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1. Swale – scout, scout & scout!
Ironically my first ‘worst swim’ was not a swim as I could roll up after, but it certainly shook me. I had been kayaking for about a year and had learned fast. Regular HPP visits will do that for you. Three friends and I went up to paddle the Swale – a UK waterfall classic. It was low but paddlable, and I was excited about a proper ‘big boys’ trip.
We got to the get-on and went to have a look at Rainby – the second big drop. It was intimidating, but we discussed the line and went to get changed. The first drop of the Swale was relatively easy, so we went down with no problem. Then came Rainby. The others confidently went before me, and I followed soon after. I was so nervous though; I struggled to remember the line. I wanted to get out and look again but was worried I would hold the others up, and they might be annoyed they had brought me along. It was not as if we hadn’t scouted it.
Facial impact
So I went down and massively over-edged. I flipped on my way down and had to roll up at the bottom. The impact on my face was huge – but luckily, much better than it could have been. I told my friends I was ‘fine’ and finished the river. It was only once off the water when I began to warm up that my eye began to swell. The result? I had a black eye for months and haven’t paddled the Swale since.
So what did I learn? To scout for as long and as often as I want! Realistically my friends would not have cared if I had gotten out again to have another look and therefore had a better line. I was so nervous about letting them down that I let myself down by not acknowledging my gut feelings. I want to return to the Swale again – to show that river how much I have improved! And to get over my fear of Rainby!
