Canoeing in the Asturias

Sunday morning was just as beautiful as the day before and we were very thankful because we were about to jump into canoes on the icy river! We were all fitted into a wetsuit and were given a lifejacket that fastened on the sides, and of all things, it had a strap that went from the back in between the legs to fasten in the front. The canoes were made of brightly colored plastic and were meant to seat two adults, but Matt and I went with Leanne because there was an odd number of people. Oh my! How we struggled to paddle in rhythm with one another while avoiding skimming rocks on the shallow parts and trying to fight the current that often carried us into the riverbanks. Finally, we got the hang of our boat and its movements and we slowly paddled along while enjoying the beautiful scenery and the peacefulness of the day. Our group was far ahead of us when we decided to pick up the pace and follow the current; not more than a few minutes later, we found ourselves bearing a hard left along with the rushing water, heading straight towards a large tree trunk along the bank jutting into the water. What happened next is a bit fuzzy, but somehow all three of us knew we were about to hit that tree, and yet none of us anticipated the strength of the impact or the pull of the current. After the crash we briefly struggled to pull away from the bank and the trunk, but instead we were tipped over into the icy water. Leanne and I were trapped under the canoe while Matt was quickly above water, just in time to realize he had lost his prized canteen in the boat’s capsizing. He then made a quick decision and left the canteen for lost and aided us girls in pulling off the canoe and catching our breaths before we scrambled for the oars, the boat, and the tub with our lunch. We were sitting in the boat, wet and shivering cold, when Evaristo called, “HEY you guys! Are you alright?” It’s funny how a person thinks. Leanne answered, “I lost my shoes!” and Matt yelled, “Catch the tub! It has our camera in it!” The rest of the trip was much more calm and we took our blessed time and made various jokes teasing each other, like, “Hey Leanne! I think I see your shoe floating over there!” And that was it. When we finished we ate yet another sandwich for lunch and took showers before heading back to Vigo. We had fun chatting in Spanish with Evaristo on the way home and that made the hours pass quickly. We were back in Vigo by 10 pm; today, we felt just fine, no muscle pain or anything (I mean, very little). You know what? This morning with Matt’s binoculars we saw Leanne’s shoes floating in the harbor. What a pity Matt’s canteen didn’t come along with them ☺