Alarm clock going off before 7am, and I wondered why on earth I had
agreed to go paddling. I don’t even get up that early for uni! Even once
I’d dragged myself out of bed and into my thermals…I was still
wondering how kayaking was going to be if it really was as cold as it
looked outside the kitchen window…
It was a group of equally as
weary-eyed paddlers (and one still drunk…) who arrived at sheds for an
early start to rack up and head to the lakes for a day’s intermediate
paddling. We all made it to the Kent in one piece (despite some
questionable shaking coming from Ruth’s car…) and by the time we
arrived, the sun had come out and the temperature had finally risen
(slightly) above freezing. Rachel tells us that last time she paddled
the Kent they had to break the ice to get on, so I suppose we should
think ourselves lucky!
And so we all seal launched and off we
went, with Ruth’s car keys inside Lloyd’s drysuit for the shuttle- an
arrangement which caused some difficulty at the Get-Off… when Lloyd was
stood with his drysuit around his ankles and still the key was nowhere
in sight! A nice bimbly top section gave everyone the chance to practise
ferry gliding and warm up ready for the first rapid of the river- a
nice rapid which provided a nice challenge for some of the
lesser-experienced paddlers, and a chance for one more experienced
paddler to practise his roll as he led me down the rapid! The next few
rapids were enjoyable, and didn’t claim too many casualties, bar a few
rolls (including one in a nice flat eddy…). The final rapid of the
section was force falls- a good, fun rapid and a great end to the river.
No swims and just the one T-Rescue. A successful river for everyone
with no one too damp! An excellent thing for me, being the only person
without a dry suit or dry trousers!
A quick break for lunch and we
made the short journey to the get on for the Leven. This journey turned
out to be slightly longer for those in Ben’s car, as he was so
desperate to go home, that he took a short diversion back down the
motorway for one junction… Once the rest of us had unracked, got changed
AND run the shuttle, they finally arrived and we could get on with our
second river of the day! A small weir with a play wave was a good start
to the river, and gave a few people a chance to practise their surfing.
The river was a nice mix of bimbly flatish sections, and rapids. Again,
few victims were claimed, but I did take my 3rd and 4th rolls of the
day! The sun began to set and we started to relive some of the cold
feelings of 8am… but luckily we were approaching the get off! A fun
slide led to the final section and the last rapid of the river-
Backbarrow Falls. A rapid which Lloyd introduced as ‘A 50:50 chance
you’ll come out the right way up’- a fairly accurate description, given
our success rate, of 5 clear runs, 5 rolls, and one unfortunate swim
when paddles got accidently thrown away whilst capsizing, making rolling
back up somewhat difficult! Tired, but contented we got off the river,
and I continued to keep everyone in good spirits, providing amusement
whilst the shuttle was run by completely pinning myself underneath a
nice blue GT on dry land…
For me, it was an excellent day, and I’m
sure the others will agree. Thanks to Schn for organising the trip,
Lloyd for (unofficially) leading us down the river, and Ruth, Ben and
Penny for driving us all there. (Ruth I hope your car is surviving!)
Fiona
No comments:
Post a Comment