RI7ER JOURNAL POSTS

Got out the camp of commercial madness before most folk knew they were awake .Dozy rafting guests trying to stuff 40 litres of gear into 20 litre drybags , whilst guides were instructing that less is more .

Headed about 3 clicks downriver to a little known gem of Petroglyphs . Bushmen who had chiselled out shapes and designs into the flat black rocks near prominent rock formations many moons ago.

 Paddling through groups of commercial trips and private trippers was well entertaining . Broken canoes , guides swimming after capsized river craft , clunk-clunk of paddle shafts on fibre-glass as tired arms bring boats down the long pools .

I met a group of private trippers in home-made fibre-glass klepper style kayaks with large open cock-pits and wide farings to keep waves out . i met them on several occasions . They were definitely the ‘old school’ group out on the river . An older fellow in the group had made and designed all of their groups boats .

I had been thinking of a full moon paddle and this was confirmed when a group of private trippers arrived at my campsite at sunset . Could not say no , as i knew there was not many places too camp nearby .

Tin of beans and pilchards for dinner , cleaned drinking water and 3 hours sleep before heading onto the water at 1am . I had a spectacular 4 hours on water under a full moon through the Richtersveld mountains . I got pretty sleepy near the end and dozed in my boat floating down a long pool to a spot known as Scratches . I knew there would be good shade there in the morning . i went to sleep for the 2nd time that night .The beauty of this river continues to amaze and intrigue me . i love it .