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| Triwaters Tour ... |
Three intrepid adventurers on a source to sea expedition of the Vaal River and Orange River, promoting community river conservation along the way.
Frans Fuls (Southafrica)
Brett Mercant (Australia)
Troy Clover(Canada)
This is the collection of their Trip reports on Facebook published with their agreement on this blog.
have a good Trip, Guys!
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Today we hiked from the Lothair road to the Amsterdam road. Approx 20km.
Wonderful reception by farmers in the morning, and again at the end in the afternoon. Great to see a group of landowners with a strong interest in biodiversity and sustainability.
More blesbok, and bird life. Especially the omnipresent graceful Long Tailed Widow birds (euplectes progne).
We had an epiphany: you cannot paddle an almost dry riverbed. Farmers say it is the lowest level in about 2 decades. Need rain to make this river work.
Taking a gap to recover tomorrow. Possibly also Sunday.
Good news is we WILL make it for our next riverside talk in Standerton!
Will tell more as the plans unfold.
It is with great sadness that we must announce that Troy is departing South Africa to be with his family in trying times. While he will be away from us in body, his crazy Canadian spirit will be with us to the sea. He remains firmly part of the Triwaters team. We wouldn't be where we are now without him. We've only known Troy for a short time and it feels like we've been mates forever. Thanks for everything Troy, we'll keep in touch buddy.
Due to lack of water in the upper reaches of the Vaal, the team plan has changed. Triwaters tour will become a triathlon!After driving to Monday's riverside talk in Standerton the team will return to Ermelo. Tuesday morning they will start where they left off on Friday, and cycle on the closest public roads to Villiers which they plan to reach on Wednesday evening. Africa requires resilience, and the expedition will adapt!
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Triwaters day 14. 37.3km to Van Derbijl. We knew the headwinds were forecast so we tried to get on the water to beat them. It wasn't to be. Sometimes it could be avoided by hugging the bank, sometimes there was no hiding from it. We portaged over the power plant weir and straight into the barrage weir pool and began the countdown of distance signs from 47km. Lots of fancy houses and well kept lawns along this part of the river. We met Thomas (a local who came to last nights riverside talk) at the riverside Stonehaven restaurant where we had dinner and they were extremely generous by putting it on the house once they found out what we were doing. We Then paddled further to Thomas's house where he put us up in his boat shed for the night on comfy mattresses. Early start tomorrow to beat the wind.###
Triwaters Day 15: 52.7km of crazy catch up paddling. Up at 4am in Thomas's boat shed in an attempt to beat the headwinds. Fueled by coffee, rusks and hot cross buns from Thomas we hit a glassy calm and misty Vaal River. We had a very peaceful paddle around millionaires bend to the barrage. Got a little distracted by the lure of coffee at the Waterfront Country Lodge and Spa and we were chuffed to get one on the house and made by the maintenance manager because the restaurant was closed. We loaded the kayaks on the trolleys at the barrage, went through a few security gates and shared our leftover Eisbeine from last night dinner with Daniel the security guard that helped us around. The flow was back but so were the headwinds which negated any flow advantage. Eventually the winds gave out as the river flowed around pretty rocky bends and through small gorges and we starter enjoying some speed and a few small bumping and grinding rapids. We were super happy little paddlers when we discovered a weir with a concrete slide. Donned the helmets and took it on. Yipee! Our estimations for arriving before dark were looking good until the river took us away from our goal in a big arking circle and through a myriad of channels and islands. We donned the headlights and pushed through the clouds of light attracted bugs for the last stretch to Carryblaire River Retreat (also organised by Roelof) where Saal, the president of the Likkewaan Canoe Club met us with beers and a big daddy burger. Just what the exhausted paddlers needed. The shower and bed were simply bliss and much appreciated. Thanks Dave.
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Triwaters Day 18: 46.3km. Early start from Warren's house and were treated to a big bowl of oats to fuel us for the day. The weather was perfect and complemented one of the most scenic parts of the river so far. The flow and tail winds were very kind this morning and zipped us through a wide, shallow, tree and reed lined river with the jagged hills of the Vredefort meteor crater forming a perfect back drop. The birdlife was also incredible as we left signs of civilization behind. Had a few small, shallow rapids to keep us on our toes and ensure the kayak bottoms stayed well buffed. Got some river advice from the manager at the Elgro River Lodge and continued on til the R501 rd where we grabbed a room at the Skandanawidrift Hotel beside the river in the interest of security in a built up area on a Friday night. This luxury won't last.
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Triwaters day 21. 40.5km. A total of about 720km of walking, dragging, cycling and paddling so far. We're getting somewhere! A tough day today. Water levels are visibly getting lower and findind a channel deep enough to avoid rocks is getting increasingly difficult. The kayaks continue their buffing treatment and portaging is on the rise. Nevertheless the river was a picture today. Birds galore including fish eagles and goliath herrons, thick scrub and reed lined banks, a few sneaky otters and families of skittish Vevet monkeys. The yellowfish also kept us amused with their aerial displays. A small thunderstorm had us taking cover on the bank for an hour but the same clouds made for a stunning sun set that evening. Warm night tonight and the flying bugs are worse than flies on cow poop. We're still half a day behind and rivet levels aren't helping. We can only push on and do a rain dance or 2.
