RI7ER JOURNAL POSTS

With only about 2 hours of restless sleep , I sit bolt upright as my alarm screams at 3:30 am . I then have a few cups of tea in bed and a packet of raspberry cream cookies for early breakfast.

My mind is racing and  i try to keep calm by packing slowly and deliberately . Dressing in warm gear i then emerge from the tent to a stunningly surreal sight of drifting coastal fog and a half moon directly overhead . Perfect , i think to myself . I am even whispering to myself to keep sound minimal .

I slide my kayak cautiously into the Orange River for the final time , rinse the mud off my feet and push off shore . I take slow silent paddle strokes for just under an hour down towards the bridge .

The fog is thick and i navigate by keeping the left shore-line just visible on my left shoulder .

Just before the bridge my heart begins to race as i notice giant beams of light from both shorelines lighting up the river , i stop paddling , drifting with the current and hold my breath as i wait for security to storm the scene . I pass through the lit-up area and under the bridge and finally exhale about 100m after .

Nothing happened ...

I decide to drift with the flow for about 3 kilometres . Pulling up to a sandy beach i sit in my kayak sipping on steamy Rooibos tea . I am waiting till 6 am so i can make coms with my parents who i know are driving north to meet me . We make coms and all is looking good as my dad has easily arranged a permit with the diamond mine on the south african side to enter the restricted area at the Orange river mouth .

For the next 2 and a half  hours i savour the sights of rolling coastal fog , the emergence of daylight , the intermingling of river and coastal birds awaking and the swampy ,marshy landscape of the river mouth .

I wanted to avoid the physical mouth of the river as it enters the sea as the tide is outgoing and i have about 50 to 100 m of visibility . River mouths can be extremely dangerous with unforgiving currents . I can also hear the surf pounding beyond .I keep to the left shoreline to approach a sand-bar on far river left . About 500m from the ocean i make coms with my parents to ascertain where we can meet each other in the white-out visibility . Unbelievably we are 200m from each other . I notice my dads truck through the fog and we waved joyously at each other .

Whilst dragging my kayak about 500m through 2/3 inches of water and black gooey mud to a suitable spot where i can take out close to the sand vehicle track a flock of about 200 flamingoes ( which , i had hoped i would see ) stared curiously at me and my kayak .

 I am here and there at the end of my journey , i can and cannot believe it .

We hugged and laughed , slurped on champagne . i dragged my boat over the sandbar down to the sea and gave it a salty wash and rinse . Did a video and photo shoot . Loaded the truck . I then went down to the wild/freezing Atlantic , stripped and washed 96 days of Orange River off .

AWEH !!!

96 days and 2440 km of Pure Orange bliss ,  i am truly grateful to my home river for keeping me safe and allowing me to enjoy her wonders and secrets .

My river journey is complete and this story has just begun ......