BEYOND THE CAVE - The Washout Trip

 

Day 1 

 

So finally the day came and it's time to hit the water.
Departing from Klein Pella rivercamp and dressed to cope with the blistering sun.

 

Hitting the first nice rapid:

 

Time for lunch snacks:

 

 

 

Nappy Run Rapid:

 

Time for some fly fishing:

 





 

Finally reached the first campsite - Jack Daniels (± 14 km )

Gathering wood and starting fire

 

 

 

 

 

Time to do the bread thing.

Steak is the main course with some "roosterkoeke" on the side.

Big team effort with the bread.

 

Steak burger with cheese and tabasco . . . . . . we ate like kings !

 

 

A very exciting and succesful day 1 comes to an end

We are privallaged . . . .

 

 

Day 2:

After a quick breakfast it was time for the Jack Daniels rapid.

Jack Daniels - on the rocks !!

 

 

 

Day 2 is a maize of channels and good navigational choices a must.

  

Jors was prepared with Google Earth Maps  !!

 Because of the low waterlevel, the boats had to be dragged over the rocks in some places

 

Stop for lunch



After a grueling 20 km, we finally found an overnight spot.
Brandy never tasted that good before !!!

 

 

 

A bee insident got us down from there in a jiffy !!

 

 

A hard day, with a beaut of an ending



 

 

 

 

Day 3:

 

Day 3 started with an early fire.

Had some dew during the night and sleepingbags were slightly damp.

Piet Fluit kettle supplied hot water for coffee and breakfast

 

 

 

Again some fishing on the way

 

 

 

Lots of birds on the river

 

 

 

A weir caused kilometers of hard rowing on what seems to be non moving water.

Stretching the back a little !

 

 
Finally reaching the weir

 

Relaxing while on moving water again 

 

 

South Africa supplying electricity to Namibia

 

Decided on this spot for a campsite (my favourite of the trip)

A level grass bank !!!

 

 

 

 

 

Still eating steak and bread in the evening.

Got a good nights rest.

 

 

Day 4

Fishing jackpot day !!!

Spend about 4 hours in a great fishing spot.

 

Hidrating and cooling off . . . . . . .

 

 Due to a rocky campsite, we slept on the boats

 

Still eating steak on day 4, this time with smash as a side dish

 

 

Day 5:

Got up early for some fishing

 

 

Then, a little insident . . . . .

Caught my biggest yellowfish of the trip

Wanted a photo of it, but had to carry it to the other side of the river to the camera.

Just as I got to the cameraman, the fish escaped from my grip.
Grabbing for it, I got a finger caught in the second hook.
Eina !!

 

 Got my picture taken, with both me and the fish hooked up !

 

 

Took some serious pulling with the leatherman to get it out !!

 

 

We didn't have far to go to our last campsite (about 3km from the pickup point)

Got there early and had no shade from the sun.

Not to worry, because Jors had a plan !

 

 



 

 We drank some wine and had a go at our last snacks !

 

 

 Late afternoon and some last fishing were done

 

We made pasta and drank more wine.
Started talking about the next cavemen adventure . . .


Then Jors saw a pack of Barbel on the hunt in the river and he was determined to catch one.
And so he did, because that's what cavemen do

And so . . . . an amazing trip comes to an end . . . . . . and we return to our caves recharged.

 

 

 

 

 

Post Script:

We thank the Lord who created us able and kept us safe on this trip and also for creating special, beautiful places like these for us to enjoy.

Thanks to our wives for granting us this opportunity and for looking after the cavekids on their own.

Thanks to everyone who was concerned and in spirit with us.

We roughly covered 80 kilometres of the Orange River from Klein Pella to Goodhouse.

We caught more than 200 yellowfish between the 3 of us.

All fish caught, were released unharmed.

 

 

 



It's That Time Of Year Again:

Blitong Hunting and the First Buck Blood for the Howa .243

 

 

Tiaan (my 11 year old son) shot his first buck.

160 m, perfect heart shot, 29 kg (shared heaviest buck of the day)

I'm a very proud dad !!!

 

He had to cut the throat, struggled a bit, uncle Bex helped him out

 

 

 

 

Getting some fresh blood stripes from the farm manager

 

 

 

Finally, his dream came true.

