Running the rapids

We paddled an entire country today! Okay, so Liechtenstein is only about 24-km long, but it's impressive in many other ways besides its diminutiveness.

For one, it’s one of the richest countries per capita in Europe. Better yet it’s the only country that’s carved entirely out of the Alps. Not that we saw many mountains today, as it’s been raining and the peaks are in a veil.

After a few wrong turns this morning we managed to pull the kayak-trailer close to the Rhine’s edge near a good gravel bar for launching. The entire river is heavily diked against what must be massive floods pouring out of the Alps during rainy springs. Our tents, stoves, sleeping bags and dry clothes went into “dry bags” that in turn are stuffed into sealed compartments in the sea kayaks. We are using sea kayaks instead of river boats because the rest of the distance will be a big, flat river when it is not an actual lake.

But today up here the river is cranking. I’m sure it is nearly 10 km/h hour, switching back and forth between banks and gravel bars. Minor waves were common, while one rapid was big enough that we scouted it and not everyone ran it. And now we’re setting up camp on the Austrian side of the river. After no lunch, I’m ready for dinner.