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Triwaters day 31. 44.6km. Refreshed, full of cold pizza and coffee, we hit the water at around 7am. We farewelled Magdaleen and immediately we had wide smiles from the flow and slight tailwind. With only a half metre drop with a clear exit line, we decided to run the Bloemhof weir and get soaked in the process. For the rest of the morning we had blissful flow and slight tailwinds, fair to say we enjoyed the huge contrast to Bloemhof Dam. The river is lined with eucalyptus here and while I (Brett) realise it's a pest, I felt right at home. Huge irrigation pumps are the theme in this section. When you stop hearing the whirring of one, you pick up the drone of the next. The fish eagles were out in force and we spotted a few groups of otters being their usual sneaky selves. Also saw a few pied kingfishers for the first time today. Like an old friend, the headwind was back to say hello in the afternoon, but not nearly as bad. We found a little island in the late afternoon, had a small fight with the undergrowth to pitch our tents and settled into our private jungle. A few fireflies are out tonight and some otters are grunting on the opposite bank. The next weir can just be heard from our camp.
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Triwaters day 34. 27.1km of low water kayak pinball. Had a late start due to alarm operator error then launched onto one of the most spectacular stretches so far. Many narrow reed lined channels, surrounded by short native trees and bordered by jagged and sparse ridge lines made a perfect setting. Grade 1, 2 and sometimes 3 rapids kept us very amused. A nasty grade 3 (4 in higher water) rapid through a narrow gorge caused us both to swim. Brett's boat got wedged sideways down a small drop, floated and eddied out while Franz became detached from his boat when a drop forced it down and the lifejacket kept him afloat. Recovered from that one well, only to get the kayak pinned on another drop. With a huge effort he scrambled over the kayak and got it free all the while the contents of a small hatch that popped, floated away down the river. We decided to call camp early to carry out minor repairs, dry gear and reflect. We learn and paddle on.Big thanks to the Northern Cape Aquatic Club for storing our boats during the rest day. Off we go!
Triwaters day 36. 0km! Another rest day and very much needed. Both had a good sleep in at Good Hope Private Reserve, had the big breaky and got ready for the big back to back riverside talk at 10am. We were blown away by the reception. The first group was about 50 learners from 6 to 7 different schools in the region and the other group was about 50 adults from many different organisations like SAEON, WESSA, media, Department of Water Affairs, the mayors office, Department of Education, Northern Cape Eco Schools and Environmental Affairs of Northern Cape. Thanks to Joh Henschel for ensuring it all happened and all the helpers. Had a good miniSASS demonstration to the learners afterwards that was well received. Got lunch provided by Good Hope then we were kindly driven into Kimberly by Joh and Markus where we stocked up on supplies. After a good iced coffee we were taken by Tsililo back to Good Hope where we enjoyed the remainder of our rest day.
Triwaters day 38. 32.1km. Had a slight sleep in to experience the comfort of civilisation for a liiittle bit longer. We launched around 9 after some paddle repairs and diatom samples and into a river that was far from our expectations. For most of the day we were zipping and bumping down a narrow and very rocky valley bordered by sparse native vegetation and well...a lot of big rocks. This section is in the top 5 prettiest on the river so far for us. Grade 1 and 2 rapids were mostly fast and a few grade 3's were super fun and kept us on our toes. 2 grade 4/5 waterfalls made us drag our boats around a safer route rather than have a kayak human sandwich be made of us. Historic diamond mining was evident along the whole valley but it was good to see nature taking its own back to an extent. Just when we thought to look for a camp spot, we re-entered civilisation and there were people everywhere. There was no subtlely finding a quiet camp spot anywhere. Finally we found a cosy hidden spot, did the essentials and headed for bed. A tough but rewarding day
Triwaters day 40. 43.3km. We sadly departed our scenic camp site but very happily hit a straight river with a big tailwind. The river trended in the wind direction for about the next 30km so we were in for a treat. The river was nothing inspiring at this point with high banks and pumps every half a km, so we were happy to see it rush by. Went through a very pretty valley around mid morning that was very similar to lower Flinders Ranges for you Australians out there. The rest of you google it. We got creative with Franz's tent shelter and made a sail that worked well for about 2km until we hit the new next bend. The afternoon was wind payback time. Big headwinds and thunderstorms had us ducking for cover once again. We managed another 3km between storms then were forced to make camp as they starter to surround us. It was a wet night, so cooking and other chores were done in the tents. Isn't this place meant to be dry?
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Triwaters day 43. 0km. Rest day and our 9th riverside talk. Good sleep in at our accommodation before making our way to the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers, South Africa's 2 largest rivers. We had another good riverside talk proudly supported by SAEON and GWK, and had a representatives from the municipality, the department of environment and nature conservation, and about 25 learners from 2 local schools. The talk went longer than normal as there was a bit more to talk about with our experiences so far. Had a good miniSASS test to mark our first on the Orange and despite the few groups found, the result was good! After lunch provided by GWK, we packed up and headed to the Douglas weir to check out the dry river. Our fears were confirmed with zero flow and stagnant pools. We heard some flow but that was only the irrigation channel on river left. The rest of the afternoon was spent re supplying, sorting our gear and generally relaxing. Bring on the Orange!
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very sad looking dry Vaal River. Douglas Weir to the confluence, a distance of 20km has no flow.
First 5km of Orange River done in 36mins. That's about double our speed on the vaal. Viva good flow!!!
