the opportunity when I can. I wanted to try breaking away from my safety blanket a little too, which is why I hadn’t asked to have Rob in the group. Although me and Keith sometimes don’t pair well together, this section shouldn’t be difficult for me so I’m not likely to panic, and I know he likes to paddle with Chucky; knowing they work well together makes the pair stronger, and it should be a good chance for me to learn by watching a bit too!

After the others break off, Chucky and Keith both start to give me little challenges and goals to work on in different sections of rapid, from ferry gliding as far over as possible and coming back, to catching as many eddies as possible. They also get me to lead some sections and discuss various strategies. I know if anything goes wrong they’ll be there in a second and everything they challenge me with, they get me to go through how I’ll achieve it, a plan B if it’s doesn’t work out, and give me some help where I’m a bit stumped. As we get to the slightly more difficult rapid at the end I get them to lead through, although I partly wish I’d have gone for it myself, and I comment at the bottom it’d be great if I could do that section again!

Having a small group helped my nerves and meant I felt I had space to try different things without bumping into anyone or getting in anyone’s way. This is mostly an issue in my head rather than an actual problem. Breaking everything down by giving me challenges kept me focused on what I could do now, rather than what was below. If I know I can get this eddy here, and plan b is that eddy there or plan c the one behind, I don’t have to worry about the rapid below, because I’m not going there!!! Then once we’re up close to the rapid I can see the moves I need to make so the rapid is easy, and the adrenaline is kept to a minimum.

I get off at Sprenica 2, I hope at some point later in the week, if levels don’t change too much, we’ll go back again, and I can tackle the section to Trnovo 1 again. It’ll still be a tough section for me, but with more challenges, eddy hopping and so on, I think I could get into a better state of mind to give it a go without the panic. I take Keith’s car that’s been left at this get out (after Keith helps me by carrying my boat up the long get out!) and go to Tronovo 1. I set myself up in a shaded spot on the beach and read my book while I wait. The others are planning to work this section so it’s not a quick float through, I get to read a few chapters and enjoy the scenery. I think anyone would agree it’s a very pleasant spot to while away some time!

From the bridge at Trnovo 1

Looking up from Trnovo 2

Once they arrive we take Rob’s boat up to the car. He knows he doesn’t want to paddle this bit, and we sort out fetching the van from the top while the other four inspect Trnovo 1 to 2. It’s marked as a grade 4-5 section; at these levels a good grade 4 I’ve been told. When we get back, Keith and Matt have decided they will give it a miss today, Brian and Chucky are going to paddle it. They have some water and a snack, and give us a little head start. We go down with the cars to Trnovo 2 and get ready with cameras and a throw line. The throw line probably wasn’t necessary but as we had spare hands and there’s only two paddling together it didn’t hurt to be ready just incase. Chucky said the move that had looked the hardest from the bank turned out to be fairly easy on the river, and they both had a great time running the section. Keith and I headed back to the house to get lunch ready while the others finished loading the van up.

Chucky gets a face full through one of the final drops to Trnovo 2

After lunch we’ve planned a chilled afternoon. Claire arrives this evening so Matt and Brian will be having a long drive to collect her, and Chucky needs to go shopping as he’s cooking dinner tonight. Keith ends up having to do some work online as there’s a problem back at the office, so I sit on the balcony and read some more as the storm that’s been brewing rolls in over the mountains and down the valley. It’s strange that I’m sat in glorious sunshine, as I watch the rain, thunder and lightning roll in from a distance! The storm hasn’t lasted long but it has cooled the air a little, so it feels a lot less stuffy in the house! We will probably wait until Claire arrives to discuss paddle plans for tomorrow. I’ll be very happy if I get to do more of what I’ve done today!!!!

Confidence rebuild

A new day begins. The temperature has dropped a little, so it was a much more comfortable nights sleep and it’s warm but still fresh this morning, there’s a little cloud cover so it’s not such a sticky start. Just like any other day we’ve decided a rough time to be out the door, we get kit sorted after breakfast and head out for the day’s paddling. After yesterday’s nerve-wracking paddle for me it’s suggested I paddle the first section from Velika Korita to Bunkerji, the others will continue through Bunkerji down to Zmuklica, and I will meet them there with the car for lunch. After lunch we will all paddle Zmuklica to Cezsoca again but this time working more eddies and things to give me some more skills practice on water I feel comfortable on.

Knowing the plan is not to have anything that’ll have my adrenaline spiking, or send me in to panic, I’m keen to get on the water and practice my skills. On the paddle through the first section I’m trying out different things, eddies in the middle of the river behind rocks which I usually don’t do, a surf on a tiny wave, and breaking down some of the rapids that are there, knowing if I don’t make an eddy I’m aiming for there is just a small flow to break in to and carry on through with very little to trip me up. It’s good fun and before I know we it we’re at the spot where I stop for now. I almost miss the eddy, but Rob is on the bank to pull me in. Once my boat is on the car and I’ve changed to drive, I head on to Zmuklica in Keith’s car and the others paddle through. I have time to take the lunch down to the river side (it’s that long walk in from the other day) and I have my book with me to read in the shade while I wait.

