It could have been feritale.
But it is not.
Luckily.
Two very handsome young men set out in search of lost time in cowboy country with the blind faith that such places still exist. And what was their excitement when, after two days of wandering, they arrived back at their starting point in Petrov near Prague and discovered that the spirit of adventure and woodcraft, introduced by our ancestors more than a hundred years ago, still thrives in the atolls and ravines of St. John's, the forests and meadows of Central Bohemia and the rapids of Pikovice.
To complete the journey of discovery, however, the boys had to become the first kickrafters, because these places are not accessible only by boat, or by scooter, bicycle, or on foot. If you want to reach the real knowledge, you have to combine water and land skillfully. Only then will your epiphany be complete
With the help of small and ultralight inflatable boats, Ultima packrafts, as well as ultralight Kickbike scooters, these adventurers were able to make their way through the wilderness of jagged rocks, deep forests and roaring rapids. At St. John's Streams, where the founders of the Lost Settlement rest beneath Ant Rock, they learned that the coming generations of settlers would not let the tradition of tramping on the Vltava River fall.
In the legendary Tater inn high above the Slap dam, they came to the realization with a tear in their eye that in this world you can still be a Grandfather to all people of good will. All you have to do is prepare food and tap beer with love, as has been done in this place for 104 years.
"Those beautiful campfires on moonlit nights,
will forever remain hidden deep in hearts
St. John's streams gave beauty to all,
we'll never forget."
Jenda Korda
Reinforced for the next part of the expedition, the two first kickrafters proceeded northwards through the beautiful forests and meadows of the Central Bohemian Region to somewhere above Netvořice, where they lay down for the first kickrafter's night under an endless sky full of stars. And when they had had their fill of the infinite beauty of the universe and their eyelids drooped, those beautiful scenes from the first day of their journey were projected before their eyes for a long time.
In the morning, down in Netvořice, they did not despise the ham salami from Písek, not to mention the famous hermelin spread from Nevelov, and at a brisk pace they began to descend down to the Sázava, where in the nettle thicket in Krhanice they again loaded the scooter onto a packraft and started downstream.
On that day, as on the day before, they were alone on the river. They wondered at this, for the tales of waterways crowded with vessels of all kinds were in their minds. But they were glad of it, for even a little beyond Prague it is still possible to have a considerable piece of wilderness to oneself. You just have to want to.
Down in the Pikovice rapids, where flags still fly in the tramp settlements, totems are erected and peace pipes are smelled, their hearts were filled to the brim, for it was definitely discovered that the lost times can indeed still be found.
In the Dakota settlement, on a signboard, the kickrafters found, among other things, the wisdom of Jaroslav Foglar, which is known to all adventurers who make their way through the Etapák - Destination Unknown competition every year:
"Come with me to where the sky is high and blue, and where the clouds are white faster than they float elsewhere. Can you hear the song in the pine trees? Do you hear the song of the far-off sky? Silent and majestic murmur the heads of the trees. The sun's red glow streams down their gnarled trunks and the smell of resin intoxicates you. And in the evening, the camp fire shines there in the darkness and stirs up feelings that shake your soul."
A little above the place where the Sázava flows into the Vltava, their circuit was completed by time lost. And their lives became richer again. Richer for the knowledge that neither the smallest, nor the lightest weir is not an obstacle for a kickrafter. That the smallest reservoir can be paddled and the gentlest hill climbed. And that being the world's first kickrafter doesn't really matter. There are still more important things out there than any number of firsts.
A world worth rediscovering.
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