15:06 2pm Set off for airport, flight delayed one hour. Arrive Venice around 9pm, get bus for 3 euros to train station and train for 9 euros to Udine. Leo and Rob meet me at station, then drive to Trnovo. Leo tells me the big plan.
16:06 Everyone tired so start after noon. Go from Prijon shop (grade II) to long climb out. No probs, steady easy, start to feel weary at wave and can’t get on it. Last bit manoeuvring around boulders, no probs. Leave boats, go eat and then come back. Leo hints that maybe I should stop, but me thinks I’ll be ok – wrong – very tired!!!! Last section technical boulder field, too tired to think so follow Leo like beginner. Miss going round a rock, get caught by wave/stopper over rock and swim. Now cold and tired. Swim again before end, not sure why. Is raining and cloudy all day low visibility in mountains.
17:06 Has been raining all night and is lashing down. Go to look at river at Prijon shop but is very high at 150/200 cumecs. See trees floating down – play is abandoned. Back to house and start first aid. Everyone is raring to paddle.
18:06 Start earlier, go from Kobarid to Tolmin 17km. Easy grade II but I’m paddling like a lune. Can’t get over eddy lines, not breaking out strongly, wobbling about all over and very tense and stiff. One roll (first roll in boat), two t-rescues and 2 swims. Day is beautiful and clear. Bit of low cloud over alps. Leo has us trying to use waves and eddies to move through the water and getting difficult eddies. River is wide and flat. Leo goes for bus and we practice CPR.
19:06 Leave earlyish and do Kortinica in Kluze, lovely gorge like river with grade III + at beginning and continuous III all the way. Technical paddling round boulders etc. Doing fine although don’t break out strongly from first eddy and t-rescue. Continue ok for while then get caught in flow from round boulder and swim. Boat chased by Rob and Leo until Toni’s campsite and paddle on bank somewhere. I climb out, leaving Martin sunning himself in an eddy on the right. Leo picks me up whilst hitching a lift with Christian (german kayaker) to the bus. Rob gets back on at bridge and goes down with Martin, but can’t find paddle. We ask around – no paddle. Eat some lunch and go and do Kortinica again.
This time swim at curling wave, at bottom of Toni’s campsite and at end in easy wave train on way back to Prijon shop (Rob loaned me his paddle). Don’t know what’s going on, paddling terribly. Very pissed off with myself. Rob and Leo paddle down to Trnovo to look for paddle. My turn to cook make lovely bean and veg chilli but a bit too hot for Martin so he has to add lots of cream to cool it down. Bit more first aid.
20:06 Do short runs to build up my confidence. First from bottom of Toni’s campsite to Prijon shop – no probs. Go for icecream – lovely blueberry - and take it easy. Then get on at bridge down to long take out. Practice ferrying and eddying – doing OK, get caught out breaking into strong flow of wave and end up swimming, boulders at end no probs. Then practice rolling for awhile – still not quite there. Long climb out. More first aid in evening.
18:06 Start earlier, go from Kobarid to Tolmin 17km. Easy grade II but I’m paddling like a lune. Can’t get over eddy lines, not breaking out strongly, wobbling about all over and very tense and stiff. One roll (first roll in boat), two t-rescues and 2 swims. Day is beautiful and clear. Bit of low cloud over alps. Leo has us trying to use waves and eddies to move through the water and getting difficult eddies. River is wide and flat. Leo goes for bus and we practice CPR.
19:06 Leave earlyish and do Kortinica in Kluze, lovely gorge like river with grade III + at beginning and continuous III all the way. Technical paddling round boulders etc. Doing fine although don’t break out strongly from first eddy and t-rescue. Continue ok for while then get caught in flow from round boulder and swim. Boat chased by Rob and Leo until Toni’s campsite and paddle on bank somewhere. I climb out, leaving Martin sunning himself in an eddy on the right. Leo picks me up whilst hitching a lift with Christian (german kayaker) to the bus. Rob gets back on at bridge and goes down with Martin, but can’t find paddle. We ask around – no paddle. Eat some lunch and go and do Kortinica again.
This time swim at curling wave, at bottom of Toni’s campsite and at end in easy wave train on way back to Prijon shop (Rob loaned me his paddle). Don’t know what’s going on, paddling terribly. Very pissed off with myself. Rob and Leo paddle down to Trnovo to look for paddle. My turn to cook make lovely bean and veg chilli but a bit too hot for Martin so he has to add lots of cream to cool it down. Bit more first aid.