It’s very relaxing sitting there and it’s not too long before I see the others come through from the little gorge. Keith is a bit annoyed at himself as he’d ended up with a swim in the top part of the gorge, but up to that point had a good paddle. For more on that check out his FB post 'we're all between swims' here. We have lunch and then get my boat and kit to the river, lunch away and the shuttle sorted for this afternoon. While we wait for the shuttle, I look at the first little rapid. Last year this rapid had my heart leaping, two days ago it looked easy. Today I’m still a little shaken from yesterdays swim and I know I’m going to start testing myself a little so there’s a little rattle of nerves, but I’ve picked 3 eddies I want to go for at least.

Once everyone is re-grouped the others have a play in the big wave on the exit from the gorge and then I let them know my plan for this first bit. I make the eddies I’ve chosen plus one more, and then we carry on with some eddy practice as we go. Sometimes I’m picking them and going for them myself and sometimes the others are pointing some out for me to try. It makes it a harder run today, and part of this is that the river level has dropped over the last two days so there’s more exposed rocks and it’s a bit ‘scrappier’ in the shallow sections, but mostly because I’m pushing my boundaries. I’m in stretch zone though so it’s harder but I can deal with the little bits of adrenaline and I just about have time to think. There’re only a few places where I get flustered but it’s short lived, and I even test out being in front for a little while, still catching eddies so still testing myself.

By the time we’ve finished I’m feeling good about the paddling today but in part feeling a bit silly about getting so wound up yesterday. It’s very difficult to control your ‘primate brain’ and I’m struggling to find a level of paddling that stretches me but doesn’t get me panicked. I’ve even looked back at go pro footage the others have of me paddling, and I can see what they see. It doesn’t look like bad paddling, it’s not over tentative or wobbly and I don’t always look like I’m flapping. I really am a duck. I know that in time sections like the one we did yesterday could be fun. There’s little consequence to not getting it right, it takes a little skill and concentration, but I can see how the moves can flow and it could feel exciting rather than terrifying, I’m just not there yet.

Today I’m looking back to where I started and trying to build my self esteem a little by reminding myself just how far I’ve come. A little positive self-talk to remind me that I am a good paddler and I can do more physically than my mental state often has me believe, and I have done more. I know the other tell me this often but it’s very hard to take in when it so strongly contradicts how you feel. I will also look a little more at whatever footage others have of me that will hopefully help prove to myself I can do this. Check this post from my 2017 Alps trip, less than 6 months in to paddling!!!

Photo from my first alps trip in the hero - Summer 2017

Here's a blog from 2017 - 2017 post one

Anyway, Brian is cooking this evening and it smells delicious, I'm sure it won't be long so I'm signing off again for now. Watch this space for more of the holiday as it happens!

Swim above Trnovo 1

Everyone is weary, especially Chucky after all the travelling, so we start Sunday nice and relaxed. There’s the option for two paddles today as the Koritnica has enough water on to paddle. It’s a little trib that only runs when there’s enough snow melt, and if we don’t go soon the water could be gone.

The first paddle in the morning is from Boka down to Trnovo 1. This incorporates 3 sections of the Soca. The first is grade 1-2, the next is grade 2-3 and then the last piece is grade 3-4. That last section is one I didn’t paddle last year, it was too much, especially as we had such a small group, so safety was a concern. With 3 paddlers, if something goes wrong for one of you there’s 2 paddlers left to look after each other, the swimmer, and kit chase…. It’s better with more and this year we have 6, which is a good number. So, we head on up to the get in, I can hardly remember this bit now as my brain has tried to dump a bit of information from the day. Those of us waiting with the kit decided to get it down the path to the river, there’s no shade on the car park and we don’t want to fry before the day gets started. Once Keith and Brian get back, we all finish kitting up and get on the water, a roll or a helmet full of water is in order for most of us. It’s basically a nice pootle through the first section but I’m not feeling great. I had quite a lot of rum last night and I have a bit of a hangover. The next section is a little more testing but mostly nice long wave trains and not much needs avoiding.

As we come to Sprenica 2 I wonder if I should get off, but it’s a long long walk out and everyone seems to think I’m plenty capable of doing this section of river. My nerves are already jangling and my head hurts so I’m tense, and what I’ve heard about the section doesn’t make me feel much better. I head down the start of the first bit of testing rapids, I’m doing ok despite every bit of me shaking, and as I come through the bottom bit of wave I feel the boat twitch slightly on my right, I brace a bit and twitch my right knee but then I’ve corrected a bit too much and the boil in the water to my left flips me over. I’m annoyed. I keep hold of my paddles and start swimming toward the side, a couple of times I have to allow myself to be swept past a rock and then go to swimming again, Rob is in front of me then with his boat and I hold on to it, he tries to help me get to the side a bit more until I see a rock coming up and I let go, being under a boat as it goes over a rock isn’t likely to be pleasant. I push off the rock (my WWSR training coming in handy here!) and then Matt comes to me, this time He manages to get me in to an eddy. I’m not far from my boat but I’d let go of my paddles after a bit as they weren’t helping. My paddles are further down with Rob and Keith, but Keith manages to scramble along the bank to bring them up to me.