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Triwaters day 47. 48.6km. Had a late start due to the water tests but it didn't matter because there was flow. We were straight into a big headwind on the first stretch but it didn't matter, we had flow! The big cliffs, scenery and abundance of birdlife kept us busily rubber necking like googly eyed tourists. We entered Prieska after lunch and got shown to the shops by local kids Benny and Adam. Thanks guys. Once we passed the rapid under the town bridge we were officially ahead of schedule. What a feeling! The river was especially in fine flowing form for the last stretch and was showing off its beauty. The big barren mountains in the distance set a perfect backdrop to the wide, cliff lined Orange. Found another good camp at the base of a cliff and enjoyed another moonlit night.
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team member Adventure Kayaker Troy Glover has landed! Just taking care of some logistics and equipment accommodations on the Land Rover before hitting the road for an epic 1.5 months of filming for a soon-to-be even more epic documentary covering this incredible journey! Lot's of photos and videos to come. Troy will be joining the team shortly!
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Triwaters 52. 32.1km. We both had shortened sleeps thanks to the drunks yelling and pumping music, but we were keen to get back on the river. We used Franz's rope skills to lower the kayaks down the steep, 10m dam wall. It was a lot quicker than portaging around! We entered the washing machine at the bottom and were whisked away into the flow once again. The progress was very stop/start as we portaged one weir, ran another and had to carefully chose our channels. The rocky channels were back and we didn't want to make the mistake of finding the one with the dead end. The river exited the hills and entered the flat country once more. Funnily enough we then got some pinchy and bony grade 2 rapids straight after. The afternoon saw the river widening and slowing and then getting quick again with speedy grade 1 rapids. We considered our camp options and didn't fancy our chances of finding a secure camp spot around Groblershoop so we stopped early on a nice sandy island, did the water tests and had a relaxed arvo and evening. That's the river life!
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Triwaters day 53. 47.4km. Early start from our little deserted sandy island and onto a calm Orange hoping to get some good distance after yesterdays slack off. It was into the mid 30's today with little wind so we were frequently dunking our hats in the water. We were also kept refreshed with a few grade 2 rapids that swamped our boats and kept us amused. The river has significantly lowered since the confluence and the lack of flow is very evident in places. There have been big sections of long pools in the last few days with little or no flow, intersected with boney rapids. Nonetheless, enough good flowy sections and little headwind ensured we made good progress in the arvo. Found a farmers camping beach and a walked 2km inland to make enquires. After a few phone calls the farmer was more than happy to have us. Very still tonight, stars and fireflies are lighting up the evening.###
Triwaters day 54. 40.7km. What a rollercoaster day. Started pretty average and ended on a super high note. Had a slightly later start but we hit the river with determination. Our goal: Upington in 2 days. Sadly, the headwind had other ideas. Our old friend decided that since we were trending north all day, he'd send a strengthening northerly our way. Franz combatted this by singing a lot while I just tried to find my happy place. A lot of the river was long, slow pools which didn't help but we did have a few sections of fun grade 1 and 2 rapids through the day. At one point we had the most ferocious headwind of the journey to date, which had us going down a decent rapid at walking pace! Lucky it didn't last long. Our good day started with a run over a broken weir with a good 1.5m drop, then some flowy channels without headwind. The river then opened up into a glorious flowing mirror that reflected the sunrays and showers through the clouds. We pitched camp on a little grassy bank right before the heavens opened up. The rain didn't last long and the clouds helped in giving us one of the best sunsets so far. Makes all the headwinds worth it!
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Triwaters day 55. 53.0km. 1726km done to date. 756km to go! Crazy day to say the least. Up before the hadeda alarm this morning and onto a glassy calm and flowing Orange. In stark contrast to yesterday the tailwinds were back and made our job easier for most of the day. The long, slow pools turned into a paddling joy. The tight, rocky, reed lined channels also kept us on our toes with a few grade 2 rapids to negotiate. It was looking like an easy cruise into Upington until we came across a 2m weir. The middle channel was out of the question, so we tried river left which had big sluice gates leading to an irrigation channel. 3 gates were fully open leading into that while another was half open leading to the river. We decided on an awkward portage around the gates and punch into the outlet of the half open gate. Franz went first and got returned to the launch spot by an eddy recirculating anticlockwise caused by a big stopper rock 10m downstream. He went around 3 times in this circulation, once backwards, while all the time trying to recover a water bottle that fell out. Eventually a thigh brace strap broke and he took a swim and got washed out the rapid. While I sprinted around with a throw bag he calmly swam down the river to pick up his pelican case and paddle, then I grabbed his boat that eventually got unstuck from the stopper rock. After settling down and collecting our thoughts we launched away from the rapid and continued through the maze of channels. It was going to be tight getting into town before dark. Storm clouds that were slowly surrounding throughout the day met us in the middle and we were forced to the bank twice to take cover. The resulting rainbows and sunshowers that made a sheet of golden droplets that bounced off the calm waters, was a real spectacle. We paddled the last section in the semi dark (which we don't recommend) and finally made it to Affinity Guest House for another rest day. We had a huge meal at the Spur and threw our weary bodies into bed. What a day!
