The only sound is the soft splashing of my paddle. My kayak slowly glides forward on the glittering surface of the Krutyni. We are following this river through lakes and narrow passages towards our destination one hundred kilometres farther downstream. When I first asked my friends, if they were interested in joining me on a week long kayak adventure in an obscure national park in Poland they laughed at me. Yet here we are, and we are having a grand time. There are no clocks and alarms, in the morning we start when the sun wakes us. After a few hours of paddling we look for a clearing on one of the shores, set up our hammocks and have a picknick and a siesta. Later, when the sun stands lower we set out again. Sometimes we pass small villages where we buy supplies, the rest of the time it’s just us, the river and the wild swans. When we are tired again we stop for the night. This little island will do for our camp tonight. Somebody sets up the tents and hammocks while others cook. Finally we gather around the fire and stare into the flames, while listening to the wind in the branches above us.
Summer 2017