I’m reunited with my kit, but it doesn’t feel like a happy reunion. Although logic tells me it wasn’t a bad swim, I’m not hurt, I wasn’t going to end up in anything nasty as it’s only grade 3, and I had a strong group with me to pick up the pieces; the pieces aren’t going back together. I look around and my only choice from here is to paddle on. I don’t like the look of any of it, I’m at panic stations. I pull my boat round and start getting ready, I’m sat on my boat, not yet got my feet in and that’s it, I’m crying. The adrenaline has crashed, and the task ahead seems insurmountable. Keith tells me it’s going to be ok, there’s nothing nasty ahead, and I’m paddling it all well. I just feel that this section of river is a step too far. I know everyone is pushing me on because they see I’m doing well and want to help me progress, but my head is not in the same place and I think I need to make easier waters more challenging with different manoeuvres before I start pushing myself to try these bigger continuous pieces. Regardless of that, now I must get myself together and carry on. Chucky and Brian are in the eddy with me, Matt Keith and Rob are further down. Chucky tells me the plan and breaks it down in to some bite size pieces. It’s just ferry glide this flatish looking bit of water to the eddy on the other side, then we’ll drop down and eddy by everyone else to re-group. That’s not so terrible, I take a deep breath and off we go. Brian suggests a rest at the next eddy but if I stop I’ll just cry, wherever possible I need to keep moving and get to the end. I actually paddle the next few pieces reasonably well but every twitch of the boat has the adrenaline spiking, a couple of times I clench my jaw to keep back the tears and then at one point where the others have a look at a small section of rapid, I’ve been sat too long, the adrenaline is crashing and I can see that I can scramble at least round this rapid. I’m out my boat, and Keith comes to help by carrying my boat round. Waiting in an eddy at the bottom gives me a minute to gather myself together just enough that I make it through the final couple of rapids.

As I see the get out come in to view (I remember it from running the shuttle for Matt and Rob last year) I feel that adrenaline dropping again. I eddy out a little up from the beach, it’s a popular spot so there’s lots of people there and I need a few minutes to myself. Keith comes in to tell me how well I’d done and then floats down to the others. I have my little melt down and splash my face, getting myself back under control once more, knowing it’s all done and time to rest. Then I float down to the others, it’s only 50ft or so, and hop out on the beach.

It’s time to shuttle and have lunch. I wait with the kit, happy to have a bit more time to myself on dry land to relax fully. Brian drops Keith off at his car so he can come back for me and the last of the kit, and the others set up lunch at the house. I’m exhausted, and I’m certainly not paddling the Koritnica. The others go for the afternoon paddle as planned but I go to bed. Mentally and physically I’m drained, and I sleep for 4 hours! It’s not long after I wake up that the others return, having had a good paddle. We’ve decided that tonight we will eat out, so we get ready and head to the little restaurant up the road. It’s about 200m away so we just walk! It’s a lovely evening and the food is good.

Back to my happy place and now with Keith in tow!

Saturday morning and we’re up early to pack and tidy the house. We’re leaving Austria today and moving on to Slovenia. I’ve been waiting almost 12 months for this; I know I loved Slovenia last year and I’m so happy this year to have Keith with me. First things first though we have a last few hours to spend in Austria, we have kit ready and cars packed, we’re in our ‘underlayers’ for paddling and we head down to take a look at the Isel. The levels have dropped and we hope it will look good to paddle.

We head down to the get ons, but both that we look at still look quite big and some rain over night has topped up the levels. As an unknown quantity, we decide it’s not worth it, and we have one last activity we can do before we go, so we get changed out of paddle kit. We head in to Lienz and go to the Osttirodler! The Osttirodler is a mountain roller coaster. It’s a ski lift up to the top, then you get in a little ‘toboggan’ on some roller coster tracks, there’s a lever on it, you push forward to release and go faster or bring it back to apply the brakes so you control how fast you go. It was super fun for just over £10.

Then we’re on the road to Slovenia. Just a couple of hours driving and we’re through Italy, past the Dolomites and then driving up the Soca valley. The river is a beautiful, crystal clear water, a slight blue or darker blue depending on the depth, but you can see the rocks on the river bed until it gets extremely deep, and even then it’s still a tiny bit transparent. I’m very excited to be back. We stop off at a quiet get in to have a spot of lunch and then head to a get on where we will paddle from. We are paddling from Zmuklica to Cezsoca at the Prijon shop. It’s a section I remember from last year. I know that it starts straight into some rapids that I found testing last year, but at least this year I know what I’m getting myself in to!! The walk in from the car park is quite long so Rob and Matt take a couple of boats down while we wait for Keith and Brian to do the shuttle, when they get back there’s less to carry down then. By the time we all get down and get the last of our kit on we’re all ready for a helmet full of cold water to cool down!

The water is so clear, this hardly looks deep enough to paddle but it's plenty deep!

The boys have a little play in the wave where the gorge comes out into the pool where we get on and then we head on down river. Knowing I enjoyed this section before and being able to remember parts as we paddle through them really helps. The get on rapid looks almost easy and my nerves barely surface all he way down. We stop and play at a few nice waves (I do some ferry glides and S-turns in the flow further down the flow while the boys play in the ‘meat’ of the waves), we stop at a big eddy where we can jump off the rocks to cool down, and I take an opportunity to lead a short section before we finish too. I’m back in my happy place with paddling here and I just know the week is going to be amazing!!!

