The Kamenice River doesn't flow that often, so when nature calls, you have to go.
Jan and I had never been to Kamenice before, and at the last minute we decided to go on the last Friday afternoon in February. It was clear to us in advance that it would be dark.
We meet in Železný Brod, where we also leave our car, so that we can add a bit of the Jizera River to the Kamenice River. In Plavy, we get on our packrafts sometime after 3 p.m. The water gauge shows 66 cm, which should be about optimal. Thanks to the power plant, the first few hundred meters are very shallow, but we can bypass them by taking the channel on the right.
But then it goes beautifully. So beautifully that the first bath is not long in coming. After the bath, we are a little more cautious, which means we slow down. We scout everything that looks unpleasant to the eye, so we proceed very slowly along the river.
But our reward is a golden hour of light and a spectacular river with rapids, which in places is perhaps a little beyond what we want to tackle.
The second bath comes under Navarov, and there is little light left under the last weir. Darkness descends on us at the confluence with the Jizera River. We ride Paraplíčko at full speed, and Železný Brod looks like Singapore in the dark.
It was beautiful. We will definitely come back here...
Other articles from our blog
Practical advices for every packrafter
Povídání o packraftech na Rádio Wave – a také o naší laponské podzimní expedici. Více v Českém rozhlase. Spotify
Pokud hledáte packraftový bágl na rychlý švih, může být Atrack od Ortliebu správnou volbou.
Packrafters are slowly waking up from hibernation, and our winter supplies are running low. But there's no need to despair. All models in all modifications and colors will be available by the last week of March at the latest. And if they don't suit you? No problem, we can tailor a packraft to your specifications. AHOJ!