20:06 Do short runs to build up my confidence. First from bottom of Toni’s campsite to Prijon shop – no probs. Go for icecream – lovely blueberry - and take it easy. Then get on at bridge down to long take out. Practice ferrying and eddying – doing OK, get caught out breaking into strong flow of wave and end up swimming, boulders at end no probs. Then practice rolling for awhile – still not quite there. Long climb out. More first aid in evening.
21:06 Get up early to do Kortinica, unfortunately not quite awake. Beautiful day and very quiet, low mists and sunlight on river. Get on just after 8am, hardest bit at beginning and unfortunately spin round backwards and over I go – first swim. Back in, ok for awhile, go through rapids fine but then simple/easier bits wobble around and go over. Think I rolled up (I came up). Next swim after bashing into rock on flat water – I am a muppet as Leo says. Further wobble later on but manage to push myself upright, and on to the end with no probs. Do a little shop then Leo’s off home and we’re left on our own to create mischief and mayhem. Tidy up and do washing, air van and kit and try to alter back rest in boat and then lounge in sun. Hitch a lift (Christian again) to bar in Srepinica and have pizza and wine and yes watch footy!! Hitch a lift back with Kobarid local (after watching fireflies) and go for last one in local bar.22:06 Get up late, make toast in frying pan, hitch to Bovec, eat icecream, visit kayak shops, hitch back, eat leftovers, pad out boat.
23:06 Go paddling with Simon in afternoon 3pm, from Srepenica 1 to Trnovo, swim once. Teaches us to point to where we’re going, going from river left to right and back, eddy hopping, stern ruddering into eddies. Great day! Go for pizza again.
24:06 Paddle from top of Soca, through boulder garden. Doing well but unfortunately swim. Simon teaches us stern ruddering in and out of eddies. Still having trouble getting over eddy lines. Come to huge rapid through canyon – again swam, got pushed in to rock river left by flow and went backwards and over. Swam through second bit on back of Simon’s boat. Mut have been tired as then started wobbling on eddy lines and going over, t-rescued twice and rolled once. Trying another boat tomorrow, maybe something a bit longer may give me more momentum. Went for icecream and Simon cooked dinner – pasta and rocket salad – greens :o). Tom Parker and Sarah came for dinner.
25:06 NO SWIMS!!!! Srepenica 1 to Trnovo. Paddled nomad today and paddling improved no end, made eddies, leaned forward, quite enjoyed it. Simon looked at my roll need to bend my arm and look at the paddle, keep the box. Simon taught us low and high brace by looking at spot where going in, bracing on paddle and rotating body forward. Used it a little, but old habits die hard. Didn’t go over at all. Had a long break off the water and bean salad for lunch. After 6pm Debs, Dave Carroll and Kim turned up and we went for a party paddle. They were all manic like children playing on the water. At first Martin led me down but then it appeared to be everyone for themselves and I just started making my own way down, eventually leading Martin who was very tired and a little intimidated by the super paddlers (as was I), but they were fine and left us to it. Fantastic!!! Need to make eddies better, set my intention earlier. Came back and went for pizza and salad again! And watched footy.
26:06 Paddled Kortinica again no swims. Quite a bit lower, got pinned on a rock but got off and Rob helped me up. Shuttle took ages with big Steve. Went for icecream and shopping then got locked out of house so went to Kobard for pizza as we couldn’t make lunch. Lovely fruit and veg shop bought some beans. Got back and others still not back. Went down to river and tied each other up doing first aid. Went to bar to watch footy spain won.
27:06 Slow start, went back to boulder canyon. Got caught out at beginning and Rob t-rescued me. Did some first aid. Pretended to have fallen and Martin thought it was for real at first. Ran rapid fine. Leo swam into canyon and we made a mess of rescuing him – should have done a vector on throw rope to pull him in. Then we all swam through canyon, Rob disappeared in second rapid for few seconds very cold. Then ran rapids - was quite tired but determined not to hit rock on left so landed on rock on right span 180 degrees and went backwards. Managed to turn round and eddy out. Martin copied me. Second rapid ok – bit rocky but did fine. Technique better today although still back paddling. Led for the last little bit back to Prijon shop. Got back in time for Debs and talked about Montenegro, looks lovely. Made date plans - getting excited. Cooked a lovely veg masala and now going to bar to watch Slovenian wedding traditions. Waited around like a lemon but nothing seemed to happen re arch so came back drank a glass of wine and went to sleep.
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