The river giveth and taketh away. The river is going from here to there regardless of what you think or do. Understand how it works and you can paddle all day to your heart's delight. Fail to understand and you will be exhausted and miserable within 30 minutes. It all has to do with the flow.

The flow of a river is unique in that it is inevitable, but full of characteristics. As to the inevitability, it is going one direction and so are you. The characteristics of a river, however, give you license to be creative, aggressive or take a break as appropriate. Let's take a look at some of them.

The speed of a river is an important issue to understand. It may sound simple, but there are many facets to it. A river is generally fastest in the deepest portion. The deepest portion, however, may not be the middle of the river. When the river turns, for instance, the fastest flow is towards the outer bank as the physics involved in the turn force the water wide.

One of the simpler ways to understand the flow of the water is to look at it. No, you don't need to go to shore. Just take a break and look across the width of the river. If there is any pace at all, you should be able to see different parts of the river moving faster than others.

Now that you understand at least the rudimentary issues of river flow, how do you use them? Well, it depends on what you want to do. If you want to go fast on a river, find the central flow. If you want to slow down, move away from the flow to the sides where the water is moving much slower.

This may all sound basic, but it is important practical information if you think about it. Many a novice kayaker has complained that it is tiring to paddle so much. Well, you shouldn't be padding a lot to move forward. If you are, you are in the wrong part of the river. Instead of breaking a sweat tugging away, move to the deep, fast part of the river where paddling is used primarily for steering. With less exertion, kayaking will suddenly become much more fun.