Keith seems to be really enjoying it too and I’m so glad to see him so happy on the water. He’s had some tough times with head games over the last 12 months or so, and there’s been very little I can do to help other than to encourage him to go paddling with his buddies who are of a similar level and he feels good paddling with. Keith also has a new boat, a new new boat this time. He tried a similar one and liked it and was keen to get back to try this model, the steeze. He was unsure whether to spend the money on a new boat as they are a little pricey, but I told him if it makes him enjoy his paddling again, it will be worth every penny. He’s been comparing all his boats to his old super hero since he got rid of the last one of those, but this one he didn’t make a single comparison and loved it. It was the right thing to do. In just over a week he started seeming keen to get on the water again and his spirits were more lifted for this trip too. It really is great to see him enjoy it all fully again.

We’re soon at the get off, we get changed and while Keith and Brian shuttle to get Keith’s car, Rob Matt and I have a little splash at the beach here and enjoy the sunshine. The atmosphere here is just so relaxing. Once shuttle is done Rob and Keith go to get some shopping, Matt Brian and I load the van with boats and kit and head over to the house. It feels like returning home and it’s not long before Rob and Matt are back too. The cars unpacked, I show Keith round briefly before he has to head off again. Chucky arrives today, he has flown in to Trieste and is getting a train to Udine where Keith will collect him and bring him back in time for Dinner. I wish we could spend some time enjoying the house straight away, but we have all week and it’s given me time to write up this blog!

Rob, Matt, Brian and I have all had some time chatting, enjoying the scenery on the shaded balcony that will be our dining area. The guys have all told me how well I seem to be paddling and I note that today I actually felt good about it too. There were a couple of places where it was a little technical and I didn’t feel anxious about any of it. This week is going to be amazing!

So, Rob is cooking dinner and we’ve all got some bits of washing to do and we all need a shower aswell, it’s hotter here than Osttirol. I can’t wait to tell you all about our paddling through the week, and any other activities we get up to aswell!!!

There's a river to paddle after all!!

Wednesday morning we are all packed and ready to go. We aim to get a paddle in today but we need to look at the rivers first. We go via the Enns on the way out of the Gesäuse area, but this is still high and the ‘grade two’ get on looks huge.

We decide to continue and try to find a river near Matrei where we are staying next. When we arrive in Matrei we look at the Isel and it’s also high, ridiculously so, and we begin to consider if we should try to get to Slovenia early. We send a message to the host of the house in Slovenia and get on with some shopping, we will still need to stay over here at least one night anyway. When we get the message back there is only the option to extend the house in Slovenia by one night, and no other accommodation options seem to be available at short notice within sensible scope of our budget. So, we make a plan to investigate the Kletterstiege (Via Ferrata) on Thursday to make the most out of the day, and then scout a river on the other side of Lienz, The Gail.

On Thursday morning, I call a local riding stables to find out if I can go Riding and book for Friday afternoon. We’ve decided not to go to Slovenia a night early and we’ll just go early Saturday instead. Then we head into town for a few things and to find out if there are any Via kits available to buy at a sensible price, or info on where to hire them. We find out we can hire at the Via itself and after a few other things are sorted we head over to Galitzenklamm to find out more. When we arrive there’s a sign to say the kletterstiege is closed… until tomorrow!!! Not wanting to waste the day, Keith has found a spot where there is some sport climbing available, it’s not too far and we have some climbing equipment with us. So, we head on to Kreithof to investigate the klettergarten. Once we arrive it doesn’t take us too long to find the crag, where the Army are also climbing! They have only roped off one small area though, so the rest of the crag is free. We make our way along to find the easy climbs that we can all have a little go at, and then we set up.

Keith Leads the first climb and we all have a go at this, then I lead a second and everyone has a go at that one too. It’s surprising how long all this has all taken, and it’s definitely lunch time. We head back to the van for lunch and by the time we’ve eaten we all decide it’s time now to go and look at the river. (The keener paddlers, ie. Everyone but me, have itchy feet after not paddling for a day and are desperate to find some water!!)

It’s a good drive but easily done for a days’ paddle. We look at a couple of get in/out locations and have a look over a few bridges. The river app shows that the river is at the low end of medium, the sections we are looking at are grade 2/3 and the levels are dropping. We’ve seen some paddlers going through and manage to speak to them as they get off the river, it’s all ‘free’ (clear of trees etc), and it’s decided we will paddle the section from Birnbaum to Kötschach. The others, Matt and Brian especially, are getting excited that we have found water to paddle… I’m nervous. It’s a river none of us have paddled before, so other than the bits we’ve been able to see from the banks and bridges, it’s unknown territory. I have confidence in my group, but I do debate whether to paddle tomorrow or not. I have decided if I paddle, I’m getting off the river before the broken weir at the end. Keith and I went to inspect it and I don’t feel I’m gaining anything by running an extra 300m through a broken weir. I have until we get to the get off tomorrow to decide. Once we run the shuttle up, I’m in. We’ve worked out while we’ve been scouting, how long the shuttle should take, and judging by the other paddlers (plus a little time to allow for us to stop and look at rapids as we go) we have a rough timeline. It won’t be a long paddle and I’ll be back in time to go riding.

