Although we had a fairly late night we were keen
to make the most of our one full day in Austria and we set Alarms for
7.30. We took our time in the morning to
appreciate where we were staying. The
little duck chalets are nestled in to the hill side on a little track above the
river. It may be simple but it is a
stunning place, and I think would be spoilt by anything much more extravagant. We made a brief journey in to the nearest
village (Grosreifling) to top up basic supplies and had a relaxed breakfast in
the covered eating area opposite our chalet.
We unpacked the cars so we had more useable space for the shuttles and
got our paddling kit ready.
We met up with Rob’s son Adam, who is working
with a rafting and adventurous activity company here in Austria for the summer,
and drove up to Wildalpen to prepare to run the Salza River. We decided to use the ‘put in’ just below the
main Wildalpen spot, as it would make a very long paddle to do the full
run. We were using the ‘put out’ at ‘Weiblauf’
(below the campsite), but shuttled a car to the middle to give us the option to
stop short of the gorge if we needed to.
The scenery is stunning, I do not have a vast enough vocabulary to
describe it’s beauty, and I feel privileged to be able to view it from such
remote spots on the rivers.
We all set ourselves up and got on the
river. My heart is racing, my hands are
shaking, my whole body is trembling. I’m
still exhausted from the days of travelling, and hopping from one bed to
another. I’m wide awake now though. The water is cold, the waves are high and the
river is running fast. There has been a
few days of rain here before our arrival, and the river level is higher than we
had anticipated for our first days paddling.
I’m in my new boat (The Mamba acquired just a week or so before we left)
and although it has similarities to my old hero it just isn’t the same.
I’ve no idea how many Rapids we have gone
through, big wave trains, which by the end of the week will start to feel fun,
now just feel intimidating. I’m singing
and breathing, but every set of rapids provides another spike of
adrenaline. The wave trains aren’t
straightforward, they have some little sideways kicks, and take a considerable
amount of concentration. In the middle
of one section of rapids I can see a wave rising up to the right of me and
another wave crashes in on my left side.
I know what’s happening here. In
slow motion I ride this wave up to the right, I’m merely a passenger in my
boat, I don’t know how to correct it or even if I can, I reach the V where the
two waves meet and that wave on the left just taps my left edge. I’m over.
I reach for my deck and I’m swimming.
Clinging on to my paddle I float in to the next wave. I’m only underwater again for another second
but it takes two or three to open my eyes again. I see an eddy and swim for it. My feet on the river bed and out of the flow,
I stand and get on to the bank. Quite
pleased that I kept hold of my paddle, I encourage my legs to start
moving. More haste less speed as I work
my way down the bank to catch up with my boat, which by now has been rescued in
to an eddy further down. I’m ok, mostly just frustrated, but now I
really am running on fumes.
After a short break to let me catch my breath (and
empty my boat) we carry on down the river.
A few times I end up in front of the group. As I am still nervous I paddle hard through
all the wave trains and end up speeding past everyone. Mostly someone comes past me again, or if I
see one I will catch an eddy and let them overtake. I’m struggling now. With no energy left, my back starting to ache
and my leg going to sleep often, I can’t handle being up front with the unknown
around the corner. As we reach the ‘pre-gorge’
section I’m out infront once again. I
glance around and can’t see an eddy I’m comfortable with, the group feels too
far behind and no-one is coming. I shout
out for someone to take the lead (rather panicked and demanding, but I can’t
help it. I feel lost, alone and I haven’t the energy any more) the others see
the exterior, that I’m doing ok, paddling well and they are confident that what
lies ahead is well within my comfort zone.
I wish I could see myself as they do but under the surface I’m
terrified, and after someone takes over I’m so relieved I cry, then I cry a
little for feeling a bit silly about it all.
I have managed a few times to look up at the
scenery, and once again it is breathtaking.
This is a marked improvement on my first run of last years’ trip, where
I didn’t notice a single thing, not even that we had passed under several
bridges!
The full length of the planned route, around 20km,
had taken us only 3 hours! The carry up
the hill to the campsite, was just about as much as I could handle (even with
Adams help) and I got changed as soon as possible. I knew once I stopped and sat down, I would
not be able to get going again. It had
already been agreed that a second river today would be too much, and this one
had provided quite enough fun for us all for the day.
 |
| Cats relaxing outside the shop |
On arriving back at the campsite we met up with Tomas
and Marta, Rob’s friends who live in Austria.
He had met them paddling out in Nepal a few years ago, and had suggested
catching up and paddling with them while we were here for a few days. They settled themselves in to the site
(Staying in their cars rather than hiring a duck) while we went shopping. Adam joined us for dinner and then Tomas and
Marta came back round with their friend Cici, for drinks and laughs in to the
evening. It didn’t take long to fall
asleep!
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