Kayak Session Magazine — Fall 2017

ZOOM IN

“Astonishment is the beginning of knowledge,” said the

ancient Greek philosopher Plato (Platon in his native

Greek), one of occidental philosophy’s most influential

thinkers. How right he was! It is no wonder that Plato

formed his hypotheses in Greece, a country responsible

for much of the world’s knowledge. Though I believed

I had knowledge of Greece, I was astonished to learn

that Northern Greece is a breathtaking paddling

destination. My first strokes on a Northern Greek river

dissolved prejudices I had harbored for years.

Though seemingly implausible, the rumor of a Greek

whitewater paradise lingered in my mind long after

I first heard about kayaking in Northern Greece, but I

had always connected the wilds of the Pindos and

the Peloponnese with an immensely time-consuming

journey and difficult road conditions, with small, rocky

creeks and easy whitewater skirmishes in barren rocky gorges. Instead, on my first

day of paddling, only two hours after arriving in Greece, I floated down the easily

accessible Kalamas River framed by the dense and lush green of plane trees.

Plato was undeniably clever. He conceived the doctrine of ideas, set up

knowledge theories, and outlined political ideal models. He also put wisdom into

simple words. “People are happy when they have what is good for them,” wrote

Plato in considering the human spirit. This is no doubt true for kayakers. With a

fantastic river, water and good weather – kayakers are in heaven.

The Kalamas may not be whitewater of world fame, or even among the best

whitewater runs in Greece, but I could not help but be amazed as I drifted

through my first Greek canyon. Over many kilometers, countless plane trees line

up alongside the meadows of the Kalamas, their broad crowns and green leaf

roofs arching over the river to create a gentle, shadowy landscape deep down

at the bottom of a rugged, rocky gorge.

From the Latin “platanus,” or the Greek, “platanos,” meaning broad, the Oriental

plane tree is an imposing tree with a strong trunk and wide branches. The

primordial, sometimes gigantic trees look like the homeland trees of the Na’vi

in James Cameron’s Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Many older specimens are

hollow inside and could actually be used as residential buildings. The largest

known plane tree in Greece measures a circumference of 23 meters and is

presumed to be more than 600 years old.

Paddling in Greece means deeply immersing oneself in both history and

mythology. Under the crown of a sacred plane, Zeus, the father of the gods,

once married Hera, and also undertook one of his most well-known escapades:

shielded by plane green, he begat three sons with

Europe, including Minos, the legendary king of Crete.

The fact that the Kalamas does not offer a large,

wild water spectacle did not bother me; its scenic

surroundings more than made up for the lack of

adrenaline from its rapids. In fact, the Kalamas was

perfect for the family tour we had planned. With four

adults and five children, we cruised the river as it flowed

into the Mediterranean, enjoying the tranquility and the

wildness of the splendid gorge, taking time to practice

paddling skills with our children in every little eddy.

“I know nothing else but that every man should take

more care of how his children might become better

than himself and his fellow-men,” wrote Plato. I agree.

Plato may have had something else in mind, but for my

interpretation, I try, as often as possible, to paddle with

my children. Greece is just the right place for this. Only a few Greek rivers, such

as the Aoos, are reserved for real whitewater professionals. The majority of the

rivers are wonderfully relaxed to moderately difficult whitewater. Many Greek

rivers are the perfect learning environment, with good introductory whitewater

surrounded by magnificent nature.

After the Kalamas, we paddled the small, enchanted canyon of the Lagkavitsas

before continuing to the Voidomatis. Close to the Albanian border, the slight

Voidomatis carves a gigantic canyon. The famous Vikos Gorge is almost 1000

meters deep and is a dream destination for hikers and paddlers. The upper put-

in for the Voidomatis, next to the village of Vikos, is the adult entrance. It is not just

the whitewater that is un-child-friendly. Before the the bliss of paddling, prepare

to sweat, for reaching this river is akin to one of the trials of Hercules: a narrow,

steep, and partly cobblestoned path leads 300 meters down to the bottom of

the canyon.

This put-in is at the source of the Voidomatis. Anyone who accidentally carries

his or her kayak too far upstream will quickly notice the mistake, as above the

karst springs the Voidomatis is usually a labyrinth of dried rock. The springs create

the whitewater of the Voidomatis. Water bubbles up from all sides, and within

a few meters the rivulet becomes a river. A quick bath in the Voidomatis is not

recommended, as the water temperature is a bitterly cold 6° Celsius (42° F). Cold

aside, the first few kilometers of whitewater are truly refreshing. The Voidomatis

rushes through a sporty natural slalom course framed between sky-high rock

walls. Far too soon, we arrived at the first road bridge in the Vikos National Park

where our children were waiting to join us. The beautiful stone bridge was the

perfect starting point for them; from here the river calms down and splashes

gently between plane trees and sunny rock walls to its confluence with the Aoos.

"Though seemingly

implausible, the rumor

of a Greek whitewater

paradise lingered in my

MIND long after I first

heard about kayaking in

Northern Greece..."

PLATA US

N

N

Time for

fun in the

committing

canyon of

the Acheron.

The picturesque

mountain

village of Sirako

nested in the

steep hills of

the Pindos

Mountains.