Friday morning soon arrives. We are up early to make sure we can fit everything in, the river has dropped a little more since yesterday and is now at the top end of low. This makes me feel a little better, not that low means easier but generally it means it will be less pushy water. We’re up reasonably early, although I drag my heels a little over breakfast, still undecided. I don’t find any good reason to back out so by the time the shuttle is done, I’m paddling. My stomach is turning, my chest is tight, I try to keep my breathing level and keep the nerves at bay. Some of the first wave trains are nice but I’m still in the warmup phase so it’s bordering on type 2 fun. Eventually I get into the rhythm a little but the waves begin to get bigger as we get to the Grade 3 sections. I’m barely holding it together in my mind, the air is blue and I’m not friends with Keith right now…. In fact I’m not friends with anyone. But they keep telling me ‘well done’, ‘you’re looking good’, ‘that was great’ etc etc…. But I’m a duck…. What you see on the surface is calm and smooth, underneath I’m running fast!

One section I will remember well, the start of the rapid begins like many others, follow the green tongue in, hit the wave train and up and down we go, then I come up to a wave…. *oh god that’s a big wave, up, up, up, and as my breath is taken away, down, down, down… Jesus that was big*, before I can even blink though *Oh **** there’s another one, paddle, paddle…. Up……. And down….* I start breathing again, it’s fast, I can’t believe I just did that! I’m still very much on edge, and once again Keith tries to make me feel better. But telling someone who is not calm, to calm down, is pointless. I can’t flick a switch and be ok with it all. It’s not much after this this though and I realise that the features are calming back down. The grade 3 bit must be over, and we are back into the grade 2. I begin to enjoy a little, and just knowing I’ve survived the biggest waves I’ve ever faced; my confidence picks up. It’s not long before we see the broken weir, Keith shouts to Rob and signals to the group to eddy out. This is where my paddle ends. It’s been type 2 fun most of the way, I was a bag of nerves, but I’m so glad I’ve done it. As usual the more time that passes once I’m off the water, the more I realise how good it really was.

Everyone has a look at the weir now, Rob decides he doesn’t like the look of the debris either and doesn’t want to risk the weir, Keith also decides not to bother for the one wave and they portage it, and set up some safety, as Matt and Brian are going to run it. Matt and Brian take turns to video each other and then the 4 of them all carry on over the next drop and down to the car. I take off some of my layers, a dry suit is not suitable about 10 seconds after you get off the cold water and you begin to ‘boil in the bag’, and then I start to drag my boat along the path towards where the car is parked. Keith comes to meet me halfway to carry my boat, and we all put our kit out to dry and have lunch! While Keith and Brian go to do the shuttle, Rob Matt and I have about an hour to relax by the side of the river. I manage to do a little yoga as we’d got the yoga mats out to sit on for lunch, Matt goes for a little wander up river and Rob enjoys some quite time watching the river go by.

Shuttle done, Keith and I head back so I can get changed and dropped off at the riding stables, and Rob Matt and Brian head back to the via which has opened today. When I get to the stables it’s a little disorganised but I eventually get paired with a lovely looking haflinger called Fiola. I’m taken on a ride with 4 others, up in to the mountains. At first we follow the road for a while, but then we get so far and the ‘leader’ (I never did find out her name!) comes to tell me that we go off the road now on a narrow track. I should let the horse go to do what she needs to but to just make sure she stays to the mountain side, the other side has a steep drop! It’s a very narrow track indeed, only just wide enough for the horses to pass, but it’s not long before it gets a little wider. I’m glad that I’m not on an ‘easy trek’ and there’s some excitement and challenges, despite being on the ‘golden oldie’ of the yard. Fiola is beautiful, she has a lovely nature and is clearly set in her ways. She knows where she is going and won’t tolerate standing still! We have a few canters and I soon find that once we are going faster than a walk I can let the reins hang round the pommel (It’s a western saddle) and let her do her job, she’s knows it so well I have little to correct! At walk she is the fastest of the group and I have to be at the front or she irritates whoever she is walking behind!. About ¾ of the way in to the ride we reach a river. The lead rider has told me Fiola likes to play with the water. I let her of course and they take a video for me. Fiola really does like to play, and if I let her I’m sure she would stay for ages and splash. I’m soaked now though so I urge her on and we finish crossing the river. I’ve had a lovely ride, and Fiola has even taught me a few things about riding western as we’ve gone along the trails.

Tonight is out last night here so once we are all back together and everyone has told stories of their afternoon adventures, we have dinner and discuss the plans for tomorrow. We need to be packed to leave first thing and have paddle kit accessible in the vehicles so we can paddle on the way out in the morning. We are looking to paddle on the Isel, as the levels have dropped to a more sensible level since we arrived and we don’t want to miss out. I’m going to join the group halfway to do the second section which is a bit easier. I’m pretty tired, and I don’t want to miss a day on the Soca if I can help it!

We all enjoy our evening in different ways and it’s soon time for bed! Good night!!!

Heart racing demon smashed!!!

Tuesday morning, I wake up my usual grogy, achy self. The long journey and a long full first day yesterday have caught up with me. I’m not even sure I want to paddle. The paddle we’ve decided on today is to carry on from Wildalpen and go down to Saggraben. This stretch of river then includes the sections we paddled last year, and I don’t have particularly happy memories from it. Pain, cold, swims, massive waves and boily gorges. I know it’s head games, because aside from a couple of waves catching me out I paddled it well and nothing bad really happened, but I had heart racing adrenaline, eyes on stalks for the whole paddle (both times we did it) and it felt generally unpleasant. Starting the day feeling rough isn’t helping me today. (For more on my previous trip check out last year’s blog here.)

