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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tI coast down the mixed cobblestone road to Kamp Koren, So\u010da\u2019s prettiest riverside campground. The rumbling river can be heard as I drop off the local eggs, fresh veggies and mangled baguette, immediately tying my kayak onto the car. This is my version of a European vacation, a simpler Hollywood rendition. Simple times: kayaking, food, friends and beer. Slovenia is a destination where paddling gear seldom dries, beers are always cold and no matter where you are in the country, the landscape and rivers are simply stunning.<\/p>\n
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Mention \u2018Slovenia\u2019 to any European kayaker, and \u2018So\u010da\u2019 will be the next word rolling off their tongue. I\u2019m lucky to be visiting friends in this area of western Slovenia for the third time. I met this crew of kayakers last October when I first visited the So\u010da Valley and then again in March when I paddled the So\u010da from source to sea as a part of the Balkan Rivers Tour 2<\/a>, raising awareness about the potential construction of small hydro power plants on the upper So\u010da and U\u010dja. This river is an alpine gem, a paddlers\u2019 paradise and a place you could visit again and again in every season and still not fully experience its adventure.<\/p>\n With boats on the roof, we drive to the put in, down a winding road snaking along the river, a few hundred meters above the canyon. Through the trees I can see intermittent views of the towering green and gray Julian Alps and it\u2019s hard to comprehend the scope of this valley, with peaks reaching 7000\u20139000 feet. Mountain bike and hiking trails wind up and down the mountains surrounding the So\u010da. On cloudless days, the faint outline of paragliders can be seen above the mountain ridges, their bodies tiny specks beneath the brightly colored kites. And if that\u2019s not enticing there\u2019s canyoning, climbing and rafting to be had.<\/p>\n The source of the So\u010da is located just west of Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, and flows from 2,874\u00a0feet in the Julian Alps, to the Adriatic Sea in Italy. As I found out this spring, the So\u010da can be paddled from source to sea\u2014that is, if the seven hydro dams along its course provide enough water, and if you\u2019re willing to portage around these \u2018obstacles.\u2019 The most popular area for whitewater on the \u201cEmerald River\u201d has three main segments: the commercially rafted upper section, the middle, class V \u2018Cataract\u2019 and Otona, the final, more continuous whitewater section.<\/p>\n It\u2019s high summer mayhem at the put in, with rafting companies from Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia weaving around paddlers and kayak clinics. Part of what makes the So\u010da so inviting\u2014aside from the crazy clear, aqua water\u2014is that it has pieces of whitewater for every level of kayaker. Stretches vary from class I-V with multiple put in and take-outs along the river making it easy to select a section that suits your ability. A permit is required to paddle the river and can be obtained in the many campgrounds, tourist offices or gear rental shops for 2.50\u20ac for the day or 10\u20ac for the week.<\/p>\n On the water, I\u2019m gliding over multi-colored rounded river stones, with mountains stretching up above me. Water levels are low, typical of mid-July, running around 10 cumecs, but it\u2019s not uncommon for the river to rise by 50 cumecs following intense summer rainstorms. This first section of class III whitewater is broken into two characteristically different segments. The first spans from the small town of Srpenica to Trnovo. This section is called \u017denska, meaning \u2018Women\u2019s Section,\u2019 a name that refers to the World Cup slalom canoe and kayak races held here in the 90s, back when sleek, carbon boats and hanging gates were common on wild rivers of Europe, not confined to the artificial course of today. \u201cThey didn\u2019t need to use many gates,\u201d one of my friends explains to me, \u201cbecause there were so many rocks that dictated the course.\u201d<\/p>\n Eddy hopping and working on my boof, the So\u010da is a river running playground. Enjoying the mellow mood that the low water yields, my friends point out siphons that at higher water create more urgency and attention. I\u2019m more of a playboater than a river runner, but the So\u010da provides a mix of challenging whitewater just big enough to be fun, but not too big or intimidating. The Mos\u0161ka section, or \u2018Men\u2019s Section,\u2019 follows downstream of the Trnovo hanging bridge, which becomes steeper, more difficult and more compact. I can feel the gradient changing and the water speed picking up as the river starts to canyon in. This is my favorite part of the river, albeit short, with continuous read and run rapids without the commitment and hazards of Cataract. A challenge and a treat. But make sure you take out at the fallen bridge ruins that mark the entrance to the gorge.