Namibia continued

Five Days, Four Nights in the Fish River Canyon
June 22 - June 28
June 22 we boarded the night train to Keetmanshoop and while the bus was only fair, the train was very posh. I had more than enough room for my feet, the chairs reclined very far, and the only problem was the movies. With volume turned up high, they showed Down, Out, and Dangerous and Murder 101, with a quarter of Madonna's Evita, thrown in for good measure. I can't believe how bad the movies were, and like on the bus, they were turned up too loud to ignore. Out of nearly a century of film, why was a made for TV movie with Pierce Brosnan and a Richard Thomas (John-boy from THE WALTONS) vehicle thrown at us? Evita looked brilliant in comparison. A rough night on the train and we were in Keetmanshoop, a one horse town but third largest city in Namibia.

We met up with Riette and Louis who won the ranch and they took us to the lodge. Their story is amazing. Citizens of South Africa, Louis was an avid outdoorsman and hunter, not to mention the most social man on earth. With just the ghost of a beard, he looks like a Afrikaans George Clooney. I kid you not! So Louis learns that there is a farm (use that term loosly, think more of a house with property all around) that is for sale and has 11% of the Fish River Canyon on the property. And it is going for a song! Louis buys it, and the farm next to it (a total of 36,000 acres), and suddenly he has access to and owns part of the second biggest canyon in the world. The tourists will come, if you build them a guest house. And he did. They run the Chapel Inn in Keetmanshoop and they run the Fish River Lodge, right next to the Fish River Canyon. His mother, the second friendliest person on earth, comes up from Cape Town to help out during the high season. Now there is his Fish River Canyon hike, five days long, and there is the public Fish River Canyon hike (also five days long), run by the government on government land. The bureaucracy for the government run hike is immense, and with Louis, we just signed an idemnity form, and away we went. And those who have done both hikes say Louis' hike is better. So began our five day backpacking trip in the fish river canyon.

THE FISH RIVER CANYON EXPERIENCE - DAY ONE
Louis drove us to the starting point and I rode in the back of his 4x4 bakkie (pickup in Afrikaans). I thought it would be a trail, but no, no trail. It's just wilderness with little white dots or arrows painted often enough so one doesn't get too lost. We started off in the wrong direction, but Louis yelled us back on course. We started down into a ravine, which lead to another ravine, and we hiked along, our packs, full of five days of food, heavy on our backs. We had enough water for the day, since we wouldn't get to water until that night. It was hot and dusty but not too bad. Our training in South Africa and climbing dunes in Namibia really helped. We got lost at one point, but there were two Brits that went the week before us, so we followed their footprints. Other than those footprints, we were alone, completely for four days. We spent all four nights completely alone in the second biggest canyon in the world. Just leopards and jackals kept us company, and the occasional kudu or mountain zebra.

The ravines lead us to the top of a plateau, but then we wound down through another ravine, a dry river bed, and as we descended dry waterfalls, we were lead to the Lowen River Canyon. This was in a lot of ways prettier than the Fish River Canyon, but we were only in it for one day. The river was a lot smaller than I thought, just trickle in some places, and at first we were skeptical about how clean it was. Louis swore that we could drink it without treating it, and we finally did, but not at first. That first day was the longest day, 17 kilometers, and so by evening we tired. Again, no trail. At one point we got stuck on the wrong side of the river. I took off my shoes, unzipped the legs of my pants, and started across the river. It went up to my waist, but nothing got wet. Laura saw how deep it was, and the decided, since no one was around, she would just disrobe. So for a section, Laura hiked naked except for a bra and a backpack. Lucky she did. We would come upon patches of quicksand, where the waterlogged river sand would sink us up to my knees, Laura's waist. Camp that night was great, right by the river, on soft sand. Louis said there was enough drift wood in the canyon for us to have a fire, and so by firelight we cooked our food (New Zealand freeze dried meals), Babotjie that first night, and it was delicious and fast and cleanup was a breeze. Sleeping in such a remote place was odd. First we camped in the middle of leapard tracks, and second, it was so quiet. We could hear the slight breeze through grains of sand at our tent. What was nice though, you could get up and pee in the night and not have to get dressed. We were utterly alone.

THE FISH RIVER CANYON EXPERIENCE - DAY TWO
All our meals were the same. We started off with Wheet-bix, this South African shredded wheat type biscuits, which we covered with peanut butter. Along with the wheetbix we had this tasty granola, compliments of Sherri from the Crazy Kudu tour. For lunch, biltong (South African beef jerky), whole wheat crackers, one piece of fruit, and gorp (made with smarties not m&m's). The apples were great, the oranges were so-so, and the biltong was chewy. A South African rugby player once nearly cut off several of his fingers cutting up the biltong. It took days to chew, weeks to digest, and Laura could only handle one piece a day because her jaw got so sore chewing. I bought her some dried boerwurst and she ate that. Dinners were the freeze dried packets, and actually, we had planned for five dinners, and we had two packets that were one meal each. Hence lunch on the third and fourth day we could suppliment with the packets, a nice break.

