The past week (a very long post)

Bratislava, Slovakia it is a nice small but big city. Arrived three days ago, just by chance stayed here. It was late in the evening about to get dark. Camping in city's is a real pain as it was an odd night in Vienna's city park two days before. Thinking I was going to have to do the same in Bratislava I pulled around a corner at the edge of town with my kayak and wow a paddling club/hostel. Perfect, kind of surprising but with my luck either super good or really bad it was awesome this time! Now I am in coffee shop, I have roamed eating and drinking as I move along.

Linz was nice, it has been two years since I was there. Familiar faces and sites comfort but in the same, the adventurist part was taken away. Eating, visiting, catching up on old times. Repairs to the boat and baggage along with a little shopping fill the extra time. Still I felt as if I needed to get out on the river as soon as possible. So two days in Linz was it. A nice Lunch of sourer braten, kraut, and knoodle along with ice cream was the kicker and time to go, perfect! My friends brought me to the launch which actually ended up being the Enn river. Yes the Enn so it is just a mild change to plan the Enn instead of the Inn? Late in the day actually considering putting my boat together and making everything perfect takes a good two or so hours. Finally hit the water at 5:00PM. Flowers laced everywhere on my boat champagne toast and I was off with about an hour and a half tell dark.

The river was slow, slower than I thought. GPS telling me I was only moving 2-3MPH when not paddling. I expected more I wanted more too. Just out of site of my farewell after crossing under a bridge a big barge came close to me. The guy on deck was waving his hands at me and yelling something in German that I did not understand, so I pulled over. Not sure of the edict in the world of the water I decided that I would just hang out and hold to the shore. Ends up they were just parking for the night and was only telling me I needed to get moving out of the way. Later though that week this lesson I thought I learned, came into play with me being less than careful and getting in the way of barges recklessly. Now very near dark I was still wondering what I would do for sleep. I know that in the states I would just sleep anywhere and this is what I did. For a while I was skirting the shore trying to find the best part along the shore to get out. This proofed useless as any place was as good as the next. Finlay in the dark I pulled my boat out of the water after only going about 5 miles that night.

Slept great that night, really good. Now time to hit the river and move. My goal was to get in as many hours on the river during daylight as possible. If on the river you are always moving. I woke around 6AM. An hour or so to get everything packed up knowing that this would be faster after more practise. 7AM on the river. Now a big problem of paddling the Danube in Austria is there are so many dams. I grew to hate dams. Hate the portages, unloading and carting my boat around searching for the best spot to put my boat in the water. Although it is nice that I get out and walk because when sitting in a boat hour after hour pain comes in many areas of the body. I have many rules I have set myself and one is never let my kayak out of site. Even though not really a safety rule it is the most important part of my trip, without it I am up a river with no boat. So with these portages the fact of always having my boat with me made big hassles. I would have liked many times to scout out ahead and see if the trail or such had a good put in for my boat. Dragging the boat everywhere made for a big hassle. Two dams that day. A
little rain off and on too which is almost nice. There was another kayak on the water that day too. Joe as we will call him, a German student who had started also at Linz. His boat was causing him trouble though. It was the type of boat you might buy for the kids and take it on the lake ever year maybe if it held up. More of a float for him. A spur of the moment trip that he put together by buying a boat and jumping in it in his street clothing and going down the river. I like his style though even though I doubt he went much further than where I saw him last. Myself I ended up that day putting in 32.5 miles. Not that good but OK for the fact I had two dams. An island near some homes was my camp spot that night. Super nice grassy and a good landing for the boat.

Now with the whole "and the next day I....." Yes the 22nd was a long long day. 40.7 miles in total and a dam. Beautiful countryside moving through the area of Krems. Old castles on the hill side of every corner, terraced vineyards and small villages dotted the river banks. I feel now I am sorry I went so fast through this area. It would have been nice to stop and drink a nice glass of wine in the square or just talk with someone. Nope I was on a mission a mission to cut every corner. Ride the Shipping lanes. Binoculars in hand always looking for the next cargo ship and move out of the way. It was fast this way. Strait lines corner to corner. Not very smart though as an after though as I am small and they are big. I did make it out of the area of Krems that day and the environment was a little more industrial. A dam was coming up too. Paddle, Paddle that was all there was to do and that's what I did. it is really becoming just easy paddling for hours. Kind of like running, at first hard and out of tune, then naturally smooth. Sometimes I count, usually to 100, take a 10 second break and do it again. Rhythm, momentum kind of a mindless space out go into dreamland activity and I am good at this! I reach a endpoint that night at about 630PM. Tired and just wanting to relax and stop. The only camp spot was basically on a road. This would work. 2 feet of flat ground inches from the pavement was my bed that night. Only once that I know of a car came by. My reflective paddling top must have worked for them to see me and my boat as I was not hit that night.

