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Kat had the more 'entertaining' experience on our weekend kayaking trip so to help her reach some closure on the terrifying events, and to try and stop the nightmares, she has written up what 'the best weekend we've had in a long time' was like. Our kayaking trip began on a beautiful sandy beach along a quiet strip of the Kouga river, deep inside a protected wilderness park called the Baviaanskloof mega nature reserve where expensive permits were required just to step inside and luckily for us Harry had special privilages to get in. The Baviaanskloof mega nature reserve is a wilderness area that has been protected since the beginning of South Africa. Only the indigenous bushmen who roamed this continent thousands of years ago have been here. We are very privilaged to get in, and for free. We put kit into dry bags and tied them onto the back of the kayak. Wetsuits, helmets and lifejackets on and Harry gave us a safety briefing. Once in the water we had a kayaking lesson, this involved him watching us use the current to paddle round some tall grass in the middle of the river and turn into an eddy, a section of calm water....."Right! Yup! Great! Let's go!" We all headed off downstream like ducklings after their mother. The first rapid can soon be heard, a heavy torrent of water like a waterfall roars at you in the distance, we filed into a single line all hoping we were going to be first into the white watery madenss. The rapid wasn't very fast but trees, bushes and shrubs sat scattered in our path way like booby traps just waiting to snag us. Harry leaves us in an eddy and goes forward to check out the rapid. His instructions for this one were "avoid the large branches and trees caught in the water, you don't want to be caught under a tree." Handy tip because I had thought about aiming for a big oak. The first casualty of the day was Max who ended up between a tree and his kayak, not a nice place to be. We're all following Harry when Danny gets caught on some branches and ends up facing the wrong way, I hit him and then also suddenly appear to be facing the quickly approaching traffic. Harry shouts, "get out of the hole!" so I'm paddling my way thought a rapid backwards as Shirley, Richard and Max plow on towards me. The next part follows the domino effect, Shirley hits Danny, Richard hits Shirley and Max at the back capsizes over a tree. I right myself and see Dan up ahead stuck on some tall reeds and decided to take the alternative path which finally leads me to calm waters. Once we've all recovered and are back together we enjoy some calm waters, and with the current we can all sit back and let the river carry us along. Lying back and gazing up at the gorge on either side of us is jaw dropping, it's amazing to think that nothing has disturbed nature from this place in thousands of centuries. The calm is disrupted, up ahead we can hear a rumbling of water and Harry goes on ahead to check it out. We are all eager to hear the instructions since all of us are beginners on rapids. Harry informs us that this is the most difficult part of the two day trip, watch out for the large boulders on the left, try to stick right, paddle hard and keep yourself pointing forward. Nothing like going in at the deep end. Again we set off duckling style. There are a few stops in this rapid and after the first I am going way too fast, I see a rock the size of a hippo and paddle left which makes my kayak turn parallel with so called on coming hippo. I know whats coming but I don't know what to expect. My kayak hits the rock and then stops at such an angle that I can still sitting in the thing but also have no-way of paddling. The saying "stuck between a rock and a hard place springs to mind......not a time to joke however, as I decide to bail and am totally shocked and bewildered. The kayak lands on my head but I push and quickly surface, the power of the water is insane and gives you with a feeling of complete loss of control over anything. I swim towards the calmer water feeling like a whale in my helmet, life jacket, wet suit and splash jacket. Heaving myself to the edge and onto a rock I sit and watch Richard closely miss repeating what I just encountered. Harry checks I'm OK and beckons for me to walk down the bank towards him, only problem is I have so much adrenaline racing around that my legs I don't do what my brain asks. I see Dan on the other side, safe, warm and worried watching my kayak tumble down the remaining rapid. I've never felt such adrenaline before, not even sky diving or bungee jumping. To feel the power of the river on your body is a frightening sensation and one in which you feel incredibly vulnerable. Arno helps me back into my kayak as Shirley falls out also, I feel like a kid in a fork lift truck with a paddle in my hands being told to steer clear. We break for lunch on a pristine patch of white sand and watch as baboons call to each other and clamber up the gorge. Harry and his brother Arno are leading us together on this trip and take this moment to tell us that Arno hasn't ever kayaked this part of the river before and Harry last did so in January, since then he tells us the worst storm in twenty years may have changed the rivers course and we are here to check it out. We make our way through some more rapids in the gorge, "granny rapids", which I actually really enjoy. But up ahead lies another big one to mark the end of the gorge. Harry tells us there is a big rock at the end of this one so its best if we go right