I had to have a serious talk with myself. The others had some shopping to do so I stayed at the apartment to get my head together with a little space for myself, I did some yoga, got my breathing and nerves under control, and took some painkillers to ease the back ache and the headache. Then I went through every reason things WILL be better this year in a positive talk way.

1) I have a new boat, which is much more forgiving.

2) I have 12 months more paddling experience in a boat that had made it hard work for me. My skills are DEFINITELY better.

3) The water levels are much lower this year, so big curling waves are less likely, and boily water will also be less.

4) I’ve been here before so even if I don’t know the river well, areas will be familiar, and I roughly know where the end is!

5) I have 4 strong paddlers with me, they will all be very comfortable on this river and I know they will all have my back as I’ve paddled with them before.

Right, I am getting in my kayak today and I am fighting this silly head game.

The others come back, we get cars loaded and head to Wildalpen after dropping Keith’s car at the get out. We’ve had to use the get out at Kalter Graben as the car park at Saggraben needs a parking pass and we can’t find out where to pay! I get kitted up and head down to the get on at the bottom of the slalom course. I’m not going to get straight on to that, especially when I’m already having head games. The others came through the course and met me at an eddy by the bridge.

This section of river being a bit bigger than the others, we have a plan in terms of a running order. Brian is tail end Charlie (his favourite position), I am always some where in the middle, the other three will rotate the lead from time to time and I can generally choose where I want to be. I’m getting in my boat while we are discussing this and then we head off. My memory is already fading a little but there’s bouncy wave trains all the way down where we mostly float roughly in an order and then the odd rapid where we all slot into a line and give each other appropriate space. My heart is racing but it’s not the same, jumping out of my chest, feel as last year. I’m constantly talking myself through things, considering my line through the rapid and trying not to blindly follow whoever is in front of me. I keep myself breathing as much as possible but at times deep breathing is difficult, as is keeping my eyes fully open. There are LOADS of flies hanging over the river in places, even over the white water where none of us expect them. We all end up either eating one or one in our eye by the end of the river. At one point I end up having to make an eddy with one eye shut (fly) and the other blurred (water splash) in the middle of one of the biggest rapids. I have to sort it quickly as I have taken an eddy that is too small for everyone and the others continue on a short way to a big eddy.

I ask for a leg stretch stop at an island near where we got on last year. My legs are going a bit numb and my head games are reminding me I had little opportunity after this point to relax and wiggle my legs as the waves get more continuous. So far I’ve been feeling pretty good, it’s taken a little to warm up and settle but I’m getting a bit of a flow now so I use this to boost myself ready for the next part. We carry on down and very quickly we are coming near to one of the places I had a swim last year. It’s not until we are through the rapid that I realise where it was. I recognise more by where I had to walk after taking the swim, as when I was capsizing and swimming all I could see was the water! The levels being so much lower mean the rapid is actually nice to paddle. (And I try to remind myself that I’m a better paddler too). As we go on to the more difficult rapids the wave trains get more diagonals in so the waves are coming in from the sides as well and it makes it a little more tricky to ride out. None of them trip me over this time and although it’s taken a lot of concentration and a good dose of adrenaline, It’s good fun (type 2 fun). For those of you who don’t know about type one and two fun, check out this blog here).

We have a stop in an eddy, just before a little rapid that goes around a corner, and as we go out of the eddy I capsize…. WHAT!???... I literally fell over nothing… you know those times when you’re walking along a flat surface and you trip over thin air??? I’ve been practicing putting on plenty of edge when I break in and out as one of the things that catch me out when I’m trying things on bigger water is that my boat goes a bit flat and the up-stream edge gets caught. So even on flatish water I’ve been practicing over doing it a little just to get it to become habit for when I get my confidence up to try something new. I over did it a bit too much so when I went to take a paddle stroke, I just fell over…. Pfft…

Anyway, I’m quickly recovered, and my boat is just one eddy down so I scramble along the side and try to make light of it by joking that I was a bit hot and needed to cool down…. In actual fact my confidence has been knocked…. *If I can’t even break out on flat water, what chance do I have further down? I know that boily gorge is coming up…. STOP IT! It was a mistake, everyone makes them! You’ve been doing great! Get in your boat and keep smiling…* I’m in, I’m sorted, let’s go…

I’m all shaky again, it’s like starting the day all over again, but now I’m tired, the foam under my seat has moved, I’ve had the little shock and I have to grit my teeth. I’m attacking this now, I’m not enjoying it, but I must get past it. Rob breaks out in another eddy and I get Keith to help me sort out the foam under my seat. He tries to make me feel better and give me a hug but I’m still not past it and on the verge of tears. *oh, great, here we go, the bloody Salza is going to be etched in my brain as a nemesis. No, keep going, the levels are good, it was only a silly mistake, keep going, get past this, it will pass* We’re off again and gradually, wave by wave, rapid by rapid, I’m easing back in to a flow. The rapids are a little bigger and more technical in this section but I’m not getting tipped, shunted or otherwise thrown off by anything. *I’ve got this!*

As we move on a little further, we come to some rapids we believe are the ones just before the gorge. This was where my other swim was last year. I have a little flutter of anxiety but remind myself the with the levels the way they are, had I not recognised the scenery, I could’ve been convinced I was on a different, much easier river. Rob is leading and asks to have another strong paddler behind him then me then the other two. Keith Backs Rob up so I’m now following him. I try to keep a focus only on Rob’s line and picking my own line. I’ll not go into the explanation of this too much but Keith and I usually stay separated when I paddle anything that’s a little difficult for me. This is strategic based on the psychology of partners/family doing sports together. I discuss it a little in this blog here. Here’s an article if you fancy learning more about the difference between a coach and a friend.