 

 

 



 

 

The Whole Story:

 

 So jag my seun Tiaan (nou 11) al 4 jaar saam met my, maar alhoewel ek weet hy baie goed skiet , (ons skiet baie PCP airgun) het ek nog altyd uitgestel om hom te laat skiet in die jagveld. Hy is maar altyd my "spotter" om te help kyk waar die bok geval het.

Een van die groot redes hoekom ek ook nog terug gehou het, was omdat ons nie ons eie roer gehad het nie en altyd maar saam met iemand anders gejag het met hulle gewere. Einde laasjaar het ek toe besluit dis tyd en het ek die lisensie proses van heel voor af begin. 8 maande later en alles is goedgekeur en het ons nou 'n Howa .243. Het 'n tweedehandse Leupold 3.5 - 10 x 44 op hom gesit wat baie lekker werk.

Na vele probeer en nie aanvaarbare resultate met fabrieks ammo het Bex (Jors) my gehelp met lading ontwikkeling en herlaai. Skiet nou 85gr Sierra Gameking koeëls, in Lapua doppe met 41gr S365 teen 3065 fps (16mm groepe)

Hierdie Saterdag was ons in die veld vir die eerste jag en na 'n effense "shaky" start (skoot hoog deur die springbok se rug) het dinge begin beter lyk en het ek in totaal 4 springbokke laat val. Almal so tussen 180m en 250m, een 'n rapsie oor die 300m.

Na my 4 bokke het ek en die jongman gereken dat hy darem nou ook 'n kans moes kry. Ons het voorgesit, maar die dag was op 'n einde en dit was tyd dat die bakkie ons sou kom oplaai.

So sit en wag ons maar, hy met die geweer in die hand en vol hoop vir sy eerste bok. Toe ons weer mooi kyk, kom daar 'n enkel loper ram van ver af aangestap. So hou ons sy vordering dop, hy loop baie stadig en die spanning bou vinnig op hier by ons. Moet ek Tiaan laat skiet ?? Wat as hy kwes ??. Druk bou op, ram stap stadig, maar sy lyn is reg voor ons verby.

Volgende oomblik hoor ek die jagbakkie aankom. Dis 'n disaster, ek gryp na die foon, bel, niemand antwoord. Ram nog te ver. Nou raak die besigheid lekker tens, want nou kan ons al sien, dis sommer 'n meneer van 'n ram. Ek dink en dink, hoe gaan ek daai bakkie gestop kry. Daars nie plan, hy sal moet skiet. . . . .

Daar's bosse in die pad en dit moet nog oor die 350m wees. Haal geweer saggies oor, stel die teleskoop vir 150m. Tiaan lyk kalm, maar ek is nie, my hart klop in my keel en die bakkie "raas" in my ore. Daar hoor die ram ook die bakkie . . . hy begin draf . . . sy lyn ten minste nog reg . .

Toe hy in die oopte voor ons kom, fluit ek . . . hard . . dalk te hard !!! Bok steek in sy vier spore vas en draai reguit na ons . . . ek wil nog raad gee van waar om te mik, maar kan skielik ook nie dink . . . die bakkie is nou baie naby . . . toe klap die skoot . . . ek het hom nie weer herrinner dat die sneller lig is nie . . . . . . . . . .

Bok draf so paar tree weg . . . . dit moet mis wees . . . . . "gee die geweer" skree ek saggies. Toe ek klaar oorgehaal het en die bok weer in die teleskoop kry, is ek net betyds om hom te sien val.

Die man is in sewende hemel. Lyk of hy gaan uitpass. "Ek het hom pappa, hy't geval !" "Ek HET my eerste bok !!" Ons stap nader, bakkie ook nou by ons. Ons wys die rigting waar hy lê. Man moet keel afsny, maar sukkel bietjie, oom Jors help hom. Perfekte hart skoot, reg van voor. Jors range terug na die skuiling, 160m.

Ram weeg 29Kg, kop af en binnegoed uit. Gesamentlik( met nog n ander ram) die swaarste van die 28 springbokke geskiet op die plaas die dag.

 

Pa is so trots op jou seun !!

Passing on the skills

Passing on the skills to the next generation of Cavekids is a very important task.

Smallmouth Yellow on the fly in the Orange river.

The petrol price is crazy at Kakamas !