Day 37: That’s a paddlin’

Oryahovo to Marker 620 (59km)

After a quick trip to the supermarket to stock up on supplies, we were on the river, the metropolis of Oryahovo becoming a fading memory. The aim for the day was to take another 60km out of the river, moving us closer to the short term target of Ruse. It was a much nicer day on the river and for the first time in what felt like an age, the spray deck stayed locked away inside the kayak for the duration.

We stopped for lunch and managed to find a nice shaded spot, hidden from the sweltering afternoon sun. Apart from the windy days, it has been very hot the last few weeks. The heat is one of my biggest enemies while cycling, but I’ve found that with kayaking, it is not such an issue. The main problem with cycling in the heat is that you get too hot (I probably didn’t need to include this sentence) and there are very little methods of cooling yourself down again. However, with kayaking, you are literally floating on a substance that can instantly cool you down. Throughout the day, I would frequently dip my cap, my arms and my buff in the river, providing immediate relief from the baking heat.

We paddled for 60km and then found a nice camping spot on the side of the river. A completely uneventful day, with no tales of interest, but after the last week, I’m certainly not complaining about that.