Vaal Run

The Vaal was up and quite frankly I didn't had anything better to do, well most other people has something better to do, as a large amount of teeth pulling was involved to get people to come. In the end Laura, Richard , Richard's bint (hmmm going to take slack for that) and myself drove of to the 50cumec flow of the Vaal. Astute readers would figure out that four people equals one car, which equals no drive round. I chose the Run/Hitch option, with the hope that there would be many cars to pick me up, which there weren't. Eventually I was picked up after a little jog and we were off down the river. At 50, running the Vaal is a rather pleasant experience, with far fewer rocks crocs can make it down unhindered. Richard had a swim at Big-daddy, and a almost-rap-into-flip later on, good times. When running down Theater a sneaky rock jumped up and broached me, after a painful dislodgement and hand slog roll we arrived at Gatsien it relatively one piece. The hole was sweet , and I had one of my best plays every, Snoo threw down her bag of tricks including a nice crogan-so-hard-you-get-water-in-your-nose-through-your-eyes.

- Nortis

Onseepkans Gorge - Orange River - 2-9 December

So.... back from the Orange and already the post-trip depression has set in.
A pile of email and an even bigger, scarier pile of work-that-should-be-done stares you in the face. How much would I rather be on the Orange? A whole bunch. Anyway, nothing for it but to contemplate the next trip, and reminisce about the last one... What an awesome trip! Personally my longest river trip ever (consecutive days on the same stretch at least, but let's not get technical) - which I think had a lot to do with it, and also an awesome group of people - which I think had even more to do with it. Enduring memories are of absolutely breathtaking (sometimes literally) scenery, laughing a lot (mainly at Chris, but sometimes at Nick's Kukoi/sarong/skirt/anus), 38 degree heat, lunchtime naps, fish eagles, 20:30 Sunsets, OBS, early mornings, tarpalising, untarpalising, Richie Falls, building a raft-yacht and the occasional gale-force headwind... not not good times (Nick Tye/Nortis, 2005). Water level could have been higher, but a low level meant a more relaxed trip which was also pretty cool. Sorting out a proper river-file folder for the Onseepkans stretch sometime (probably next year) but in brief, for those of you who couldn't make it:

Take-in: Onseepkans Border Post
Put-Out: Klein-Pella (largest Date Palm plantation in the S. Hemisphere)
Distance: 60km... about 4 full river days at 50 cumecs
Rapids: A couple, most were not quite so big with the low level. Watch out for Richie Falls (~15km) which should be portaged on the right bank. Little Falls, just above Richie Falls, was very bony and consisited of a semi-drag into a pool and a small drop on the extreme right.We lowered most of our kit into the gorge below Richie Falls from some fixed anchor points, and found most of the Gorge rapids to "not-be". "Big Bunny" required a scout, but has an easy line down the left - lots of heavily-loaded croc-wrapping-potential though. "Dolly Parton" had a sneaky siphon on the left, fairly easily avoided though. Couple of I/II's followed on the last days - mostly a lot of flat, channely stuff. Hats were awesome for the flat stretches.
General: Heat could have been quite an issue, we were careful though - lots of suncream and 2-3 hour breaks in the shade at lunch time. Hats were awesome for the flat stretches. Crocs were the ideal boat - rafts would not have got through some of the channels, especially near onseepkans and also would probably not have got through Dolly Parton.

- Daav