A ritual of ours to monitor change in water level overnight. Since the confluence we have noticed a drop in levels almost every morning
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Triwaters days 56 and 57. Rest day and 31.4km. Our rest day went far too quick and wasn't helped by having to lug our next 23 days worth of supplies through busy streets back to the guest house. Nonetheless we had good food and had a great catch up and beer with Danie and his wife to be. Danie has kindly offered to guide us through tomorrows technical maze. Today we hit the Orange with enthusiasm. We used the coordinates from the Green Kalahari marathon notify us of obstacles. The local advice of "keep right" and our channel reading skills (aka guessing game) were brought into play with the river dividing into many channels throughout the day. We were looking good for an early day as Danie had arranged a camp spot 30km out of town for us. Until. We took advice from the canoe marathon instructions to go far left over a weir. We happily paddled down a fast section to withim 800m of the camp site only to realise the correct channel was 800m north and accessable only from the weir pool we'd just come from. We then practiced the art of attainment, going upstream by ferrying from one eddy to the next. With a bit of furious paddling we reached the bottom of another weir and heaved the boats up and over the 2m ledge into the pool. It was then a slow paddle around, ran down the 2m rocky ramp of the weir on river right before finally getting to the black sandy beach next to Canon Island. A short, easy day turned into a small epic. Phew! Tomorrow we reach some big rapids, watch this space.
Triwaters day 58. 42.6km. If yesterday was a small epic, today was the big brother. Up early in the frigid desert air to meet Danie at the rendezvous at 7. We paddled about 8km of flat water before dropping over a few weirs and into maze of rapidly descending, rocky, reed lined channels. We took a wrong turn at one point and ended up fighting our way through a few sets of thick reeds. We collected our fair share of reed debris and funnily enough, fresh water mussels which we ...assume came up through the scupper holes. After a portage and a bit more bashing we made it back to the main channel and into our first lot of serious rapids. The Bambas performed relatively well despite the low, boney river but the last bit of Harlem Shake looked a bit much so we watched Danie expertly take it on while we bumped down the less technical line. We had a look at the steep gorge of jagged rocks at the bottom of Siphon Alley before farewelling Danie at a bridge near Keimoes. We'd like to say a huge thanks to Danie for taking the time to guide us through. We'd probably still be reed bashing or scouting nasty looking rapids without him. #triwatershero. We took it easy in the afternoon, both spent from the early start and tough morning. It wasn't over. We continued to use canoe marathon way points to lead us over a few broken weirs and rapids, then decided to take on the narrow channel that was a forced portage in the marathon. We soon found out why. The channel narrowed, sped up, got real boney and dropped quickly. There were almost no eddies and places to stop or turn around. We were committed. What followed was a nerve racking but fun, adrenalin fueled descent with a few dismounts to get out of pins. We were very relieved to see the river open right up and flatten out again. We found a nice little camp shortly after and crashed. Sleep in tomorrow I think.
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Triwaters day 59. 32.5km. A relaxing recovery day compared to yesterday. Gave our bodies the sleep in they needed before jumping in the Orange juice once again. The flow for the next 10km down to Neus Weir was devine with long sections of snaking white water. We combined dragging boats, floating them down the irrigation channel and lowering them on ropes down a steep, rocky bank to get around the huge Neus weir and down to the river far below. We bumped our way down the small channel before joining the main flow again and enjoying some good rapids prior to lunch. The next section we entered another world as we slowly stepped down into a narrow, twisting gorge, lined by dark, jagged cliffs. All too soon we were out of that and back into flat irrigation country with headwinds and little flow. Yesterdays effort was catching up with us and we struggled in the afternoon, so we found a camp spot early to recover. Onto Augrabies tomorrow.
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Triwaters day 60. 32.9km. 2 months since we began in little Breyten. Seems like a lifetime ago. Slow start to the morning as we worked out our logistics with Kalahari Outventures. The Orange was once again in fine flow for the first 10km to the 2.5m Marchand weir. There was no obvious portage so Franz decided to bite the bullet and run it. Apart from taking half a tree down with him and doing a Michael Jackson on his kayak nose again, it went pretty well. I took more of the tree down with me and also slightly crinkled the nose. We had fun for the next 6km with good rapids through a myriad of twisty channels to where we wet Craig from Kalahari Outventures and 2 of his guides Travis and Jody. We then went through one of the most beautiful stretches of river so far with even more confusing channels and really fun grade 3 rapids. Franz had a go on the 2 man, inflatable croc for half the trip while Jody had a go on his Bamba. After a perfect twisting finale of rapids we made it to the takeout above Augrabies Falls and hauled the kayaks across 2 steep valleys and across the river to the carpark. The granite was pretty abrasive and shavings of green Bamba blood were left on random rocks. After a long haul we put kayaks on trailers and went straight to the restaurant for a well deserved beer and burger. The guys took us to the nearby camp site where we pitched tents, had a shower and hit the hay. We've decided to take 2 rest days while we're here and wait for Troy and the film crew to arrive. Chill time.###
Triwaters day 61. Rest day. It wasn't long since the last but it really felt like we needed it. After a sleep in we had a big breaky at the restaurant then went down the big, safe tourist footpath to check out Augrabies falls. Apart from the usual chores we spent most of the day chilling. I went for a short walk in search of rock hyrax's and a good view while Franz waged a small war with a family of monkeys that stole some of his chocolate and nuts. The war was a stalemate with losses both sides. The evening saw me going on first game drive to satisfy my African bucket list. Will be back on the river tomorrow and onto our last 600km to the sea.
