As we are getting closer to departure date, we are kayaking and testing our equipment as much as possible. Something I have realized during these past weeks of kayaking is that you never really know what to expect until you are out there. We decided to put our plan into practice and do a mini-trip here in Stockholm. Our idea was to make it as similar to our real journey as we could. We were going to find an island to sleep on, eat no luxurious food and only bring only one pair of extra clothes. What did we have to expect? How much should we pack? Will we fit in our small tents?
This we were going to have to find out…
We met at the shore on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The crew at Pampas Marina/Melker & Tahe Brandstore had a surprise for us - new equipment! We were given jacket, life vests and poggies. My and Emil were there to answer out questions and help us packing our kayaks, since this was going to be our first time. Packing was quite easy and we had a lot of space left, good! This will make our real trip easier. We took one last toilet visit, hoped in the kayaks and got ready for 5 hours on the water.
Around 10:30 p.m. we found an island to stay the night. We were quick with putting up the tents and change clothes, as it was getting darker. Everything seemed to go according to plan! Except that one of our rice pots fell to the ground… More food for the birds, less food for us. Oh well.
Everything was set and the only sound I could hear was the flames of the fire, I couldn’t help myself but to absorb the breathtaking environment I was in. Being out on the water is truly something special. At the end of the day, when we have been kayaking hard and faced challenges, the best reward is to breath in the fresh air and look at the beautiful creation that nature is. This makes it all worh it.
Sara