If in Doubt, Paddle Out

Spending the afternoon on the canals of northern Germany

The birds were singing, some insects buzzing around and no other sounds but the splashing of our paddling. It was rather warm but the sky was overcast which made it a bit more pleasant.

After a hard week at work and a Sunday where we finished jumping after 9 pm, I was actually pretty tired. But my husband and I had some plans for the day. Talking about it for a while now, we wanted to do a roundtrip on the canals.

The canals surrounding the town of Fehrbellin, which is about 5 kilometers away from the trailer park we live at, create a nice square that can be accessed at different points.

We love paddling out on the canals and rivers in the surroundings but thought it would be nice for once not to paddle back again. A roundtrip is always a fun adventure.

I never take my phone with me when out on the water but judging by the stretches I had paddled before, I estimated the trip would take us around 3 to 4 hours.

When we got to the entry point we first inspected the water levels. The smallest canal was where we would be starting and finishing the trip and the one I was most worried about.

Looking at how much the water had dropped from our previous expedition on it, my husband was rather concerned. I stayed positive and said I would pump up my stand-up paddleboard and go on it testing with the paddle how deep the water was.

The middle of the canal was about 30-40 centimeters deep. Rather shallow but it should be enough for us. We decided to not put our fins on and make our way through the first stretch without them.

It was interesting since I had never used my board without the fins on. While I thought I would be struggling to keep the balance, I had more problems keeping the board straight. Without the fins, paddling in a straight line is almost impossible.

However, we made it to the end of the canal, carried our board and kayak out of the water, and mounted the fins on it.

On the river now, we could paddle fast and cover some distance.

After about an hour into the trip, my husband was saying he was getting tired and asked if we could swap. We had never done that before but surprisingly, we managed to get from the board to the kayak and the other way around without needing to dock on land and without falling into the water.

I enjoyed the change. I don’t know when I last sat in a kayak. My husband also enjoyed standing on my paddleboard and doing some different movements for a while.

Once we passed the halfway point, we changed back again.

At one of the sluices where we had to climb out of the water to carry the gear a few meters and enter on the other side again, we made a break, sat on the bench, and ate our sandwiches.

This was when we realized we were getting tired. We were past the halfway point but I somehow had a feeling the worst was still to come.

We now had to paddle through town. The canal was very small and overgrown with lilies and other water plants. I was close behind my husband when all of a sudden I heard a big splash and saw a massive fish in the corner of my eye.

He had jumped out of the water and I had gotten an idea of how huge that creature was. My husband asked me what it was and was surprised I hadn’t fallen into the water while getting a fright.

I almost did. I tell you that.

That fish was massive!

We continued the trip and the plant growth in the water was getting worse. It was like trying to paddle across a carpet. The plants were partwise so thick and grown across the entire canal.

I stopped.

I should have taken my fins off and floated above the carpet-like plants but I didn’t.

I paddled hard. Like really hard.

Just to slowly make my way forward.

We were getting closer to the end of the roundtrip when the water cleared again but I still felt like I had to paddle hard to move forward. I was sure there were some plants, branches or some other vegetation stuck on my fins but I was too tired to think of how to get them out.

I kept on paddling.

With the last bit of my strength.

Just as I was paddling past this beautiful tree at the edge of the water, I suddenly felt a push forward and knew immediately whatever had been stuck on my board was now released.

Too late.

I only had about 20 meters left.

When we got back to the car we were both more exhausted than happy but looking back at the adventure I can assure you it was all worth it.

We really enjoyed the time on the water. With all the struggles.

And yes, it took us a bit more than 4 hours to complete the trip.

“As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” — Katharine Hepburn

More about my paddle adventures:

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