Dog in a kayak on a wild river – the Obra adventure.

Pulling the kayak over fallen trees was a real challenge for both us and Mrok.

We added kayaking to our activities almost two years ago. It soon turned out to be not only a way to see the world from another angle – a river from the level of a kayak is a very different place than from a high bank – but also another adventure we could share with Mrok.

The Obra is a beautiful, wild river full of ever-changing landscapes.

The Obra River, wild and unregulated, winds through the forest, its banks heavy with overhanging vegetation. Fallen trunks, sunlight breaking through the leaves – together they create a mysterious, almost fairytale scene. Silence again, broken only by animals, and the strange feeling that I had seen it before. It took me back to the cinema of my youth – fragments of Indiana Jones, when so many boys dreamed of being archaeologists and finding treasures.

The slow current makes it easy to observe – and Mrok is curious about everything.

We reached a campsite with an easy entry to the river. We expected other kayakers, but we were alone. A pity, because such places have their own life when tents are surrounded by drying gear and people come and go from the water. The owner told us fewer young people come now. Before a two- or three-day trip – sometimes even for a single day – the first question is: is there phone coverage? And when the answer is no, they go to the seaside instead. Strange and sad, because not long ago the idea that holding a phone could win over being in wild nature was unthinkable.

Our base – alone on an empty campsite.

We prepared the kayak, got in, and set off – four or five hours of paddling with obstacles ahead. Mrok jumped in and took his place. Before this trip, remembering our time with him on the Atlantic, we worked on how he should move on the deck. At home Monika trained him with an inflated kayak, using shaping, and the results came quickly. The key was to send him to the bow on command. Until then he usually sat in front of Monika or at my feet. On a river, when you need to slip under a trunk, there is no room for guessing where the dog will go. The training worked.

At times we had to figure out where the main current was flowing.

The campsite owner had also warned us the water was lower than usual. We only understood once we were on the river. Some trunks that were normally covered were now sticking out.

Step into the water, pull the kayak onto the log, slide it down, get back in – and don’t forget Mrok :)

The Obra beyond Międzyrzecz gave us both beauty and hard work. Some trunks we hit with speed, hoping to slide over. Sometimes it worked, sometimes we got stuck, and one of us had to jump out and drag the kayak. Others we could pass under – lying flat in the kayak and sliding below huge branches. When it was too much, we tried portage: carry the kayak around and back into the water. But on some sections even that was impossible. Then we climbed into the water before the trunk, one of us pulling, the other pushing, until we got through.

Maneuvering between the fallen trunks was teamwork for all three of us.

Through all this, Mrok surprised us. Training had taught him to go to the bow, but now he had to jump out onto a trunk, wait while we pulled the kayak over, and then jump back in. We had no way to practise this at home. But when we asked the first time, he did exactly that – waited calmly until we finished and then joined us again. We were impressed. Maybe ACDs really do have something in their nature that lets them balance on fallen trees above water.

Thick, lush vegetation can hide a fallen trunk – when Monika spots an obstacle, she decides whether we slow down or push ahead.

The further we went, the better he worked with us. He was tired, but each obstacle became easier. Later I remembered the words of an Australian breeder: wait until you truly have to work together – an ACD will do what needs to be done without explanation. That is exactly how it was, and we were proud of him.

We started Mrok’s training to move around the kayak much earlier at home – and on the water the results were excellent.

We have to return to the Obra. A few days are not enough. What stayed with us most was the river’s hidden, secret mood, which we watched without hurry. And all of it became almost unreal because we were the only ones on the river. Surrounded by untouched nature – Aqua and Terra together – that is the Obra.

What we like most – having to find our way, as the Obra is full of surprises every minute on the water.

But the weather was turning, heavy rain was coming. Time to move on. Ahead was Rügen – an island on the Baltic with waters and beaches that look almost Mediterranean. There another challenge waited: travelling by bike, and Mrok spending his first nights with us in a simple tent.

How was it? You will read in the next part: Rügen with a dog on a bike.

Paws to Peaks sometimes means Paws on the water.