Chantal Burger
Pack Dog
It wasn’t a very deep or wide river, but the moment we drove through it you could feel the mud grabbing the wheels and the Cruiser started to sink in. Hardy always says that the last vehicle you want to get stuck in is a Cruiser, since it will take 10 Cruisers to pull it out.
When I spoke to Hardy I saw that look in his eyes, and realised his thoughts were elsewhere. That look usually means he is not in a talking mood, and that he needs to be left alone, I also realised that he is busy doing time calculations, and decided to help the others by packing the rocks.
At one point Hardy came to me and told me to stop, as we where now compromising the riders safety, since they were still far from camp.
The decision was made to get the riders safely to Purros, while we waited in the canyon (on the exact place that we watched numerous videos of Okondjomba lions a week prior to the trip)
We got hold of Hein on the satellite phone, and he got Greg ready to leave with his Unimog (as told by Jaco previously)
Hardy and Jean started to make a fire, and I very eagerly took out my lunchbox, half a cup of coffee and Hardy’s knob kierie.
Everything was fine and spirits were high until it started to get dark, very dark. We had our little fire, but you can feel yellow eyes staring at you. And of course the elephants Conrad saw earlier about 600m back from where we are.
We had no idea how long the wait was going to be, and navigating the canyon by night is a lot more challenging than you would expect.
Every time Hardy and Jean left to go and get more wood for the fire, I eagerly tagged along, to protect them of course.
Hardy then decided it to light up the driftwood in the middle of the canyon, it was an incredible feeling. The whole canyon lit up and you feel so small sitting there. I remember thinking, that I am very glad that I am here and not at the camp, my FOMO won’t be able to handle only pictures and videos. I took a video of Hardy next to fire, to show how high it was.
When the Unimog lights came around the corner I had mixed feelings of adrenalin, excitement and being very grateful.
We had everything ready for the recovery, but first we had to take 5 minutes to get Jaco’s FOMO under control.
Hardy attached all the equipment and told us to stand back for in case the winch rope snaps (wayyy back to were the lions might be lying)
When they cruiser got out, we quickly packed everything back into the vehicles and took another 5 minutes just to take everything in. It has been one of the most exhilarating experiences.
Jean decided to sit on the back of the cruiser on his bike in stead of in the Unimog, and we made our way back to camp.
When we got into radio contact with Alan & Sharon, they assured us that there will be coffee ready as soon as we get there.
I think I speak for the whole team if I say that Purros is one of our favourite places, but seeing Purros in the evening is definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
When I spoke to Hardy I saw that look in his eyes, and realised his thoughts were elsewhere. That look usually means he is not in a talking mood, and that he needs to be left alone, I also realised that he is busy doing time calculations, and decided to help the others by packing the rocks.
At one point Hardy came to me and told me to stop, as we where now compromising the riders safety, since they were still far from camp.
The decision was made to get the riders safely to Purros, while we waited in the canyon (on the exact place that we watched numerous videos of Okondjomba lions a week prior to the trip)
We got hold of Hein on the satellite phone, and he got Greg ready to leave with his Unimog (as told by Jaco previously)
Hardy and Jean started to make a fire, and I very eagerly took out my lunchbox, half a cup of coffee and Hardy’s knob kierie.
Everything was fine and spirits were high until it started to get dark, very dark. We had our little fire, but you can feel yellow eyes staring at you. And of course the elephants Conrad saw earlier about 600m back from where we are.
We had no idea how long the wait was going to be, and navigating the canyon by night is a lot more challenging than you would expect.
Every time Hardy and Jean left to go and get more wood for the fire, I eagerly tagged along, to protect them of course.
Hardy then decided it to light up the driftwood in the middle of the canyon, it was an incredible feeling. The whole canyon lit up and you feel so small sitting there. I remember thinking, that I am very glad that I am here and not at the camp, my FOMO won’t be able to handle only pictures and videos. I took a video of Hardy next to fire, to show how high it was.
When the Unimog lights came around the corner I had mixed feelings of adrenalin, excitement and being very grateful.
We had everything ready for the recovery, but first we had to take 5 minutes to get Jaco’s FOMO under control.
Hardy attached all the equipment and told us to stand back for in case the winch rope snaps (wayyy back to were the lions might be lying)
When they cruiser got out, we quickly packed everything back into the vehicles and took another 5 minutes just to take everything in. It has been one of the most exhilarating experiences.
Jean decided to sit on the back of the cruiser on his bike in stead of in the Unimog, and we made our way back to camp.
When we got into radio contact with Alan & Sharon, they assured us that there will be coffee ready as soon as we get there.
I think I speak for the whole team if I say that Purros is one of our favourite places, but seeing Purros in the evening is definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