Triwaters day 62. 31.8km. Had a fun time acting on monkey and baboon sentry duty while trying to pack up at the Augrabies camp ground. Jody and Travis from Kalahari Outventures picked us up and took us down to Bleeuwputs to put in just below the weir. Thanks again guys. #Triwatersheros. The beauty of the river immediately showed itself with tall, jagged mountains surrounding the river. The mountains themselves were amazing, showing off a variety of colours and geological complexity. The headwinds were sadly with us the whole day and only strengthened throughout the day. This wasn't helped by the low water levels and many long weir pools. Eventually satisfied with our progress we found a big beach and enjoyed an incredible sunset that lit up the mountains red.
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Triwaters days 63 and 64. 49.4km and 39.8km. What an amazing last 2 days. Without a doubt we've gone through the best mountain scenery of the journey so far. With 2 early morning starts we've witnessed some amazing sunrises lighting up the tops of the mountains and slowly drawing a curtain of light down the slopes. The river was like a millpond on both days and made for some amazing views with the mountains reflecting on the river surface. With the constant mountains we've commonly spotted big groups of baboons that call out their loud, raucous barks of warning before scattering up the mountains. Their rock climbing abilities made vertical faces look like a walk in the park. We have worked out who is true king of the river as a fish eagle gave an aerial beat down to a goliath heron at least twice its size. Must have stolen its fish. The flow has come back to us with many narrow and sections whisking us a long. The shallow, rocky sections had big schools of darting yellow fish that raced us along and scattered before the kayaks. We got a scare yesterday as the flow seemed to significantly decrease and we had to drag kayaks over rocks and through narrow channels more than a few times. It was looking real bleak and our morale was down, until we hit more channels with good flow. The afternoon saw us half run/half portage a nasty bony weir then run some fun rapids into Onseepkans where we finally met up with Troy and the camera crew from Flyingfish Productions, Grant and Christian. Also met Roche' from Gravity Adventures who welcomed us to their awesome camp ground. We had braai, beers and a lot of catch up conversation into the evening. Rest day tomorrow then joining a Gravity Adventures trip the next 2 days.
Our friend from Gravity Adventures; Roche' incredibly did the source to sea of the Orange on an Anvil paddle board. He was the first to do it non stop, all 2400km in 165 days. Great to compare notes and get invaluable advice. Awesome work mate.
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Another peak behind the scenes of the #Triwaters and Flyingfish Productions film crew. This is all part of the documentary we are filming "A Tale Told by Two Rivers" about South Africa's current state of water security, as told by those who live beside these two giant rivers. Also, tune in to Carte Blanche on April 19th if you live in South Africa for a 10 minute segment about us, primarily filmed by us and Flyingfish Productions.
Don't forget, you can help make this film a reality at www.triwaterstour.com/film by making a small donation now.
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Triwaters day 65. Rest day! One well spent doing not much at all in the Gravity Adventures camp ground. Got treated very well with eggs for breakfast and braai for dinner. Performed the usual rest day duties of resupply, cleaning, repairs and water sampling. The 14 or so clients for the rafting trip arrived in the late afternoon and took full advantage of the river for a swim. Looks like a good bunch and we'll have some fun over the next 2 days.
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Triwaters Day 66. 8.6km. Its a new record! Our lowest distance day, even from when we were walking. It was an easy, relaxed day with the happy crew and clients with Gravity Adventures. Had a late start to go through the safey briefings before made a long train of 7 crocs and 2 bambas snaking down the river. It was mostly a case of drifting with the occasional paddle stroke as we went down the flowing channels. Everyone grew a little worried at the approaching storm clouds just after lunch. Then it hit usm what started as heavy rain and a good tailwind turned to gailforce winds, torrential rain coming in sheets, lightning directly overhead and macadamia sized hail. Most people found sheltered in the reeew while Franz and I stayed with 2 boats of stragglers, pinned on a rocky bank by the wind. Franz and Roche' eventually hooked up boats and towed the boats to the reeds. Just as quickly as it started it was all over. We paddled the last few km's pushed through a channel rushing with brown run off water and found camp. Everyone was buzzing and the moral was quickly boosted with sunshine and hot choc. We were treated to a wonderful stir fry with charcoal chicken courtesy of Roche' and the crew, and had a great evening in good company.
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Triwaters day 67, 68, 69. 8km, 3km, 10km. We have signal! Back in civilisation after a fantastic trip with the crew and clients at Gravity Adventures. With the uncertainty of water levels and access points for the support/camera crew we decided to run with the Gravity Adventures crew on the rest of their trip. It has been a nice, slow tour of a truly beautiful section. Day 67 saw us bypass the siphons of Orange Gorge by heading down a slow and boney channel to the top of Rich...ie Falls, where we camped. We then lowered all the boats down ropes into the gorge the next morning and took on the exciting turbulence of the "Big Bunny" rapid, followed much more mellow ride between the cleavage of "Dolley Parton". Before we knew it we'd reached our camp site. At a beautiful beach in the gorge. The following morning everyone enjoyed the flow and tailwind of the gorge and had fun splashing, boarding boats and hauling competitors into the water. Franz acted as one of the chief pirates, letting kids ride at the front to sneak up on other boats. We reached our destination with a hard fought last kilometre into a nasty headwind. We were then all picked up in a truck with all the gear and rode back to Onseepkans, appreciating the amazing rugged desert country on the way. We will stay here tonight, meet Troy tomorrow and decide on a way forward then.
