Altrhein, Germany

My friend Naomi was over from the UK for a holiday with her partner. My friend Vanja who I know from guiding with Art of Outdoor joined us for a campfire and a paddle.

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I made an error of judgement on this trip. A much more experienced paddler told me we wouldn’t need helmets to paddle this stretch. I didn’t feel sure about that advice when I saw this little ‘rapid’, but I didn’t do anything about it. I should have trusted myself. One of us actually fell in and hit their head. As somebody who likes to err on the side of caution, especially when I’m responsible for other people, this really shook me up. Nothing drastic is needed to make helmets worthwhile. It wouldn’t have taken anything away to wear helmets. Just wear proper kit, please.

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What would a paddling day be without some shenanigans.

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Yet another awesome day on the water!