Two paddlers, red kayak, misty river, pine forest

Of power and paddles

Slender spruces and pines rise abruptly next to grassy meadows and glassy waters here in the Rhodopes. Bulgaria's largest mountain range is transected by several cascading series of dams and reservoirs, which generate the bulk of the country's water power. It'd take almost the equivalent in upper body power to paddle the whole of these human-made lakes: The undulating shores of the flooded valleys outline countless channels, inlets, coves, and bays.