and try to avoid it. The second time I fall out Dan is watching, safe and sound again on the bank, apparently I hit a rock, All I remember is guzzling a lot of water and thinking "there's a big rock at the end, avoid it!" I'm spluttering and I see Harry in his kayak "SWIM!" so I do and my knees hit a rock underwater, I know I'm going to be purple later. I'm clinging to the rock but it's surrounded by rapids I'm being pummeled around the rock from all directions....."SWIM!" .....So I do and this time I cling to a rock in calm waters and heave myself out of this crazy place. The last rapid of the day is a shoot, a rapid which swiftly goes downhill and spits you out at the end. Its great fun this time as we all make it through in our kayaks and this time I watch from the calm waters at the bottom as Dan comes shooting out at the end in his kayak - a natural duckling. Dan just wants me to point out that he was only person on the whole trip not to fall out, not even once. A beautiful sandy bank greets us and we all pull up to our camp spot for the night. The spot is totally untouched, perfect, fine white sand, a gentle part of the river surrounded by towering cliffs of orange, red, yellow, cream and white. We are incredibly lucky to be here, not just because I feel like I've survived some close calls today, but also because this wilderness area is not seen by many. We light a fire, cook dinner and all sleep out under the stars which are incredible without artificial light and pollution. The next morning starts well with a medium paced rapid full of trees and shrubs which somehow we all avoid and we stay upright all the way through. Today involves less rapids and more longer pools of still water, so a bit more relaxing and lots more lying back, gazing upwards, with the occasional splash of a paddle to waddle along. The best moments are really quiet ones where we all sit bobbing on the river gazing and listening , mouths agape as we stare at this sight, the wilderness. Along part of the river the rock formations are in the shape of a sideward letter 's' millions of years of plate techtonics in one direction, and then another. Another tree filled rapid approaches. Harry asks us to go slowly but stay close together and follow his path. This expereince is some of the best parts of the trip. Normally your guide would know the river and all its twists and turns that need to be avoided. But Harry is not familiar with the river and this makes the rapids much more exciting. All is going well until Matt hits Yvette and Yvette trys to avoid me and hits a tree. Danny tries to stop and help by reaching for a branch above his head, he stops but his kayak conitunes and he's left swinging. Dan, Matt and I stop in the first calm waters about half a km away and wait for Harry and Arno to sort us out once again. The only way we know something has happened is that upturned kayaks and padles will start to drift down the river which we rescue. We continue onwards admiring some more jaw dropping sights and sounds until up ahead we can hear a rather loud rumble. Harry goes on again and reports back that we need to go fast through this one, stay in the middle and then go left. Only thing is Harry can only see the top section of this one, he doesn't tell us so but we soon find out. Harry, Matt and Dan go on and I follow Danny. I see Dan take a line through that I decide to follow, although the part I didn't see was Dan doing a 360 degree turn between 2 rocks and then correcting himself. I am going really fast when I see a huge rock in my way and a big hole after it. I have no time to correct myself so I shoot over the rock and crash into the hole, finding my self once again between a rock and indeed a very hard place. I see Yvette racing towards me and I have no option but to bail out yet again. I tumble around like rags in a washing machine and I open my eyes and see water, gasping for air finally I swim for the edge where Dan helps me out of the constantly gushing water. Sitting on the banks we survey the scene, this rapid is a beast. Two huge rocks lie in line on a blind corner and have created 2 big steps in quick succession, I got stuck on the first and then tumbled down the second. But after these rocks the rapid continues to rush towards a huge boulder sticking out of the cliff where the water gushes into the rock face and creates a whirlpool in it's wake. Three kayaks lie face down in this whirlpool, luckily the three passengers are shaken but safe. It takes Harry and Arno an hour to rescue our kayaks, during which both of them fall out as well. A wave of relief comes over me as Harry says that that was the last big rapid and I settle in for some enjoyable long pools and granny rapids. We pass some picture postcard banks of white sand and wobble over shallow rocky pools, an african fish eagle sors between the gorge and finally we pull up at our arrival spot where we meet our pick up transport. Arno and Harry grin from ear to ear, Harry tells me how much relief he nows feels that we're all safe and dry and all I can do is nod very enthusiastically. We all enjoy a beer and some delicisous ginger cake - beer and cake has never tasted so good. Cooper Out Love Dan & Kat
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bannork blimey! That sounds like thrilling if somewhat scary stuff, Kat, the power of nature is an awesome thing.Lying back and looking up at that gorge must have been unforgettable. I'm glad I stick to the 5mph ripples in our fishpond with a possible occasional nibble from a bla nin!