Louis had set up the hikes either five days or three days long. For three days, you just cut out day two and three, cross where the Lowen meets the Fish, and then do day four and five. But we wanted it all. This second day was hard. Our packs were heavy and our backs were sore, and really, our backpacks are not made for hiking days on end. They are good for an hour here or there, but not every hour for five days. So they hurt our backs the entire time. Laura's new shoes gave her blisters (her fantastic ones were stolen in Namibia) and so we had stop often to apply moleskin. My own feet were okay, though I did cut myself on some sharp, slippery rocks in the river.

We filled up our water bottles with Lower River water and made our way back on top of the canyon. The views of the Lowen River canyon were amazing. We past the old Elizabeth farm, hiked along the property fenceline then got lost again. We missed an arrow, and again, no path. But we found our way back and headed down another arrow and entered the Fish River Canyon proper. Only the first campsite was marked, all the others were up to us. After our 14 kilometers that day, we set up camp next to the very green, very sluggish Fish River, on sand, and then rested and washed up, made dinner (Classic Beef Curry), and went to bed, early. We did start a ritual after our walk, of bathing, then we'd eat, then we'd read some spiritual literature, write down our thoughts in our journals, and then share our thoughts. After that we'd meditate for ten minutes then pray, then go to bed. So the hike was kind of like a retreat and that was nice. And the fires were nice as well. Our campsite our second night was my least favorite, but we were only there for a few hours. Baboons hooted at us from the distant ridge and again, we saw more leopard tracks.

THE FISH RIVER CANYON EXPERIENCE - DAY THREE
Another 14 kilometers and we were doing well. More baboons, running, climbing, yelling at us, and the river bent and turned, and we crossed and recrossed it using fallen rocks. And then after lunch (Chicken Soy with Rice and Vegetables), we ended up on the wrong side of the river. We were following the Brits, but at one point, they turned back to cross, and I pushed on because the other side of the river looked too narrow, too full of reeds. Yeah, it was full of reeds because the side we were one became a swamp. We wandered around in the middle of a fen for a while, and then took our chances on the cliff edge. We had some exciting moments, but in the thrill of trying to stay dry and on rock, we forgot aobut the weight of our packs. We suddenly saw cows, out of nowhere, and we later learned that Louis allows them on his farmland and the owner of the cows allows hikers on his land. I nearly fell into water when a rock fell out from under me, and to get on top of a cliff edge, I nearly had to use rope! I had never been in such wilderness before, no path, just virgin ground. It was stinky, from the marsh water, from the cows, from the babboon poop, but we made it around the side and we stopped for camp a little later than we should have. We didn't have to cross to get to the camp, as the directions said, because we were all ready on that side!

Night three had the best campsite. We were in the broad valley where the Lowen met the Fish river, where day two would have started if we were only doing the three day hike. We found a nice sandy campsite, I built a fire pit using river rocks while Laura put up the tent, then we crossed over and refilled our water bottles in the Lowen River. The Fish River was too murky, and we treated that water with iodine pills during the day, and boiled the water at night. My wife learned new respect for me. I suggested she put an ace bandage on her foot to cover the blister on her heel and that we boil water on a flat rock over the fire. Both ideas worked and I was THE MAN! We bathed in the river and watched the sun go down over the canyon walls. That night was our best meal as well, Lamb and Vegetables in a Mint Gravy with buttered, herbed mashed potatoes. All out of a plastic bag, can you believe it! Laura said that she wished that she could make it at home! We ate our ration of Lemon cookies after dinner and went to bed. I slept like a baby.

THE FISH RIVER CANYON EXPERIENCE - DAY FOUR
Our experiences yesterday made us a little gun-shy today. We would stay on the 'right' side of the river, no matter what! Since Laura had become the tent master, or mistress, she took down the tent and I waded across the murk of the Fish River to get water from the Lowen River, cool and clean. With our camp broke, we made good time up the canyon and the 14 kilometers went quickly until we turned a bend. Now the instructions said to cross on the inside of the bends and and avoid the outer edges. We were on the inside of a bend, walking, but I saw the same thing as I saw yesterday, a narrow legdge full of reeds on the other side, the outside edge. What to do? There was a place to cross, but the water was deep and the rocks slippery. Laura suggested we go up a little ways and get an idea of what the canyon looked like from another point of view. I thought we should cross, and we started to cross. Remember, we can only cross the river where the water is wide, flat and has fallen rocks we can step on. I was throwing flat rocks into the water, trying to make a path, but there was still one section where we would have to jump or use something as a bridge. Finally, I went with Laura downstream to see what we could see. No doubt, we should cross. I grabbed a big hunk of wood and we went back to the stream. Laura was unconvinced that my crossing was the best crossing and so with not a little tension among us, she went further upstream to find a better place to cross. I went with my wood idea. In the end, she got across with dry feet and my boots were soaked. My log was treacherous, but once I got across that part, I had to jump onto a slippery rock, and well, you can imagine what happened after that. Laura without the benefit of my long legs would never had made that jump.

