TRAVEL. ADVENTURE. SPORTS.

Paddling Through Reflecting Stillness

It was a trip out on the still canal of Fehrbellin

Paradise is just a paddle away. They say. And I couldn’t agree more. Since I stood for the first time on a paddleboard I fell in love with this new sport. I haven’t been paddling consistently over the past few years but whenever I had the chance to explore some foreign waters, I did not hesitate.

And today was another day for exploring. The sun was shining with no more than a light breeze blowing. I packed my inflatable paddleboard in the car, drove down to the canal I had pinpointed on Google Maps, and turned off the main road to find an entry point.

The short gravel road was leading straight toward the water. There was parking on site, a picnic spot, and sluices on the canal regulating the water flow.

I got out of the car, found a spot where I could comfortably walk into the wet, and was happy with my choice. Nobody else was around. Birds were singing, the daisies blooming and some tiny boats were resting on the water.

I unpacked my inflatable paddleboard and started pumping. The exercise doesn’t start once I’m on the water but it begins as soon as I prepare my board. Bringing the pressure to 15psi is easier said than done. Usually, I’m all sweaty before doing the first paddle strokes.

But it’s all part of the game and eventually, I was ready for the adventure.

My board has four holes for screws where I can mount a camera stick. This is where I place the GoPro, a water-proof camera, to capture my adventures on the canal.

On my clothing, you can see it’s a rather warm day. It was one of the first days this spring I was wearing shorts. The water wasn’t as cold as expected either but I anyway jumped onto the board as soon as I knew the fins of the board wouldn’t touch the ground anymore.

A few paddle strokes later I was gliding down the canal. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if I was paddling up or downriver. The only place where I could see in which direction the river was flowing was at the sluices.

I also couldn’t see and had to estimate the depth of this canal. The water appeared mirky and only let me guess how deep it really is. I decided to stay in the middle to avoid collisions and falling off.

The largest of my fins is just about 20 centimeters long and that’s the total depth of water I need to be able to smoothly get by. I’d say this canal is a lot deeper than that.

I started seeing splashes ahead of me. It took me a while not to stress about all the creatures that could appear out of this water. In the past few years, I’ve been a lot to countries where crocodiles and hippos were home.

But no, I’m not in Africa anymore.

The only animals living in these waters here in Germany are fish. And I’m not scared of fish.

Splash.

Not scared. I said. But that was a big splash. I can’t see what's underneath the surface of the water. I just see when the water is splashing around. Hence my serious face.

As I continued to paddle I passed what appeared at first a line of garden plots. But then I identified the place as a camping site with a harbor for small boats.

Some owners were sitting onshore throwing fishing lines in the water.

Another guy was working on his boat looking at me saying “wow, this looks like a lot of effort”. I replied saying no more than “a bit” with a smile on my face. He replied and responded “luckily I’m too old for that” as I was gliding past the scene.

We didn’t have more time for a conversation but as I was paddling along we shared a smile or two.

After this small settlement, the canal was making a 90-degree turn leading me away from the people and the road that was somewhere near. I hadn’t heard many cars. The birds in the reeds were surely louder than the rest.

But now, turning off into the wilderness the sounds of nature appeared even louder. Many small birds were sitting atop tiny weeds singing their most beautiful melodies.

Some crows were complaining on top of some of the larger trees onshore.

And a gray heron or other large bird was taking off from the shoreline.

I don’t make much noise aside from the splashes my paddle makes when I insert it in the water but some birds seem to get surprised by the sound.

Others just greet me friendly.

I would need my mom as a bird identifier on my side to be able to tell you all the birds I saw on this adventure.

I’m not brave enough to take my good DSLR camera onto the water. Yes, I do have a waterproof bag but taking it out and shooting while kneeling or sitting on this board in the water is another level of being brave.

Maybe one day.

The water is surely flat and calm enough for it.

Instead, I just let my GoPro run every few minutes capturing the stillness of the reflections in the water.

I enjoyed the peaceful surrounding and feeling that grew inside my body.

I passed a small bridge which was the bike path we took two weeks back and another larger bridge was coming ahead of me. Countless cars were crossing the bridge racing from right to left and the other way around which was telling me it must be the highway crossing.

Just before reaching the bridge, I decided to turn around and head back to where I came from.

I prefer doing round trips but they aren’t always possible and seeing a path or river from the other side, often gives you the opportunity to see things from a different angle or spot something you missed on the way in.

I truly enjoyed my first outing with the paddleboard here in northern Germany this year and know many more will follow.

Enough of exercise and adventure for my day off. As I got back to the trailer I decided to relax and rewind in a new remote working location.

I grabbed my hammock, inspected the edge of the forest 20 meters away from our home, and placed it between two pine trees.

Minutes later I was sound asleep among the most diverse melodies of birds singing in the treetops above my head. The sun was shining through the forest canopy and a light breeze of wind was swinging me from left to right.

That much about working. I just took a long nap out in nature.

But that’s okay. Sometimes we just need to slow down and relax. And that’s what I did. In my hammock. In the forest.

“While sleeping in a hammock, with the touch of a warm wind we remember why we are in love with the Life!” — Mehmet Murat Ildan

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” — Mahatma Gandhi

More about my adventures in northern Germany:

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