<\/p>\n \u2018Cataract\u2019 is characterized by a faster change in gradient and gorge-like geography where the emerald water clashes with massive hundred ton, almost-white limestone rocks creating tight lines, many siphons and multiple pool drop segments. This is the stretch of water that Slovenian kayakers are known for and easily one of the most special river stretches and well-known rapids in Europe.<\/p>\n I take out before Cataract, and drive to the parking lot\/put in of Otona. The hike down to the water is a tangible reminder of just how steep and deep the So\u010da gorge is. The switch-backed trail descends 200 vertical meters over crumbling gray limestone rocks, and down the 400 wooden and stone steps. The large pool at the bottom is rimmed by gravel beaches and gives the scene a vibe of a tropical paradise.<\/p>\n The color and spirit of this river have inspired poetry and art in Slovenia and former Yugoslavia. The surrounding mountains were the site of many harsh WWI battles and prior to the war acted as the border between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Walking through the steep, dense forest, my mind wanders to these historic conflicts, and how lucky I am to be trekking along with a boat and not a weapon.<\/p>\n I hear hooting and yipping as my friends drop from the final boulder garden of Cataract, exchanging high fives. We paddle on, taking the first drop into Otona in quick succession. Otona hosts a more continuous section, with wave-holes to surf and some meatier but still friendly pool drops. We paddle right to Kamp Koren, where cold beers await.<\/p>\n Logistics along the So\u010da are easy, especially when you\u2019re camping at the take out. Even the beer choices are simple, where the half liter bottles or tall boy cans are decorated with the red dragon of Union or the green mountain goat of La\u0161ko, both fiercely Slovenian breweries founded in the 1800s. In Slovenian beer is Pivo,<\/em> which may have been the first word I learned when I got here, quickly followed by Na zdravje<\/em> (cheers), Hvala<\/em> (thank you) and Kava<\/em> (coffee). Simple priorities.<\/p>\n As we sip beers and dry gear, clouds start to roll in, blocking the view of the mountains, and the summer heat and humidity, which hasn\u2019t lifted for days, seem to be generating a summer storm. Rain comes down in sheets, with drops so big they make bottle-cap-sized spots on the ground and the So\u010da turns a cloudy green, like the matte color of a robin’s egg. Thunder rumbles and cracks with a force you can feel in your chest. So\u010da laps tomorrow will be faster and beefier, and we all have our fingers crossed that this is a big enough storm to bring in another local run, the Nadi\u017ea River.<\/p>\n While most travel to Slovenia for sunny, summer So\u010da laps, the best water levels for more competent paddlers is spring and fall. Fall brings rain to Slovenia, raising the levels of rivers like the Nadi\u017ea to a runnable flow. On one of my previous trips, I was lucky to have the chance to run the Nadi\u017ea. A pearl of paddling in Slovenia, this river is a great intro to creeking, with pool drop rapids, continuous class III-IV rapids and two small box canyons. The shallow gorge hosts different rocks and a different color water than the So\u010da. Nadi\u017ea runs are rare, but it\u2019s still worth a visit in low water when it\u2019s a swimming paradise with 20 degree (Celsius) water and another historic bridge as the backdrop.<\/p>\n The So\u010da is by far the \u2018golden child\u2019 of Slovenian whitewater, but based on the local weather and season there are more rivers to discover as well as history and culture.<\/p>\n If water levels are low, the capital city of Ljubljana is worth a visit and only a two-hour drive from the So\u010da Valley. Slovenia is half the size of West Virginia, so compared to Canada, everything in Slovenia feels close. Yet, the varying geography and huge mountains give the country big personality. Ljubljana\u2019s scenic old city follows the Ljubljanica River, cafes lining the cobblestone streets serve rich Turkish coffee and local desserts like krem\u0161nita, a light and spongy pastry layered with sweet cream. The river winds through the city and feeds into the Sava River, which gains its mass from the Sava Dolinka and Sava Bohinjka with headwaters in northwestern Slovenia.<\/p>\n We put on the Sava Bohinjka River one evening, and even though water levels are low, we spent the last hour of sunlight drifting through the small canyon, massive three-foot plus Huchen \u2018salmon\u2019 swimming beneath our boats. In spring flood, this section of river can rise to 250 cumecs, creating a close-to-town run where the half hour, low water, class III paddle turns into a 10 minute, class V lap.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d2kl15j267vxtq.cloudfront.net\/duct-tape\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/31182257\/Soca-from-Napolian-Bridge_anze-osterman-100x100.jpg\")
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