We hurried along trying to get to the last camp, and at each turn, I thought we were closer. We crossed the stream again, and in helping Laura across, my feet & boots got wet again. For the record, I was proud that the day before, even though there was mud and water everywhere, I got us to our campsite with dry feet. Well, I could only stay dry so long. When I was younger, whenever we went camping, the first thing I would do is get wet and muddy. I held out for three days. I had to get wet the fourth. We turned a corner and realized that the camp was still hours away, and so we broke for lunch. Biltong and our single serving packet of Babotjie, ahhhh, the wonder and the glory of New Zealand freeze dried cuisine. As I was doing dishes, I nearly broke my neck, again, slipping on rocks.

Our final push to the last camp was uneventful, and we crossed over the river the final time and set up camp. Here there was a deep pool, a running waterfall, large, wide pools, the perfect place to bathe and hang out, though the water was chilly and the rocks treacherously slippery. Our last night, Beef and Pasta Hotpot, was the most disappointing of the dinners and the wood was scarce. However, we sat next to the river, on the wide slabs of cast off basalt, and watched the day end. The moon had grown fuller in just the four days we were in the canyon, and the fuller it got, the higher in the sky, and it struck me that I, as a person on this world, should know that this is what happens. As it is, we are too often indoors for the night, and so the phases of moon, which should be like second nature, is a mystery to most of us, or at least to me. We also watched the Southern Cross come out, a constellation only seen in the southern hemisphere, and a song by a 70's band, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young maybe. I sung that song every night, looking up at the sky, seeing the Sourthern Cross. "I have been around the world..."

THE FISH RIVER CANYON EXPERIENCE - DAY FIVE
Our last day. We ate up the last of our breakfast rations, drank the water we boiled the night before and then treated some more water with iodine, and started home. Now Gertie, Louis' mother, said that on day five, Americans always get lost, so I was determined not to get lost. Right off, we weren't sure we were on the right road for a while, but then we saw markers at the last viewpoint of the valley, and we took a last look, then headed off road. Again, no path, just markers, and we were warned that one arrow was pointing the wrong way! We soon found that arrow and we split up to see where the next marker was. We found it and followed it to the dry box canyon falls. Now right there, where we entered the canyon that leads to the dry falls, we were turned around, but we saw arrows and found the falls. The directions then said "upstream and to the left". Upstream was where the river would have flowed from, right? And there was no clear marker, so we turned around and headed left upstream. We climbed up a mountain, looking for markers, but saw none. Even the footprints of the Brits were gone. But we knew we had to find a fence, so we went overland, up one crease of rock down another, until we saw a fence, and we found the beginning of the fence and had an unsuspected view of the Fish River Canyon again. After that, we just had to follow the fence, or so we thought. Laura had her doubts, but I was sure of my directions, and I told her that I was in charge, and she should just follow me. I knew where I was going. Now the bus stewardesses had a tough job, but the fence layers also had a tough job, and we followed their work until over one mountain, we looked out and saw nothing but fence. I then realized that I was completely lost. And I had told Laura that I knew the way. I turned around and admitted to her that I thought we should retrace our steps back to the box canyon and go from there. She agreed and so after our two hour detour, we made our way back. It was the first time in my life I have ever been that disoriented, and it was humbling. Usually, I have a good sense of direction, but in a land with no paths or streams, suddenly it all looks the same.

As we climbed over a ridge, we saw people walking to the left of the waterfall, up a little stream. Now I knew what left and upstream meant in the directions. We called out, and the four people turned around, and asked us if we were lost. "Yes!" we called out forlornly. They came back, and I'm proud to say that they were four Americans from New York and they weren't lost at all! So Michael, Megan, Laura, and another woman, I can't remember her name, escorted us back. They were interesting, educated, and even knew all the latest American celebrity gossip. We chit-chatted all the way back and it was nice to have human contact after just the two of us for four days. We talked about globalization, and they gave me a book title to read. Megan had been in the Peace Corps in Haiti, Laura was living in Cape Town, and they were all, except for Michael who was in exile in Puerto Rico working on his Spanish, getting Master degrees in International Development. So along with gossip about Hollywood marriages, we talked about the developing world and South African politics. And then we were back at the lodge, showering, eating, sleeping. Our five days were over and we did superbly. All the training really made a difference! As we were resting, and as I was smoking a final cigar smuggled in from the Seychelles (strong Cuban ties there), we met up with Leslie. We had met Leslie back in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa and said we would be in Keemanshoop to spend time with friends there, the last weekend in June. Well, her plans brought her there, and when she took our card at the Chapel Inn, Riette said, "Yeah, I know them, they are in the canyon hiking!"

Our tent in the middle of Fish River Canyon on night one. The whole canyon to ourselves

Laura backpacking nudist style (you'll have to read the text to see why)

Campsite at night two

And the lepoard tracks at campsite two

A stop for lunch

Beautiful view from the campsite on night three

Looking from the river back at the tent, night three

A quick break along side the river

Aaron getting in touch with his outdoorsman side

Last look of Fish River Canyon

Take me to Keetmanshoop