Tyrone Slothrop
I can cook for six people with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back.
But I’ve totally forgotten how to cook for just one person.
*borps*
Good morning from sunny #Slovenia!
Had a quiet night in the tent, got woken up by a cuckoo.
I’ll have to move my tent again - accidentally set it up next to where the group tent / social hub of the kayak school will be. I’m happy to chat with people, but I don’t need *that* much social life.
I’m camped next to a couple with a toddler, and I’ll say that small kids waking up early in the morning are totally fine for me, as long as I’m not the one who’s supposed to look after them 🤗
MOTD
„ Ich sitze still und lasse mich bescheinen
und ruh von meinem Vaterlande aus.“
- Kurt Tucholsky, Park Monceau
https://www.zgedichte.de/kurt-tucholsky/park-monceau.html
My body tells me it needs some rest. My mind is a hamster running in a little wheel, shouting “when do we go out on the water? When, when, when?”
So I’m making a compromise: another paddler is doing a short, playful run, and I’m joining him.
Ok, this was a long-ish play run. Very chill.
The Soča river is stunningly beautiful, as always. So good to be here.
I’ve booked a “play the river” course for the week, where we’ll be practicing pirouettes, rock splats and the like.
It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years- but it will be exhausting 😅
Friends.
If you play djembe
And you ever go camping
DO NOT BRING THE FUCKING DJEMBE
Today is break day on the kayak course. The road out from the campground is blocked for resurfacing, and there’s thunderstorms predicted.
We’d happily paddle in the rain, since we get wet anyway, but lightning strikes are a risk when you’re the highest thing on a flat water surface.
Yesterday’s run was super nice, and humbling: we’re training doing basic eddy maneuvers in exactly the wrong ways.
Every whitewater kayaker learns: when you exit the eddy, raise the upper edge. If you’re in danger of tipping over, support yourself with the paddle.
We practice keeping the boat flat, lowering the upper edge (the thing you must normally not do, ever), and rather tip and roll than support 😬
The goal is to do stern squirts like this
Kayak Stern Squirt
42 liters of rain predicted over next 24h. Yeesh.
At least there’ll be more water in the river, which is running a bit low.
Rain’s here, right on schedule.
I’ve had hot porridge and tea. With the washing up done, I’m retiring to my tent to read Moby Dick.
The #kayak course I’m taking is aimed at people who have been paddling for a while. In the welcome round yesterday, group members’ experience ran between 5 and 30 years on the water.
The coach asked about relevant health issues (that’s a routine procedure), and the group sounded like a doctor’s waiting room 😂😂
It’s super chill to paddle with people who know the drill, are aware of their limitations, and take them seriously.
I’m quite enjoying this break day. Rain outside the tent. A good book. Naps whenever I want them.
Just ventured out and made instant ramen. 🍜 Now I’m back inside to continue the day’s program.
I think I needed that rest 😃
The neighbor’s toddler has a rather different perspective on the weather. She thinks that her parents should go out more, and be less boring, and also that the sun should be shining.
Tomorrow’s going to be 12°C tops, with more rain in the morning.
Good thing I brought a drysuit, and invested in a neoprene hood yesterday.
Ok, time to heat up the contents of some tin.
No ambitious camping cuisine tonight.
Another perk of this rainy break day: it’s been an opportunity to recharge my social batteries.
Some of my fellow paddlers here are rather talkative.
Good morning! Today we’re admiring the fresh snow on the mountains.
It’s 11°C, and that’s more or less all we’re going to get today. And it’s raining.
Coach just walked by, saying “dress warm”. Ya think? 🤔🙃
That 20€ I spent on a neoprene hood on Sunday is looking better and better.
At least the water level is up…
In other words, everyone’s freezing their bollocks off.
Most of the experienced paddlers have dry suits, we’ll be fine. As for the beginners in their neoprene, I hope their enthusiasm carries them through the day 🥶
With the water around 7.5°C, at least we won’t really notice a temperature difference when we tip and (hopefully) roll
Fuck it, I’m just going to wear a neoprene suit underneath my drysuit. That should keep me plenty warm.
Not too long ago, I voiced some fairly strong opinions about porridge. I claimed that it was unappealing at best, and repulsive at worst.
I’m here today to admit that I was wrong. On this cold, wet morning in the Slovenian Alps, I have come to understand that pot of hot porridge is the ideal sustenance for the dedicated outdoor sportsperson.
I recognize the error of my ways, and humbly ask for forgiveness from any porridge lovers whom I may have previously offended.
dwardoric
dodothedev🦤💻@slothrop
Tbf, I was the same. I always avoided the porridge at school as it just looked grey and unappealing.
Bow, in my dotage, I've come to like it and - dare I say - even look forward to it for breakfast.
Man I'm getting old!
Vick Forcella ™🌈🌳❄️☑️:verifi@DodoTheDev @slothrop All the porridge lovers on this world are gathered in this thread.
We had an extended theory session, while the rain was pouring down. Now the sun is finally out, and we’re prepping to go on the water.
We’re back! Neoprene + drysuit was definitely the right approach. Lots of rolls.
I was low on energy. Still gave it all I had, it just wasn’t as much as what would have been normal.