As we get closer to the gorge and into the gorge itself there’s a lot more boils in the water, these are even mid rapid, so there’s a lot going on, and yet still so much more enjoyable than before. I’m pretty sure at a few points I even have a little woop and a slightly nervous laugh at how the water moves me around! The paddle is nearly over now and it’s not long before we see the raft get out at Saggraben. I recognise it well as the moment I was allowed back on dry land! This year I’m quite happy to be continuing a little further. I know from the guides we’ve found the river steadily gets easier after the gorge so there shouldn’t be anything nasty on the last little unknown bit of river. It’s some nice bouncy (straight) wave trains to the end. Once we’re off we scramble up to the cars, Matt goes for an intentional swim in the river, and Keith and Brian head off to shuttle. While we wait with the boats and kit a thunderstorm rolls in. None of us have packed anything more than a t-shirt for the day. When we set out this morning it was 36 degrees!!! (C). Rob and Matt use dry cags for shelter, and I use the rubber changing mat to keep from getting my dry clothes soaked in the pouring rain. It doesn’t last long though and then Brain returns to collect us.

Once we’re all back, and the kit is drying it’s time for dinner. We’ve all had a great few days and we get our bags packed ready to move on in the morning. It’s our last night here and we move on to another area of Austria tomorrow.

Eurotrip, from the caravan to the Wasserloch.

I’m a little bit late in getting started with this so bear with me. As with most holidays it gets harder to keep track of what day it is as time passes.

Our trip this year began with a drive down to Dymchurch, near Dover. Approximately 200 miles and the M25 was barely more than a car park. So, it took a couple of hours, but this is why we left on Friday evening; by booking a time on a ferry rather than an open ticket we saved almost enough to pay for the extra night’s accommodation anyway. It had also split the journey a little so that Saturday wasn’t too long. After a blustery night in the caravan we all got up early, leaving at 6.30 to allow plenty of time for an 8.30 ferry. We had no problems or hold ups and even though we had the tail end of a storm to start with, the crossing wasn’t too choppy either. We had breakfast on the ferry, saving time (faff) and avoiding risk of being late to book on!

Once we hit Calais the remainder of Saturday was driving through to Oberboihingen, Germany. Here we had rented a small flat, it’s on the third floor of a little block not far off the Autobahn, so it’s an easy stop off for the night. The kitchen wasn’t well equipped (no cooker and minimal utensils), but it was very neat and clean, and the shower was good, if you didn’t stay in too long or you’d flood the bathroom! We started to feel the temperature difference too, and we couldn’t get the aircon working so it was a warm, but otherwise comfortable night before we got back on the road in the morning.

Sunday then took us on a short leg first of all, to Augsburg Eiskanal. Constructed in 1972 for the Summer Olympics Canoe Slalom, and the first artificial white water course of it’s kind, it’s still incredibly impressive and still one of the most widely used.

Our initial intention was to have a paddle here, however all the gates were open and it’s a formidable piece of water (I’d guessed it was unlikely I would paddle anyway) and the consensus in the group was that it’s big water for a mid-journey first paddle, having already done several hundred miles and with at least as many left to go, no-one was feeling on top form. We were also unsure whether we were allowed on, as there’s slalom training going on ahead of next weeks’ competition. So, we had a walk up to the Dam, and decided to carry on a while, and get ahead on the journey to Austria. We estimated at least 4 hours, plus a lunch break. Turned out to be longer as we had traffic through a lot of Germany. We finally arrived, and we were all relieved to find that our accommodation for the next few days was amazing.

We had once again booked a flat, however the floor space at this one was huge, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, balcony, large kitchen/diner and some produce made at the farm available to buy in the fridge in the entrance hall, with an honesty box (there’s also some beer, not from the farm but very handy as stocks were low and the shops were shut!). We got some of the luggage inside and went for a drive to scout the get on/off for tomorrow’s paddle. We drove to Wildalpen where there is a local map of the river, which details the sections and their grades/distances etc. and we talked to a local or two to find out some more about the top section (including the ‘campsite manager’, we aren’t certain but he seems to be something to do with the campsite anyway). A plan was made, and we headed back to the apartment to settle in for dinner and a good sleep.

For once I’d slept so well that I woke up at 7am and I felt fresh as a daisy! It doesn’t happen often, and certainly not on Mondays! Usually I feel awful and I’m a horrible person in the morning. So, I made the most of feeling good by getting up and getting the coffee on.

The views are stunning and it’s wonderful to wake up and look out of any window to an amazing scenery, worthy of a film set. We’re paddling today, first paddle of the holiday, and we made the plan yesterday to tackle about 18km from Prescenyklause to Wildalpen. It’s all grade 1-2, so nice and easy, finishing at the white water course at Wildalpen, allowing for some bigger fun at the end for those that want. It’s glorious sunshine, and I’m more than happy with the grade of water we were heading out for.