To Vienna this day, the 23rd. Waking up was hard that morning. Although I get lots of sleep just like in camping as in when it is dark you sleep I wanted to hangout and enjoy the sunshine from a long wet night in my sleeping bag from the heavy dew that has accumulated over the past days. Finally up and about I figured I would try to hurry again with the attitude of more miles the better. A couple dams in the plans for the day I knew another long day. It was a long day too. First dam not too bad besides the cart that was at one of the portages for people to use rubbed a small amount of rubber off my boat with friction I did not notices for a minute from the tire rubbing. Shoe GU the best stuff out there I think fixed the problem and one more portage though the small town and I was back on the river again. Blank and kind of bland always it seems before large city's there was not much entertainment for the sight seeing activity's. Just paddle, paddle. It was a good 15 or so miles until the next dam. I think that I only got out of the boat once before that dam. Considering sitting is hard for me in the first place I was really kind of bored. When boredom sets in my mind wonders. I think a lot about the plan of this whole trip, home and people there and even the future for work and life in general. Although needing to be in the moment concentrated on what I am doing I enjoy this day dreaming I do so much while traveling. It is simple being alone and self supported while traveling and mostly without need from the world. Able to narrow thoughts down and not have time focused on other activity's or people. The idea of this trip has this thought as a vision. Knowing I will have so much time to think I want to make something out of it, be productive in life, make changes where needed with a want for it. All this though and day dreaming puts me into another world with the reality of what is going on lost in a dreamland while paddling I come near to the next dam. Now with so much to do the dam portage takes up all thought process and I am in action to get my boat out of the water and around the dam. It is a shame though I think now that my only action is action and not stopping to talk or step into the small town while passing by. The boat out of the water into the water and again as I exit the towns small inlet channel. Strait to Vienna now. 6 miles or so tell I will be there. I start wondering about camping and where? City's are always hard to camp in. It just is not the environment for it. The banks of the river are filled with people running and biking. There is a occasional kayak on the river just out for a afternoon paddle. The current is strong and I move fast towards town passing up possible camping sitesl everywhere thinking I can get in another mile or so. 515PM I am at the edge of town one more hour or so and I should really be in camp. The channels split when entering the area of Vienna. There is what looks to be a paddling club docking system. I think about staying here and just camping on the bank of the river or even a dock. Some kids along the bank though tell me there is a camp ground another mile and a half down the river on the main channel. Another one and a half miles is another one and a half miles, so I decide to go for it. Wrong nothing, nothing for 3 miles. It is almost dark now and it is not looking good now. My concern is big city lots of people and possible getting woken up in the night from a bad spot where I will lay my head to sleep. I am committed though and i must find a spot in town. City park it is. A little peninsula kind of off the path becomes my home for the night. Using the city lights to set up camp keeping undercover I go to sleep 34 miles and 11 hours on the river without eating or any extra comforts of camping.


24th, I awake with beer cans and garbage around me. This must be the spot where people come and drink beer by the river. The weather looks nice and even though I slept on a slope with a branches for a bed I seem to be rested. Now for a nice float though the rest of Vienna. The sun rays hit the water perfectly and I fell like a great day is ahead of me. Although Vienna is a beautiful city having been there a couple times in the past from the water it is not that nice. The water slows as there is a dam coming up. Now a bit confusing of where I should portage I overshoot the pullout. Having to paddle up a river you want to get down is also breaking a rule just as in mountaineering, you never want to loose elevation and you never want to loose have to paddle back up the river. maybe a half mile was all but if only it way the other way. With my GPS I am able to find out that with only a 200 yard portage I can get into the other channel that seems to put me on the right track to get around this dam. Simple I think. Simple is never simple when you do not know what you are doing. Yes 200 yards but 1-2 miles of flat water without current, wind in your face paddling and another portage to a horrible entry into scary water 3 hours later, things are not always what they seem. Finally on the river again 2PM still enough time to make some miles. The river is big and scary for me at least. One thing you should know is I am scared of big water and for a good reason. To be comfortable you need to be able to read the water and understand where this line of risk is so you can manage it. I just guess most of the time. The wind has really picked up along with the current and barges are coming more and more often. Paddling the whole time is the only way to keep in control of the boat in some sort of fashion. Like usal I am trying to make time so i use the shipping lanes to move move. My line of risk I know I am on the edge for my ability but either stupidity and ignorant tells me to keep doing what I am doing. Miles after miles go by wind in my face it is just part of another challenge of the trip. The day will end and I will sleep I know relaxed after another hard day on the water. Thoughts go to how I can do this everyday and I will suffer though it and in the end love it. Nearing 4PM I have a couple more hours of paddling I know. I set speed records on my GPS 11 MPH wow! Now when things go wrong they go wrong fast it always seems. Listening to my radio another odd sound comes from the other side of the boat. I seem to be hearing air leaking form somewhere. So now my boat has a hole in it, great(ended up being the wind in the bushes. Why now, why I am making good time and really pushing it. Not a bad leak, I have 4 chambers in my boat I might as well try going a little faster and at least make it to a town 4 miles away, maybe a half hour. Might as well cross the river in case I really need to get to shore fast if I start sinking! Picture this: a curve in the river fast current, barges coming a ways off slowly as they are coming against the current and lots of wind. I cross now! This takes awhile and I know now I should have not crossed there. Feeling good and strong though maybe with adrenaline I power through and am am almost across. Some werid water ahead figuring it is nothing just paddle faster and speed through it. Whirlpools, yep I hit a small one and nothing happens, cool! Keep paddling and then I see it a big whirlpool. couple feet deep and pretty big around I am pulled strait into it. I really can't believe it happens, it is kind of in slow motion then fast. The front of my boat is sucked down into the whirlpool and my boat is flipped! I have a teather for me to my boat along with one for my paddle. Thankful for this I am able to reach my boat as it circles with me in the whirlpool. Now hanging on the edge on it I try kicking my feet with hope to move the boat to shore. No progress, what am I thinking? I decide well I have a paddle and the top of the boat looks good, I get on top. Perfect. Soon I am out of the whirlpool and paddling to shore with the barge now not coming towards me. Laughing is all I can think and wow that really happened. Minutes later I am at shore and really it is all good. I flip my boat over everything is there besides my music radio, some socks and long underware I was drying. My system of everything being tied down worked. Still laughing and with know one to share the experiance with I just laugh some more. Camp is there. A town is actually really close. I dry out some stuff that got wet. Lounge on the bank of the river eating and reading while reflecting on my thoughts.

