Do you want to wave at a bikerafter from a bridge? Paddle or swim along? Then it might be of use to know when we’ll be where….
Find out where you can find Annie when on the about the daily stages:
Let’s see where this leads…
DATES
16.07.2022
17.07.2022
18.07.2022
19.07.2022
20.07.2022
21.07.2022
22.07.2022
23.07.2022
24.07.2022
25.07.2022
26.07.2022
27.07.2022
28.07.2022
29.07.2022
30.07.2022
31.07.2022
01.08.2022
02.08.2022
03.08.2022
04.08.2022
05.08.2022
06.08.2022
07.08.2022
PLACES
Spindlermühle – Town: Vrchalbí BIKE
Hradec Králové, Kolin BIKE
Nymburk, Mêlnik, Štětí BIKE
Litoměřice (50K)
Děčín (50K)
BORDER: Schöna (11K), Heidenau (40K)
Dresden, Meißen (45K)
Mühlenberg, Prettin
Wittenberg (33K)
Dessau (35K)
Barby (41K)
Magdeburg (35K)
Rogätz (33K)
Tangermünde (40K)
Havelberg, Wittenberge (100K) BIKE
Schnackenburg (36K)
Dömitz (40K)
Hitzacker (23K), Neu-Darchau (17K)
Hohnstorf (36K)
Geesthacht, Winsen (32K)
Hamburg (36K), Stade (17K)
Wischhafen (16K)
Cuxhaven (66K)
You may be thinking: that’s a tight timetable. And it is. BUT – this is all an estimation. Especially the Czech section will depend heavily on river current and conditions, and my plan is to take my bike for most of it. Here’s why:
The first few KMs of the Elbe features first a tiny, un-raftable mountain stream, and then whitewater and lots and lots of dams. One whitewater section even features some Class III-IV rapids (called “Labská Soutěska”). Upon asking whether that would be dangerous for me to paddle as a novice packrafter, I was informed that, should I go for it, I “could choose how I die, but not whether I will.”
Fun.
So here’s the deal: Mango is coming along to save my butt.
1️⃣ To help me avoid sure “death by novice” on the dangerous river sections.
2️⃣ To be able to easily resupply in a continuously human-powered fashion when on land. The Elbe flows through some sparsely occupied lands (aka Sachsen, Sachsen Anhalt, Niedersachsen and Schleswig Holstein), and there’s nothing worse than looking at the map only to realize the closest source of food is a 25KM trek away, after you’ve already paddled all day.
3️⃣ To catch up on distances I’ve not reached by the end of a week.
My goal is to packraft ~30KM a day. Depending on wind and the river’s current, this will sometimes be more, sometimes less achievable. My plan is to check where I *should* be every few days, and then make up the missing KMs by cycling on Mango.
I will try to update this page as I make my way down the river. But as always, you want to know where I am IRL, it’s always best to check out the posts on: @thebotbeyondthebrainz!