PADDLER 30
“ I alternate gazing up at the snowdusted Kanin mountains and peering down at the flash of silver of a native marble trout under my boat.”
PADDLER 30
A bear’ s-eye view
We began the quest by filling our water bottles from the source of the Soča above the village of Trenta, where the impossibly clear blue water seeps from a limestone crack and tumbles through shallow cascades, sometimes disappearing under deep gravel deposits – rocks that fell from the mountains of Triglav National Park. Paddling is forbidden on the first 20 kilometres of the river, which is too fragile and shallow for boats, so we hiked along it instead, watching it grow from a bear’ s-eye view, an unusual perspective for kayakers. We crossed romantic hanging bridges, gaining yet another vantage: water birds skimming over the sunlit spray and shimmering whitewater. Though the path was easy, the 16 kilometres took us most of the day, providing a chance to stretch our legs and minds for the start of our source-to-sea mission.
Day two starts when we leave our van with our shuttle‘ hero’ and put in at Velika Korita, literally launching into the trip, sliding off the rock ledge and splashing into the river. We paddle down to the village of Čezsoča, mingling with other kayakers, enjoying the friendly May flows, warming up with rock splats and tight eddies turns, and greeting the Soča, our guide for the next five days. The river even provided some hydration as we found beers floating down the river, washed away from some poor souls upstream.
Then, the Soča spreads her fingers into small channels and deeper pools through braided gravel bars that could trick you into thinking you teleported to British Columbia. I alternate gazing up at the snow-dusted Kanin mountains and peering down at the flash of silver of a native marble trout under my boat. It’ s early spring, so the sunbathers and swimmers haven’ t yet arrived, and we have the river to ourselves. We encounter only one other vessel, a local raft guide,
“ I alternate gazing up at the snowdusted Kanin mountains and peering down at the flash of silver of a native marble trout under my boat.”