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NAMIBIA’S CHALLENGING FISH RIVER CANYON The Challenge - Wild Africa is a land of harsh contrasts and relentless ordeals and none more so than the ninety kilometre hiking trail which follows the Fish River deep into the arid erosion surfaces of southern Namibia. It was into this demanding and taxing landscape that a group of twelve hikers with heavy back-packs from Merrifield College in East London, South Africa descended five hundred metres below the surface plain to the uneven zigzagging canyon floor. The hiking challenges are physical since there are no pathways, no overnight huts, innumerable rock face obstacles to overcome, boulder strewn corridors requiring many hazardous river crossings, and deep heat-reflecting powdery sand. The hiking conditions are taxing since the extreme daytime heat leads to fatigue, the dryness to dehydration and the nights under velvet black skies are freezing, typical of desert environments. The canyon’s geology - S.W. Wooldridge the renowned outdoor geographer of the 1950’s said that “…geography is best learned through the soles of your boots” and, although the hike undertaken was not specifically a geological or geographic one, questions flowed as the landscape unfolded. The Fish River Canyon background story is 1 800 million years old. It started when two prehistoric continent edges collided to form a mountain range and in time this range was eroded down to a flat plain which was inundated by sea and sediments were deposited in horizontal layers. Today these form the flat layers near the top of the canyon walls. Later volcanic activity from below injected vertical black rock seams into the lower parts of the canyon. Around 500 million years later the ancient continent of Gondwanaland began to fragment and present day South America started drifting away. At the same time the continent rose up relatively quickly and cracks formed in the crust. The Fish River was born around 150 million years ago and it carved its way dramatically down one of these cracks. Also along some of the cracks groundwater now bubbles up from deep below to the surface in the form of hot springs, two of which are encountered during the hike. The hike - The total hiking distance, not including the descent to the canyon floor is ninety kilometres and it takes five full walking/clambering days and four outdoor nights to complete. The trail winds relentlessly through stark rock passages following the river-cut channel and criss-crossing regularly over precarious stepping stones. The reward at the exit of the hike is a hot spring resort at Ai-Ais where boots can be taken off, a cold Windhoek lager enjoyed together with ‘proper’ food, fresh drinking water, and most appreciably an opportunity to soak one’s tired and strained muscles in a mineral spa. Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme - The Merrifield College hike was conducted under the aegis of the National Award Programme known in South Africa as the President’s Award Scheme (as it was embraced by former President Nelson Mandela) and which is a member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association. The four-part programme includes service to others; development of personal skills, participation in physical recreation; and expeditions to encourage a spirit of adventure and discovery. The Fish River Canyon trail meets the highest level or gold category for expeditions and all agreed at the end that it is not for the faint hearted! Why do people keep going back? – There is the physical challenge of ‘deep’ physical geography, the natural beauty is amazing and always there is camaraderie difficult to capture in words. In the canyon one is enclosed in unspoilt natural majesty, walls of ochres and shades of brown and a clear precision border with a deep and tall blue sky. Conclusion - No photographs or words can fully describe the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail. The experience is just too huge… one must walk the walk and not talk the talk to do it justice. The Fish River Canyon is a very special place in God’s radically amazing creation. M.St.J.W.B. |
