In July 2020, in a brief respite from the worries of the covid pandemic, I had the good fortune to be able to escape for a little adventure, spending 3 days paddling down the Tamiš river in northern Serbia, in my packraft.
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Gently Down the Stream - Sunday Packrafting
I don’t know anything about river management. However it is always frustrating how difficult it is to paddle for any distance on my local river; the Great Ouse.
I didn’t run into any other waterborne folk which adds its own kind of charm and what I lacked in speed I made up for in birdlife; six geese, five swans, four herons, three kingfishers, two cormorants and a partridge in a …
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Yesterday Was a Perfect Day
“CAN WE GO IN THE PACKRAFT DADDY?”
It is hard to express in words the special joy that permeates throughout every fibre of me when I hear such a question. I am delighted my daughter is showing an increasing interest not only in getting on the water but in actually doing some paddling. Today she showed me she understood the basic principles that keep a vessel straight.
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Photo by Ivan Kovacevic.
Summer Road Trip 2017 - Packrafting Mountain Lakes
There is something about a mountain lake that draws you in. It is in a sense the ultimate in doing something simply because it is there. Paddling out into the middle of the lake is often largely pointless, it is not wide enough to pose a physical challenge and it doesn’t take you anywhere, in the way that a river might.
It does however offer a genuinely new viewpoint and I think it is this which is so attractive to me. I have always walked around mountain lakes in awe of their beauty but it is only recently that I have discovered the true joy that is to be found on the water.
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New Gear for Review
Its just a few day before I go off to the Alps for the best part of a week, reacquainting myself with the glaciers and ridges of the mountains that inspired my love of the outdoors.
It is surprising how long-lasting a lot of outdoor gear can be, even when left unattended. So I have scraped a bit of rust off my crampons and we are good to go!
Actually I have taken delivery of quite a few new bits this week, as I prepare of our adventure road trip in Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Below are a few which I shall be reviewing over the summer.
I am not used to requiring waterproof covers for everything but if I have learnt anything since buying the packraft it is the value in keeping everything in one dry bag and the phone well and truly safe. I have a 20l dry bag and two phone covers to try out in some white water in July!
The last time I filtered water was using tablets which was difficult to stomach, but things have moved on since then and Water-to-Go seems to provide a reasonably-priced option for water-filtration. I think that will get a lot of testing over the month of July.
My GoPro is never far from me and since my last mini grip tripod broke in two places whilst I was in the Cairngorms in April I have been looking out for a new one at a reasonable price. The Fantaseal® Robust Octopus seems to fit the bill, we shall see how it performs.
I have never used a solar charger but with the profusion of devices that my family seems to have amassed I felt it made sense not just for myself in the mountains but also for all of us on the road. I will also be blogging on our trip so would hate to be without power! I have the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite (15W 2-Port USB Solar Charger) which should give plenty of power!
I will start posting reviews in early August for these items and some clothing... now back to #30DaysWild.
4 Days Wild - P is for Paddling [Video]
Day 4 of 30 Days Wild saw us make the most of the sunny weather and go on a packrafting expedition!
There is not much to say really except we had a fabulous mini-adventure, although the swans were not exactly happy to see us. The whole thing was spur of the moment, took little organisation and we back home for lunch!
Anyway WATCH the VIDEO...
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A Load of Old Rubbish.
Every time I go for a walk I see rubbish. Every time I go for a walk, I Pass rubbish and I tut, in a sort of self-satisfied way.
I regularly ask myself; how could people be so crass as to drop litter? Why don't they pick it up?
The question I never asked is; why don't I pick it up?
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How to make a GoPro packraft Mount [Video]
One year - when I was seven years old, if memory serves me right - my brother and I set sail on a home made raft made from branches and planks nailed and lashed together with twine and strapped over some large plastic jerry cans.
We drifted out into an often limpid pool that was only a few metres across, but in doing so we lived out an adventure that few children did. We translated our imagination into reality. Alright, we had some grown-up help in the construction of this vessel but the Swallows and Amazons fantasy we lived out was all ours.
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