Message from team leader Franz Fuls:
Triwaters has come a long way in exceptionally rough conditions. At Richie Falls the river was so low that it drained through the siphons and no water passed over the falls. With a the river splitting into a multitude of channels thereafter I feared for the team's safety: Low levels means dragging boats. Dragging boats means fatigue and injuries become highly likely. In a very remote area this spells disaster.
We decided to rather follow t...he Gravity Adventures commercial trip to their take-out as a controlled extraction.
Triwaters has come a long way in exceptionally rough conditions. At Richie Falls the river was so low that it drained through the siphons and no water passed over the falls. With a the river splitting into a multitude of channels thereafter I feared for the team's safety: Low levels means dragging boats. Dragging boats means fatigue and injuries become highly likely. In a very remote area this spells disaster.
We decided to rather follow t...he Gravity Adventures commercial trip to their take-out as a controlled extraction.
Tonight our support vehicle caught up with us, and we planned the way forward.
Tomorrow we will use the trusty Defender to follow the river as close as reasonably possible to the river to continue our diatom and miniSASS samples.
We plan to float the boats again as soon as we are in an area where reasonable support is practical to continue to Alexander Bay, possibly Sendelingsdrift.
Stay tuned for news on the adventure!
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Triwaters day 71, 72. Approx 400km of scenic driving over the 2 days. Set off from Onseepkans after packing the kayaks and all our gear in the defender and resupplied in Pofadder. Included some handy off road gear like a shovel and compressor. We headed past Pella and it wasn't long before we let down the tyres for a washed out, sandy creek crossing. We met 2 touring motorcyclists there (Corlius and Rainer) from Pretoria that are doing a big round trip along the lower Orange,... then through the deserts of Namibia. We decided to cruise with them and help each other through another big creek crossing to the next camp. We became the first clients at a great little bunk house just past Pella, owned by Adam Basson. We built a camp fire and shared some great adventure stories into the night. The next day saw us take 3 separate water samples on a 4wd track to Goodhouse. The track dipped, rose and twisted over the rugged terrain. It was never too technical, very scenic and a lot fun. The mountain scenery was amazing with jagged mountain peaks that have been heavily eroded to form vast, sandy flats in between. The mountains continued to show a range of colours and geological complexity. We attempted an early evening dash to Vioolsdrif but took a wrong turn and almost ended in Springbok. We eventually got back on track and reached some camping accommodation in Steinkopf to crash for the night. We got some good advice from the owners of Bushwacked River Adventures who don't recommend paddling the river before the tidal influence near Alexander Bay if we don't want to get stuck. The low water levels change our plans again. We will continue the 4x4 until Alexander Bay, taking samples where we can and look at paddling the last 10-20km to the sea.
Huge thanks to the super friendly staff at Kookfontein Rondawels for going out of their way to accommodate the team at late notice when fully booked out last night. Thanks guys.It is with great sadness that we farewell Troy from the Triwaters team. He has been instrumental in gaining sponsorship, education, website maintenance, filming, logistics and a whole lot of other admin work. Triwaters would not be where it is without him We wish you the best of luck for future endeavours Troy and safe travels home.
Big thanks to the crew at Bushwhacked for accommodating us last night at their beautiful Fiddlers Creek camp. Got some great advice from owner Adam about access to Richtersveld and showed a guide (Jaques) about the wonders of Minisass - Mini Stream Assessment Scoring System
Triwaters Day 73. About 80km of driving from Steinkopf to the Bushwhacked camp near Vioolsdrif. We had a slow start to the morning organising gear and socialising with guests at Kookfontein Rondawels. Collected a few more supplies at Steinkopf before making the descent to Vioolsdrif then onto the Bushwacked camp of Fiddlers Creek. Chatted to the super friendly staff, had a few cold ones at the bar then whipped up a gourmet braai including a very creative fonkietool (donkeyd**k) which is a mix of whatever vegetables and spices available, wrapped in alfoil and thrown in the coals. Had good fireside chat well into the night with a German bloke (Sam) who's doing an epic 5 month solo trip around Africa on his motorbike.
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Triwaters Day 74. About 300km of driving from Vioolsdrif, Steinkopf, Alexander Bay (bit preemptive) then to a camp spot at Brandkaros. We eventually headed off from Fiddlers Creek after getting advice from Adam and doing the water tests. Had lunch at the Steinkopf service station where they sell everything from rocks, souvenirs and paintings to hardware, groceries, automotive and camping gear. We pointed the land rover to Port Nolloth where I (Brett) saw the Atlantic ocean fo...r the first time in my life. The savage, white surf slowly materialised out of the sea spray mist. There was a tinge of sadness knowing we were supposed to see it for the first time just before completing our non stop paddling journey. Low water levels forced our hand instead. We headed south past the big diamond mines and broad expanses of sandy nothingness to Alexander bay, then onto a caravan park at a riverside farm called Brandkaros. We've taken the long but smoother ride around to gain access to the Richtesfelt National Park where we hope to gain river access for our last few water samples. On we go.
Triwaters Day 75. About 80km of driving from Brandkaros to Sendelingsdrif. We hit the dusty road early and wove through the barren, sandy plains and past more huge diamond mining operations to the jagged mountains of the Richtersveld Trans Frontier Park. On the way we witnessed the Orange reduced to a few channels snaking through broad sandy riverbed. We had a good chat to a manager at the national park headquaters and got permission to stay at the research bunkhouse just out... of town. We also got maps and good advice for the next few days of 4wd'ing and water testing in the Richtersveld. Performed some water testing at the bunkhouse then took full advantage of the opportunity for another braai. Unfortunately due to the rules of the park, I'll be unable to publish photos of the next few days. We will most likely be out of signal too. Looking at coming back through here on the 3rd.