I always have been a person who learns the hard way and again it proves to be true. I am not stupid though, stupid people do not learn and do the same stupid thing. With this thought in mind I analyze what has gone wrong and why. My conclusion and realisation is I am pushing myself over my ability with my inexperiance and thoughts of whatever it takes. Whatever it takes has always been a joke with some friends of mine. We have heard it said by stupid people in situations where it could or was over there head. I will not do whatever it takes. The line was found I crossed it and it caught me. Now though there is a line. A line I can see more clearly than before. Not perfectly and and no one can ever really, but this line I know I need not get so close to and imagine where it might be and stay away a little more. More realisatons also, I am not seeing or experiancing where I am. Like I have said my Mom was always telling us kids to stop and look around. I know I have not always done what my Mom has said and here again I was not. Mom is smart though and again like always I realise this. The past days on the river I was not talking to anyone or seeing anything but from the banks of the river. Europe is beautiful with wonderful culture and people, why am I skipping it? With this though I have decided I will fore go my outlandish plans of Athens. Time I do have yes and time I will spend both paddling and whenever I please stop and enjoy where I am.

25th a slow day at first. Leisurely enjoying the morning a local stops by why I am reading my book. We talk in some way of German and English. An understanding is met and gday's are said. Slovakia today. Only a short trip down the river maybe 15 miles. First though I wanted to restock with good Austrian food at the nearby town of Hainsburg. 2-3 miles down the river I arrive after a new day and new feelings of being more careful on the river. This is this first item I leave my boat unattended nervously. New rule I guess. My boat is everything but my experiance is more. Only unreplacable valuables are taken such as pics. People are people and yes there is somone out there that might want to steal stuff off my boat but they are few and far between. Grocery shopping has always been one of my favorite activities and mostly in other country's. My day is starting out wonderful splurging on a few extra favorite idems. Back to the boat with new food and an enjoyable walk through a great city. One hour goes by and I decide I must get going before it is too late in the day to travel. Slovakia is the next stop. With thoughts I would need to check in at some checkpoint for customs ect. I must get therr sooner than later. Next stop Slovakia. The river is fast again and wind in the face. It is no time and I am at the border. Stepping on to land I decide this first cit of Slovakia I will try to find some sort of customs checkpoint. There is a lighthouse looking this which looks official. Nothing locked. A small caffee around the corner with people. This caffee well not a normal caffee. I'm pretty sure the sign said caffee/dancers. The girls there look like dancers or something extra too. No English and nothing is communicated besides a little sells pitch towards what they were selling? Forget it I will take my chances on the river and try something in Bratislava. It is late in the afternoon by now the wind has picked up considerably. This flat water is not so flat anymore. Water does werid things that I do not understand. What I do understand is I want nothing to do with werid water. Staying near to shore the wind repeatably throws my boat into the shore. Whirlpools from eddies dot the shoreline. My thought is I will power through them. This works but once at the other side the back current of the eddie throws my boat into the bank. Fears of the boat being damage go through my head but ther is nothing I can do. This short journey takes me longer than expected with thoughts again of where I will sleep. Not another city park in Bratislava. There is a Island coming up though at the outskirts of town. Switching back and forth I decide to go for it and maybe I can just stay there tonight. This island for campng is nothing, with thoughts of being stuck in the dark I turn the cornner only to see kayakers and a hostel! As I have said my luck is good or bad and good it is now.

28th I am still In Bratislava. Thoughts of leaving today were in action but the decision to stay come from the disire to spend another day in this wonderful place. Bratislava is so nice. Old and new city options. The owners of this hostel are avid kayakers with endless conversation of the river and life. My time here has been a wonderful experiance both enjoying the company in hour after hour talks, people watching in town, visits to coffee shops and pubs, a small but informative understanding of the Slovik people and way of life. Yes I am leaving tomorrow, my plans always change. Plan now though without understating what I just said is I will do what I please moment to moment where I go and how long is whatever I please until it is time to go home.