It was still a very fun day! Looking forward to tomorrow 😊
Tomorrow we’ll get up early, because the road out from the campsite will be blocked for works starting at 8am
We’ll do the Srpenica - Trnovo section of the Soča, which the Germans know as “the graveyard”. Not because it’s particularly dangerous, but because you get out near a graveyard.
Still, it’s a more challenging section than what we’ve had so far, and one of Europe’s classic runs. I look forward to paddling there again!
Quite unusually, we actually stuck to the plan. I had an early start to the day. My group members loaded
their gear into my car, I left camp at 7:45, drove into town, and had the best breakfast of the week avocado toast with beetroot hummus 😋
Then some waiting, some driving, and we actually got on the water by 1pm. Focused practice for a couple of moves, and then a fairly relaxed guided run through the “graveyard” section, which went well.
Now I’m tired… 🥱
Tomorrow and Friday, the weather is going to be legit shite. 11°C max, lots of rain.
With any luck, we’ll get on the water before the rain starts in earnest tomorrow. Once you’re in the boat, the weather doesn’t matter so much anymore - though sunshine certainly helps me go harder, and take more risks.
My brain is being a bit stupid about some of the stuff we do. Sometimes I’m afraid to perform a certain maneuver, even though it’s perfectly safe.
I’m not alone in this. Skills are important, but in kayaking, so much depends on your mindset, and how you’re feeling that day.
Fortunately, the culture is to figure this in. The important question isn’t “can you run this section”, but “do you feel ok to run this section today?”
@slothrop Just don't damage yourself.
If you feel NO then do NO. You are not crazy, just a little.
If you feel NO then do NO. You are not crazy, just a little.
@VickForcella sure!
But consider: there’s that bit of space, just outside your comfort zone, that’s still safe - and that’s where progress is to be found.
(“Progress” in this case is defined as “being able to put your boat vertical, and slide along a rock in a cool-looking way”)
@slothrop You should evaluate risk vs gain.
Going down a zipline that is 100% safe has no real risk and the gain is to be able to say something good about yourself.
If the risk would be drowning or being disabled would it still be worth it? Being proud of yourself?
If you are on your own, the evaluation would be different as when there are people that depend on you.
Just be careful.
@VickForcella Thanks! Those are indeed some of the standard evaluations we routinely run.
This week, I’m with a professional instructor. She’s been doing this for 20+ years, and I know I’m safe with her
Just getting into the course requires you to hit 80% of your rolling attempts. Everyone’s a repeat customer.
It’s all very relaxed - until you drift sideways onto a rock, trying to execute a perfectly timed, complex maneuver, which is likely to fail 😬
@VickForcella but when the maneuver fails, there’s just open water downstream. We roll, and try again.
Every valiant attempt gets applause. Every spot that would not be entirely safe, we skip. People are comfortable admitting when they’re not comfortable.
Waking up. A couple of hours left before the rain and wind begin. Time to secure the tent. ⛺️
Sleeping bag’s nice and cozy though 😊
In any case, I’m hoarding my last dry sets of merino underwear like treasure.
My clothing has more layers than the OSI model
Secured the tent with extra guy lines. Gear is packed for the day.
The only thing I’m missing is two Snickers bars for my PFD. I did put them somewhere around here…
Found the Snickers! The rain so far is only a light drizzle.
The mood on the camp is fine, if a bit muted. Everyone’s a little tired, and the weather isn’t helping.
I’ll grab another coffee, and wait to find out which section we’re going to run today.
One of the perks of this particular kayaking school: they always bring a proper espresso machine to the Soča camp!
A question to more experienced kayakers:
Is there ever a point where, just before setting out from home / camp, you stop asking “did I really pack my spray deck?”
Back at camp, after a good three hours on the water.
Shorter than usual, but it was COLD 🥶
I still gave it all I had. My head was doing well today, and I pushed myself hard. Some stuff worked, some didn’t - but at least I know why.
Had one risky moment where I flipped, didn’t manage to roll quickly, hit a few stones in flat water, but eventually managed to get myself upright again. Thanks, helmet! 🪖😵💫
algernon prepping for RustWeek@slothrop answer from my Dad, who's been on water since the 1960s: no.
MaxiPalle
jimfl
Pepijn@slothrop Have a nice day! It's fun reading about a type of holiday experience I've never done myself.
Did you finish the book about the big fish?
@Pepijn Thanks!
I made some progress on the book, but not much. The days are full, and in the evening I’m too tired to read. With camping, the normal household stuff (sorting clothes, preparing food etc.) all takes up more time.
Add a bit of chatting with the neighbors (we’re all here for the same thing, so lots of shared interests), and the day is mostly spoken for.
betabug... Sascha Welter@slothrop At what level of rain do you simply declare yourself a submarine?
Peter Brett@slothrop Yeah, it's a bit early in the season. We hiked that section of the river last July, and it was absolutely scorching. I hope you have a really enjoyable, mosquito-free paddle tomorrow!
Adam@Kels_316 today’s choice is between sweaty and cold, and I know which one I prefer
walfischbucht@slothrop
That escalated quickly. 😬
That escalated quickly. 😬
Henry