There is a group of enthusiasts who have traveled across Ukraine for a number of years, not by foot, cars, hitchhiking, but by canoe. These vessels must be handled with great care and have a markedly nasty disposition. They take some getting used to. But once you have the knack of it you will have no fear surmounting any obstacles like rapids or logs blocking the river that are almost like icebergs, threatening to puncture the boat. This time the bulk of the team, made up of tourists with 20-30 years of experience, decided to sail down the River Vorskla. The veteran canoeists took their wives and children with them, yet subordination was observed. The oldest and most experienced one was conferred the prestigious title of Admiral. His number one became Vice Admiral. There were twenty persons in all. The very specifics of such an undertaking imply what is known as “active recreation” rather than sports. It means that no one had remained immune to the driving force of the water after scoring points and covered 120 kilometers in two weeks. They never reached the Kremenchuk Reservoir, as originally planned, because many suspected that Rocket hydrofoil craft no longer sailed from there to Kyiv, says Andriy Tsar, a member of the expedition. They cast off at Poltava.
The river has numerous natural obstacles, mostly fallen trees. In some places the entire width (about fifty meters, over 170 feet) was blocked. It is also true, however, that, apart from nature, such obstacles are caused by man dumping heaps of garbage for decades, adding to such natural obstructions, creating whole islands of what passes for civilization overgrown with shrubs and weeds. One such isle was encountered by the canoeists at a most unexpected place, between steep banks. There was nothing to do except pick up the canoes and climb the slope. It was quite an extreme experience, leaving many with bruises and scratches. True, the tourists did not meet with many such problems further on, except that there were several dams causing many a headache. They also portaged the boats and luggage. And there was the extremely hot summer befalling all of Ukraine, subjecting the expedition to both positive and negative factors. The latter consisted of wasps and gadflies furiously attacking anything that moved, blinded with heat. A seven-year-old girl suffered the worst. But these tourists are weather-hardened people, and the very warm nights proved an adequate compensation for any daytime sufferings. Local old timers insisted the air got colder toward sunrise by the river even in July. As it was, they all felt comfortably warm.
They stopped for the night and set up camp in the most scenic spots. There were no angry rangers to order them out or militia demanding identity papers. The locals, amazed at the sight of the expedition, willingly directed them to the best places to spend the night. Indeed, they found the people quite friendly, telling them where to go shopping and willing to hold leisurely discussions. An old woman asked in surprise, “Are you really vacationers? Why not spend the time resting on the couch instead of paddling those little boats?” She had no way to know that this kind of R&R was the best for these particular tourists with its unmatched romantic experience of sitting by the campfire, singing, drinking tea brewed in a pot over the fire, with mint and sandal. On such occasions even boiled buckwheat and porridge are not the most popular dishes. Also, spending one’s vacations that way is quite easy on the family budget. In two weeks the tourists spent about 50 hryvnias (less than $10) per capita and could buy practically everything they needed. From the outset they took with them only pork and cereals. Previously, buying food in the provinces had been a very big problem, so people venturing such trips had taken loads of provisions. Now the smallest village offers an adequate assortment, from hard liquor to boxes of matches.
More often than not, they stopped for the night amidst the woods that poured forth an almost primordial virgin quality, putting up tents and forming a miniature labor commune, appointing two men to stand watch in shifts. The menfolk also chopped firewood and carried water from the river. Incidentally, this year the tourists did not take carbon filters to get pure water. With all man’s barbarian approach to the environment, dumping garbage in the river, the Vorskla proved to have resources surpassing human meanness. Behind every dam one could see lots of fish only nine feet deep and the water was surprisingly clear. They took advantage of it and angling was invariably successful; every night they could have fried fish or yushka fish soup [a traditional Ukrainian dish, including potatoes, laurel leaves, rye or wheat, etc.]. Incidentally, fish proved the only apple of discord between the Kyiv and Lviv members of the tourist group. Some were devout anglers and tried to choose places to spend the night and put up camp best suited for their sport. Others cared little for their hobby and chose other scenic spots. There were also hunters, leaving their carbines at home, as befits law-abiding citizens (the season would start later), so they considered themselves on a photo safari — and well they should, there were hawks soaring high above, spotting and diving in to set claws in their pray, and grass snakes and vipers basking in the sun on snags, scaring the female part of the group half to death. Once those angling caught a turtle and let it go. Evening pastime was mostly playing cards and chess, sometimes a game of soccer or water polo.
Last year, a similar expedition sailed down the River Zbruch. It is a mountainous one, fast and forbidding. Their canoes capsized several times, and they had to retrieve their things from the bottom. The canoeists rowed down other Ukrainian rivers. Their cherished dream is traveling to Karelia [republic in far northwestern Russia, bordering Finland to the west, the White Sea to the east, and Lakes Ladoga and Onega to the south] next year. No one is sure they will, but no one will regret the failure, because Ukraine can still challenge any tourist Mecca of the world. We all simply need more culture in organizing our leisure. Who knows, foreign tourists might get interested in exploring our provinces — and they will never be disappointed!
