Thursday, August 23: Rain starting just before dawn and continuing as showers throughout the rest of the day
Sea Kayaking: 24.6 km
Malö Familje Camping, Ellös
We had gone to bed fairly early but the onset of rain meant that we slept in until after 7:30. After that there was not much to do except try to have some breakfast during a break in the rain. But by the time we should have been leaving it had started to rain again and the tent had to be packed up in a completely wet condition.
Anyway we were off, and for the first couple of kilometres it was at least fairly calm. A double sea kayak turned up close to the shore and was seen once more briefly but most of the views were much greener than at the beginning, with higher hills. At one point it looked like we were in a dead end but the fiord arm did continue on, but it was very shallow so that we got out for a pee before continuing on.
The lunch break was correspondingly short with only enough time for a couple of muesli bars. After that we had around 10 km to go to a camping ground and the going was a bit tougher. Then we entered what appeared to be an artificial channel and shortly after the exit the camping ground was clearly visible.
Interactive Map
The tent area for the kayakers was directly at the waterfront. One last shower for the moving part of the trip was just underway as we arrived. The plan was to put up the tents, change into fresh clothes, and try drying our stuff in the common room/kitchen. Simon & Philipp put up a line, first quite loose, which was not optimal, then a bit tighter, which not only hung the clothes and equipment higher but also didn’t fall down as often.
Then it was time for dinner, almost at a regular time. The menu was spaghetti with carrots, pumpkin & onions. Kirsten had commandeered a couple of hot plates & initially wanted to make herself some tea but she had failed to notice that a timer had to be switched on to activate the plate. Anyway it was the meal first and then the tea. The place was fairly full and a couple of cyclists from Berlin & Hamburg also used our lines to try to dry their stuff on.
As for health: This morning my right hand blisters had become inflamed. Having a little time to get things together I decided to try some disinfection with the aprés-sol (Rossmann) as it contained alcohol, and then pricked it with a safety needle and drew the pus out with a clean paper tissue. The broken blister on the right thumb had formed a crust with some bloody edges. The blister on the left foot was put under a bandage for the day. Back pain from lifting (yesterday) was still acute, although the back pain from paddling is beginning to withdraw.
As I write this, Philipp has put on a podcast about a scientific investigation of boredom.
