3, 2, 1, Lift-Off

A bit of an introduction is probably in order here...For starters my name is West, and for the past couple of months, I've been planning a whitewater kayakinge expedition to Greece. Originally the plan was to travel with a high school friend and paddling partner, Josh, but unfortunately he torqued his back out a week or so before our departure and won't be coming. So that leaves me travelling solo. It is definitely going to prove to be an adventure. Right now I'm bouncing off the walls like a chicken with its head cut off...really excited, but also really nervous/anxious hoping that things work out as well as I want them to. 

My boat is packed and weighs in at 49 lbs exactly...erring on the safe side in case my scale isn't quite right compared to the airline scales. My backpack is getting full, but not as close to the weight limit. (And I know you are wondering about the sexy red boat bag. Yes, it is my own design, 100% all natural cordura nylon, stitched completely by hand...OK fine, the nylon isn't 100% natural...but it was all stitched by hand.)

Anyway, you're probably wondering, "Why Greece?" And my answer to that is "Why not?" Greece is definitely not known as a whitewater destination, however from the research that I've done, it appears to have some absolutely spectacular rivers, nevermind the fact that the country itself is, righfully, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for its scenery, history, and culture. Greece is not the wettest nor the most mountainous of countries and both of those attributes are generally what makes a region good for whitewater. However, during the late spring, Greece's mountains lose whatever snowpacks they had acquired throughout the winter, and rains combine with that runoff to fill the river basins and gorges that flow throughout the country.

For more information on paddling in Greece, check out www.teamadara.com this is the site that I have done most of my river/paddling research on...very helpful and some good photos too.

Time to get back to packing. More later...tomorrow perhaps?

Cheers,

West