Triwaters Day 76/77. About 290km of driving from Sendelingsdrift, gallivanting around Richtersveld National Park then back to Brandkaros. Its been a fantastic last 2 days winding and bumping between the rugged mountains of the Richtersveld. We were initially shocked by the heavily corrugated roads and amount of diamond mines, and were underwhelmed with the scenery. Once in the guts of the park we started to appreciate its beauty. We can draw easy comparisons to the mountains ...we saw on our drive from Pella to Goodhouse. Creeks are generally the path of least resistance, so that's the route most of the park roads took. It made for some tight, twisty and fun rides down to the Orange where we took our samples. We camped the first night at Kokerboomkloof (quiver tree gorge) surrounded by quiver trees funnily enough. I went for a big climb up Die Toon (the toe) and managed to get up the 2nd highest peak to be rewarded with spectacular views. We met a crazy hiker and his newly acquired dog (just decided to start following him in Vioolsdrift apparently) that has walked the entire coastline of South Africa and has now almost finished a circumnavigation of the Richtersveld. We gave him water and an apple and wished him the best of luck. Go Garrit!! Our 2 days took us to 4 different river sites for samples and we saw some nice (albeit still low levels) bits of the Orange. We found out from some tourists back in Sendelingadrift that commercial rafting trips have been doing some significant portages due to low levels. Back at Brandkaros we did our last water sample and Franz was able to walk across the Orange from South Africa to Namibia and back. Another braai tonight and mixing it with the Easter crowds on our last night of camping.
Tomorrow we will use the trusty Defender to follow the river as close as reasonably possible to the river to continue our diatom and miniSASS samples.
We plan to float the boats again as soon as we are in an area where reasonable support is practical to continue to Alexander Bay, possibly Sendelingsdrift.
Stay tuned for news on the adventure!
Triwaters day 71, 72. Approx 400km of scenic driving over the 2 days. Set off from Onseepkans after packing the kayaks and all our gear in the defender and resupplied in Pofadder. Included some handy off road gear like a shovel and compressor. We headed past Pella and it wasn't long before we let down the tyres for a washed out, sandy creek crossing. We met 2 touring motorcyclists there (Corlius and Rainer) from Pretoria that are doing a big round trip along the lower Orange,... then through the deserts of Namibia. We decided to cruise with them and help each other through another big creek crossing to the next camp. We became the first clients at a great little bunk house just past Pella, owned by Adam Basson. We built a camp fire and shared some great adventure stories into the night. The next day saw us take 3 separate water samples on a 4wd track to Goodhouse. The track dipped, rose and twisted over the rugged terrain. It was never too technical, very scenic and a lot fun. The mountain scenery was amazing with jagged mountain peaks that have been heavily eroded to form vast, sandy flats in between. The mountains continued to show a range of colours and geological complexity. We attempted an early evening dash to Vioolsdrif but took a wrong turn and almost ended in Springbok. We eventually got back on track and reached some camping accommodation in Steinkopf to crash for the night. We got some good advice from the owners of Bushwacked River Adventures who don't recommend paddling the river before the tidal influence near Alexander Bay if we don't want to get stuck. The low water levels change our plans again. We will continue the 4x4 until Alexander Bay, taking samples where we can and look at paddling the last 10-20km to the sea.
Huge thanks to the super friendly staff at Kookfontein Rondawels for going out of their way to accommodate the team at late notice when fully booked out last night. Thanks guys.It is with great sadness that we farewell Troy from the Triwaters team. He has been instrumental in gaining sponsorship, education, website maintenance, filming, logistics and a whole lot of other admin work. Triwaters would not be where it is without him We wish you the best of luck for future endeavours Troy and safe travels home.
Big thanks to the crew at Bushwhacked for accommodating us last night at their beautiful Fiddlers Creek camp. Got some great advice from owner Adam about access to Richtersveld and showed a guide (Jaques) about the wonders of Minisass - Mini Stream Assessment Scoring System
Triwaters Day 73. About 80km of driving from Steinkopf to the Bushwhacked camp near Vioolsdrif. We had a slow start to the morning organising gear and socialising with guests at Kookfontein Rondawels. Collected a few more supplies at Steinkopf before making the descent to Vioolsdrif then onto the Bushwacked camp of Fiddlers Creek. Chatted to the super friendly staff, had a few cold ones at the bar then whipped up a gourmet braai including a very creative fonkietool (donkeyd**k) which is a mix of whatever vegetables and spices available, wrapped in alfoil and thrown in the coals. Had good fireside chat well into the night with a German bloke (Sam) who's doing an epic 5 month solo trip around Africa on his motorbike.
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Triwaters Day 74. About 300km of driving from Vioolsdrif, Steinkopf, Alexander Bay (bit preemptive) then to a camp spot at Brandkaros. We eventually headed off from Fiddlers Creek after getting advice from Adam and doing the water tests. Had lunch at the Steinkopf service station where they sell everything from rocks, souvenirs and paintings to hardware, groceries, automotive and camping gear. We pointed the land rover to Port Nolloth where I (Brett) saw the Atlantic ocean fo...r the first time in my life. The savage, white surf slowly materialised out of the sea spray mist. There was a tinge of sadness knowing we were supposed to see it for the first time just before completing our non stop paddling journey. Low water levels forced our hand instead. We headed south past the big diamond mines and broad expanses of sandy nothingness to Alexander bay, then onto a caravan park at a riverside farm called Brandkaros. We've taken the long but smoother ride around to gain access to the Richtesfelt National Park where we hope to gain river access for our last few water samples. On we go.
