BelgiKayak Update: Reaching The North Sea

Belgian adventure Louis-Philippe Loncke has completed his BelgiKayak expedition, which sent him on a 600km (373 mile) journey around his home country, exploring its waterways and measuring their health, while filming the experience as a way of documenting what he saw along the way. What he found was incredible beauty that is threatened by man.

I received a note last night from Lou-Phi giving me insights into his expedition which ended when he reached the North Sea this past weekend. Traveling along Belgium's idyllic rivers, he discovered a number of smaller tributaries, often hidden behind foliage, that when entered, allowed him to get close to nature like never before. Anyone who has paddled a calm river has probably experienced something similar. Since kayaks make virtually no noise, it is easy to paddle up on unsuspecting animals, providing some fantastic experiences that are hard to have while traveling on foot.

When he first started this journey back in July, Loncke had very limited time inside a kayak. In fact, he only had an hours worth of training before setting off on in his Seabirddesigns boat. He freely admits that he didn't know how to pull of an eskimo roll and was completely afraid of capsizing in his first few days out on the water. But after hours of paddling, he became more comfortable and experienced, and is now looking forward to more paddling adventures.

Logistically speaking, there were some hurdles to overcome along the way. For instance, he had to navigate a series of 50 locks which help regulate water flow along the river. Those usually involved a portage, although he did pass through some that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List that have been in operation since 1888. He also paddled into Brugge, a city that is sometimes called the "Venice of the North," where kayaking is only permitted one day of the year. Loncke contacted the local officials before his arrival however, and they granted him permission to paddle through their fair city, something that sounds spectacular.

One of the things that I love about this expedition is that it was often conducted on weekends and during what ever spare time Lou-Phi could find. It is an example of how we can all find ways to put a little adventure into our own lives, even close to home, and maybe even discover some wonderful new places that we didn't even know existed. This could easily be a blueprint for other weekend expeditions, and I'm sure we could all find similar opportunities close to where we live. Well done Lou-Phi!

BelgiKayak Update: Halfway Done!

Back in the beginning of July, I posted a story about Belgian Adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke and his plans for a summer adventure. At the time, Lou-Phi was preparing to set out on his BelgiKayak expedition, which would see him paddling more than 600km of waterways between Brussels and Ostend. He hoped to document the beauty of the countryside, as seen from the river, as well as spread the word on why it is so important to protect Belgium's natural water sources.

I received a note from Loncke earlier today providing an update on his progress. He says that while the weather hasn't been great for his expedition thus far, he scenery has lived up to it's billing and has been quite beautiful at times. He is passing through areas that seldom are paddled, and the experience has been a good one thus far.

Despite the often spectacular scenery however, Lou-Phi reports coming across several "trash islands," and has he has often collected some of the junk himself for disposal at the end of the day. His list of unexpected junk has included: "plastic bottles, liquor bottles, cans, a condoms, a pamper, dead fishes, dead birds, food, a thermos, a baby trolley and a dead deer." The last of those he removed from the river while avoiding capsizing his kayak.

As of last week, Loncke was halfway through his journey, which will ultimately culminate at the North Sea. He'll resume the trip tomorrow, and thus far he's been averaging about 15 miles per day, which is pretty solid mileage considering he's had only one lesson before setting off on his route. Because of his relatively small amount of experience, he has sometimes had issues dealing with rough waters or the wakes of much larger vessels, but so far Loncke has managed to avoid any major issues, and is enjoying the paddling experience.

Follow along Lou-Phi's website for more updates and photos. It seems he's found a great summer adventure and he's doing a great job of sharing the experience with the rest of us.

Belgian Adventurer Prepare To Kayak His Homeland

Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke is preparing for his first kayak expedition, during which he'll cover more than 600km (373 miles) of rivers in his home country. The project will begin this month and run through September, with most of the travel being done on the weekends.

The project, which has been dubbed the Belgikayak, has three goals in mind. First, to paddle the 600km of waterways between Brussels and Ostend. Secondly, to document the beauty of Belgium, as seen from the rivers, in photos and film, and finally to spread an ecological message of how important it is to protect the country's waterways. That last objective is especially important this year, as the U.N.'s topic for World Water Day was "Water for the Cities."

The entire journey will also be the subject of a documentary that will show the joy of paddling Belgium's waterways and how scenic the country can be from that unique perspective. The film will also serve to as a vehicle to spread the message of how pollution is effecting the rivers and how important it is to preserve them.

At each stop along the way, Loncke will meet with citizens in the various cities where he'll further spread his message and try to impress the importance of clean water on the children that live there. He also hopes to inspire them to be active, outdoor explorers themselves, encouraging a healthy lifestyle.