This will be the first proper river run in my new boat too. On a trip to Saunton a few weeks ago we picked up a new (second hand) boat for me. It’s a dagger Nomad which has a nice rounded hull and should feel a little similar to my old hero to paddle. Despite tackling some fairly challenging water in the Mamba, I just haven’t felt good in it, so we’d been looking for something else for a while. I’ve managed to get to Jackfields rapids near Telford, a short easy Grade two rapid which I’ve never paddled before, and immediately started to like the boat. I also managed to get over to a river session at Mile End Mill one evening, which has some nice features to go through (even though it was low water) and the boat gave me the confidence to have a go at surfing, and some ‘high crosses’ on the bottom wave.

The river lived up to expectations, it’s a beautiful emerald green tint to almost clear waters, and the most stunning cliffs and trees to be seen all round. Like a scene from the sound of music. This really is the sort of paddling that makes me want to do more! Well within my capability, just enough flow to make the distances go smoothly, and a few rapids just big enough to get a splash and keep cool in the hot sun. Along the way we all take the opportunity to practice some skills, with eddies, ferry glides, S-turns and surfing. YES, I even had a little surf myself! It is the strangest feeling and this time it was at a spot where there is a small ‘hole’. Being stuck sideways in a hole (even one as tiny as this) for the first time is very odd, and after I get stuck once I must build myself up to go and try again. I did manage to surf, and then when the camera came out it didn’t go so smoothly. Always the way but I’m very pleased with myself for giving it a go!

When we reached Wildalpen there’s a big surf wave at the top which Brian, Matt and Keith all played in, and me and Rob just watched. Brian had the first roll at this point and was very pleased that it felt comfortable. After battling cancer (I’m sure he won’t mind me saying – HE WON) it’s taken a little while to get back, and feeling that his roll is working smoothly again is a nice marker to show he’s getting back to where he once was (and I’m sure in no time he’ll be doing even better than ever).

When they’d all finished I was anxious to get on with the rest of the course. Having seen it the day before I know it’s going to be testing and I’ve just sat resting in an eddy allowing my adrenaline to drop. We went on through and the next few drops went well. They are big but nothing terrible. We then got to the last drop. Keith is up front and I saw him drop over the edge…. (On larger waves you often see the person in front disappear for a second and I’m starting to get used to this now)…. But then as Rob got towards the wave I still hadn’t seen Keith come out in the flow beyond… I’d already started making my way to the eddy. I’m not following until I know what’s going on. I saw Keith come out the other side. He’s not in his boat. That’s it, decision made, I’m ending my paddle here. I saw Brian go through and it doesn’t look easy, but he made it through the big boat munching wave/hole/stopper. I pass the message to Matt that I’m getting out. He waited until I’m out of my boat and safely on the bank before he figured out his line and went through as well.

When I eventually saw Keith coming along the top of the bank, I shouted up to him to check that he’s fine. The hole was a bit bigger than it had seemed from the bank on yesterday’s inspection and he’d gone straight at the middle of it, meaning he basically got stopped. He’d managed to side surf a little and tried to work his way out of it, but it was too strong so pulling his deck and swimming seemed to be his only option. I understand as soon as he was on the side he was immediately asking where I was, as he was worried I’d followed him, leaving a friendly bunch of German lads to rescue his kit!

Once everyone was reunited we went back to the car and had lunch. We found a nice shady spot under a tree on the campsite, and as most people had packed up and gone home it was nice and quiet. Once Keith and Brian had sorted the shuttle to fetch Brian’s van from the get on, we loaded up and headed back to the apartment. Not before grabbing an ice cream from the shop on the way out though. It was the only polite thing to do as we’d used the car park and the campsite facilities, even though we weren’t staying there.

The day wasn’t over there though. Matt had suggested we take a walk to see the gorge and water falls nearby. We’re all tired and I’m on the fence as to whether I want to go or not…. FOMO dictates I will go anyway, but these better be damn good waterfalls and worth whatever walk it entails! We found the bridge and the path and began to walk. It’s not far before we saw a sign to the “Wasserlochklamm 1 ½ hr”. Soooooo….. is it 1 ½ hr for the whole walk (there’s a circular route on the map) or is it 1 ½ hr to the waterfall and the same back??? We decide to give it a go and see where we get to. Very soon we saw the tributary and the little river is beautiful, hidden in the trees. The path began to follow the river and there’s some fascinating shoots and drops along the way. Then we got to the first waterfall, sign posted ‘Wasserloch 1’. Ok so there’s more than one, and this one is quite pretty. The spray as you walk past is quite refreshing and helped me continue. The waterfalls become increasingly impressive as we went on through to Wasserloch 5. By this time we were all quite tired, the walk had been steep in places and it’s not easy going. We’ve travelled in the cars for 2 ½ days and had a good 4 hours paddling this morning.

On the internet there’s talk of the ‘mystery waterfall’ but having scouted the path ahead a little way it seemed to continue to go up and we’d all seen enough. We made our way back down. Interestingly, the water level had risen by a few feet in the time we had been there (we noted that some branches that were exposed/clear above the water on the way in were covered on the way out) and the spray off each waterfall was now covering larger areas, it was a little too cool by this point and it was beyond the point of being refreshing!

Finally, we made our way out and it’s time to go back for dinner & drinks.

I’ll get you updated on the next few days as soon as possible!