Triwaters Day 75. About 80km of driving from Brandkaros to Sendelingsdrif. We hit the dusty road early and wove through the barren, sandy plains and past more huge diamond mining operations to the jagged mountains of the Richtersveld Trans Frontier Park. On the way we witnessed the Orange reduced to a few channels snaking through broad sandy riverbed. We had a good chat to a manager at the national park headquaters and got permission to stay at the research bunkhouse just out... of town. We also got maps and good advice for the next few days of 4wd'ing and water testing in the Richtersveld. Performed some water testing at the bunkhouse then took full advantage of the opportunity for another braai. Unfortunately due to the rules of the park, I'll be unable to publish photos of the next few days. We will most likely be out of signal too. Looking at coming back through here on the 3rd.
Triwaters Day 76/77. About 290km of driving from Sendelingsdrift, gallivanting around Richtersveld National Park then back to Brandkaros. Its been a fantastic last 2 days winding and bumping between the rugged mountains of the Richtersveld. We were initially shocked by the heavily corrugated roads and amount of diamond mines, and were underwhelmed with the scenery. Once in the guts of the park we started to appreciate its beauty. We can draw easy comparisons to the mountains ...we saw on our drive from Pella to Goodhouse. Creeks are generally the path of least resistance, so that's the route most of the park roads took. It made for some tight, twisty and fun rides down to the Orange where we took our samples. We camped the first night at Kokerboomkloof (quiver tree gorge) surrounded by quiver trees funnily enough. I went for a big climb up Die Toon (the toe) and managed to get up the 2nd highest peak to be rewarded with spectacular views. We met a crazy hiker and his newly acquired dog (just decided to start following him in Vioolsdrift apparently) that has walked the entire coastline of South Africa and has now almost finished a circumnavigation of the Richtersveld. We gave him water and an apple and wished him the best of luck. Go Garrit!! Our 2 days took us to 4 different river sites for samples and we saw some nice (albeit still low levels) bits of the Orange. We found out from some tourists back in Sendelingadrift that commercial rafting trips have been doing some significant portages due to low levels. Back at Brandkaros we did our last water sample and Franz was able to walk across the Orange from South Africa to Namibia and back. Another braai tonight and mixing it with the Easter crowds on our last night of camping.
Triwaters Day 79!! About 15km from Pachflei to the sea! Last day! We are finished. Triwaters Tour of the Vaal and Orange rivers has sadly come to a close. Its been one incredible ride. We've faced some of the biggest challenges of our lives and we've had some tough (bordering on soul destroying) times, but there were always moments that made the hardship worth it. It was a broken up expedition due to the low water levels. We walked, dragged, paddled, cycled, dragged some more, drove then finally paddled the last bit to the sea. It was bitter sweet. The low water made for some tough times but highlighted a need for big change in water conservation in South Africa. Onto day 79! Out of bed at 4:30am this morning to drive to Alexander Bay in the hope of catching the outgoing tide. We floated our unladen boats just on first light and were whisked away in the fast flow. Our spirits were high as the sun rose over the Orange on our last morning. The wildlife was out and about with groups of gemsbok, ostrich, fish eagles, pied kingfishers and egrets. The reeds stayed with us until a few km's from the sea and we were surprised to taste very little salt in the water almost to the mouth. Despite the reasonable flow we still got stuck on sandbanks in the middle of the river a few times. It wouldn't be right to finish without our good friend Mr Headwind, so he came and greeted us with enthusiasm about 5km from the mouth. After getting a bit confused as to the location of the mouth, we finally spotted the defender, the eco schools flag and our super group of supporters. We paddled the fast, twisty channel through the mouth then poked our noses part way into the raging sea before retreating to shore to the cheers and congratulations of everyone. We had our final interview which was cut short by a big incoming wave, had a few photos then all went back to Port Nolloth to celebrate with fish and chips. Done and dusted. We have a huge group of people to thank for the success of this expedition. There are so many, I cant mention them all. First and foremost is Roelof Fuls. The time, passion, and financial support he's put into the expedition has been incredible. His wife Maree and 2 dedicated employees Egon and Hybrie have also been amazing supporters with their time and effort. Our conservation partner that was a huge part in making it all happen WESSA Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa. Our super generous sponsors Fuls Engineering, Fluid Kayaks, Canoe Concepts, Powertraveller, inReach Canada, George Switchboards, Adelaide Canoe Works, Baffin Footwear & Apparel and Picknpay. Also big thanks to the support of Trappers with affordable, quality gear. Huge thanks to Flyingfish Productions for their big commitment filming for the expedition. Finally thank YOU. Our amazing and big group of supporters. Your words of encouragement truly kept us going and often brought us out of dark places. It was easy to feel alone out there but every paddle stroke was fueled from that encouragement. To all the visitors, people that hosted us in their homes, the schools that hosted and people that helped organise riverside talks. Thank you. Watch this space for future adventures, it doesn't end here. Daily update author Brett signing out here. All the best.
Hey im from germany i think this article is very awesome.
AntwortenLöschenSorry for my bad english
greetz sandra from bremen