{"id":30527,"date":"2023-10-12T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=30527"},"modified":"2023-10-25T14:14:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T21:14:49","slug":"packrafting-amidst-golden-mountains-and-turquoise-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2023\/10\/12\/packrafting-amidst-golden-mountains-and-turquoise-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Packrafting Amidst Golden Mountains and Turquoise Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that yellow time of year again. The afternoon light filters through the trees like liquid gold. The tips of the tamarack trees and the edges of the beech leaves start their makeover from lush summer green to sleepy fall blonde. Even the grass dresses to match, losing its emerald elasticity for brittle beige. Walking in the mountains allows an opportunity to observe these variations in colours, the changes that seasons offer to those who are paying attention. And a weekend trip like this\u2014although not wild in distance, location or activities\u2014acts as a sort of tangible transition, letting my mindset shift with the season, slowing down from go-go-go summer into a lower gear until winter kicks in. I will walk away from summer and paddle into fall packrafting the So\u010da River.<\/p>\n

I look up from the trail and pause, pressing the back of my skull into my stiff pack, arching my back in a movement that\u2019s half stretch, half sightseeing, enjoying the sound of silence and the feeling of solitude that comes with going out there alone. I\u2019ve got some kilometers over and many meters up to cover before I can unpack and inflate the burden on my back and float back home. The river is calling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I started before the sun, walking out my door and through the sleepy town of Kobarid in northwestern Slovenia, perched above the So\u010da River. With my paddle, packraft and lifejacket strapped to the outside of my pack I look like a kid running away from home. Leaning over the arched Napoleon bridge, I take a guess at the water level, then confirm it with a look at River App. Twenty-four cubic meters per second. High enough for fast flows on the shallow gravel bars the upper stretches and yet low enough to paddle the Grade II-III rapids without stress. This historic bridge marks the start and end point of this weekend trip. It\u2019s where I start to walk uphill, and where my downstream descent will end.<\/p>\n

The trail from the town of Kobarid up to the mountain meadow of Zaprikraj is all dirt, a sort of transect that cuts across the road that winds up the mountain, allowing tractors and trucks to access the fields where cows from the villages spend the summer. Concealed by moss and shrubs are old stone walls and chiseled blocks of limestone line the outer edge of the trail, acting as a reminder that these trails were here before the road, and weren\u2019t built for happy hikers, but to transport ammunition and food to a war front.<\/p>\n

With no one for conversation, I wonder to myself what it was like for the young men fighting for either the Central Powers (Austro-Hungarian and Germany) or the Allies (France, Great Britain, Russia and Italy). The 90-kilometre-long section of the front that ran along the So\u010da River from north of Bovec to the Adriatic was named the Isonzo Front. Fierce mountain warfare took place for 29 months from May 1915 through October 1917. Wondering how they survived in the long winters makes my little trip feel trivial, silly almost, and reminds me of how lucky I am to be hauling a heavy pack for paddling rather than ammo for combat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The going is slow, but I\u2019ve got time. This summer\u2019s storms have left washouts and downed trees to navigate. My hiking poles become extra limbs used to probe at the loose shale slides and push branches out of my face. Going alone means carrying the full weight of a mini-expedition. Water, sleeping bag and Thermarest are always in my pack, but going without a partner on this trip means I can\u2019t split the weight of the stove, pot set and tent. Navigation is also all on me, but I\u2019ve been on many of these trails before, either running or hiking. This trip is basically linking up trails I\u2019ve walked before with short sections of new trail.<\/p>\n

Stopping at one of the many streams I cross, I splash water on my face and take a few sips, lean back on my pack and close my eyes for a few minutes. The stream and I are headed in the same direction: down to the So\u010da.<\/p>\n

After descending through different zones of forest, the trail transitions from limestone pebbles to spruce needles to beech leaves. I can finally hear the river. I cross the wooden hanging bridge and find a spot on a small gravel beach with overhanging willow trees. Upstream of where the Koritnica tributary meets the So\u010da and just outside of Triglav National Park, I drop my pack. I want to jump in the river while I\u2019m still warm, and before the evening chill sets in. The water is colder than where I usually swim, some 25 kilometers downstream in Kobarid, but it feels good to wash the trail off and get ready for river travel.<\/p>\n