canoe trip - devon (22-24Feb)

It was a wonderful, fun and exhausting weekend.

We left Cardiff on Friday night, travel down to Devon, had a drink and rest.

On statuary we did canoe surfing on the sea, a very cold and windy day, the waves are fairly powerful. The temperature was around 5 degree that day, plus the wind and getting wet, u can imagine it was definitely FREZZING!!! I will never imagine canoe is something that people can do under this temperature, and I will never imagine there are really people doing it under this temperature, and I will never imagine I WILL do it under this temperature. Kayaking on the sea is not normal to them; they normally kayak in a pool or on a river.


At the beginning I was too brave, keep paddling out, pass one wave after another, and it was too late when I realized the waves are higher when I go further, so I capsized, and then I started to be more careful, after all this is my first time doing canoe surfing. So after a few hours, I was exhausted and really frezzed, keep shaking all the time. As usual the worse thing was you still have to carry you boat back to the van after all these exercise. I was truly exhausted, merely squeezed my rest energy to get change and put on dry clothes. I remember last time I had the same feeling when we finished the obstacle course training at AYP under heavy rain. Yet after all, it was exciting and fun experience.


On Sunday, we paddled for 9K on a river, they said it is a flat and easy river for beginner, and which is interesting enough for me already. Paddling on a river is very different from that on the sea, because you have to go with the flow of the water, need to use your skills, strokes and the body to balance and keep going, and there will be slide or weir that you have to pass through, and you basically cannot stop paddling, because the water is moving, so u have to get to control over the boat instead of flowing with the river. This is why we have to learn all the balance stroke, low brace, high brace and rolling etc, we rarely need them on the sea. It is all greens, animals, farming fields on both sides all the way long, very enjoyable day. And yes, again, the cruelest fact was that you still have to carry you boat from the river to the van after hours of paddling.


My lower back is horrible now, really painful, can’t even stand up and keep it straight in a normal speed, need to do it really slowly. The story was, last Monday I was practicing rolling in the pool; given that my lower back is never in a good condition, so it was hurting a little already. So after Monday practice, i didn’t have enough rest throughout the whole week before the trip, because I swear to myself I MUST finish the essay that I was working on so that I will let myself go and have fun on weekend. So, after all these, plus the canoe trip, my lower back scarified. Backed home, shower, looked at my legs, oh~ I don’t know how and when did I have all those bruises on my knees!!!

Anyway, kayaking on a river is one of the items on my "must do list" in UK, so I can cross out one item now, no matter how exhausting, how cold and how many bruises I got on my knees, it was truly wonderful experience, I LOVE KAYAKING~


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