Fish River Canyon Hike (part 3)

(Read parts 1 & 2 of this series here and here.)

Day Five

Despite taking shortcuts across land, this was still the longest day of hiking yet. You must pick your poison in the canyon: either large rocks where you must choose your steps carefully, or sand which cuts your traction and fills your shoes. By now the anti-inflammatory meds were helping my knee, and having eaten half my food my pack was much lighter. Because of the long day there was no stop for swimming when the sun got hot, but we did come across our first and only snake of the trip!

A horned adder a bit annoyed by us disturbing his sunbathing

Night five was one I had been looking forward to, but made many of the boys anxious: Solo Night. Each of us was dropped at a place where we couldn't see anyone else and we would spend the night completely alone in the bush. There would be no community meal, no safety in numbers, just us and nature. On the opposite cliffs of the canyon, baboons were howling and the many animal tracks in the sand reminded us we were not alone. Some boys were scared because they'd never spent a night alone in their lives. But my introverted self loved it!

Day Six

The next morning the stories of Solo Night began flooding in. Some guys acted brave and tough. Others admitted to being scared of strange noises. Some had slept through the night, others stayed awake most of the time. One boy even claimed to see a huge, dark fish in the water! I'm not sure how he thought it was going to get to him, but alone in the dark our minds can play tricks on us.

After another long day through much sand, we were pleased to find a nice swimming hole at our sleeping place for the night. We arrived early enough in the afternoon that the cool water was refreshing.

Sharing session around the campfire

This evening it was time for the man talk. We asked the boys what it means to be a real man and they gave some good answers like honesty, integrity and respect. Then we asked how many of them knew a man like that. Only three. Out of all the men these boys knew, only three could be described as real men. Many of the youth in Namibia are raised with absentee fathers, and the other men in their lives are often poor examples, so we were stepping in to help fill part of that gap. We discussed what it means to be a real man, and how real men respect women. We discussed how pornography is devastatingly harmful to them and their futures. Overall, it was well received and all the guys seemed inspired to go and be real men.

Day Seven
At the beginning of the hike, the organizers provided us with all the food we would need for 8 days, including 8 packs of biltong. Biltong is basically dried meat, a favorite snack of almost every Namibian I know. But it's not something I'm particularly fond of, so instead of using it as food, I planned to use my 8 packs as currency. After carrying a heavy pack for the past six days, I promised a pack of biltong each to three guys who would carry my sleeping bag, tarp and mat, gas stove, pot, and first aid kit. With my pack only half-full, this day's hike was so much more enjoyable!

We arrived at our final sleeping place in the bush by mid-afternoon and had another nice swim, including some rock jumping. We cooked our final bush meal and had our final campfire. This night we started turning our thoughts toward home. When you get back, what challenges will you face in keeping your commitments? We also talked about identity in Christ and the gospel. Our desire is for all of them to find their identity in Christ rather than the things they've been identifying with up to now.

Day Eight
Having given away 3 packs of biltong for carrying my things yesterday, I still had 5 packs left. So on our last day of hiking, I got five boys to carry almost everything for me. Basically, all I carried in my own pack was my food and water for the day. An ingenious plan if I do say so myself!

That morning we followed a steep 4x4 trail up to the rim of the canyon. A viewpoint from the top was the last place where we would see the river. We took a moment of silence, then each chose a stone that represented all the things we wanted to leave in the canyon. We then turned our backs to the edge and hurled all those things over the cliff behind us, that way we couldn't see where it landed so there was no hope of finding the stone and bringing those things back with us.

Final view of the canyon

The first sign of base camp was a welcome sight. Some of the boys wanted to run ahead, but we held them back so we would all arrive together. It was nice to know I could sit down and I wouldn't have to walk anywhere else. That was almost more welcome than a shower and a real mattress! That night we celebrated our accomplishment with a braai of meat, boerewors, and rooster brood (roasted bread). The leader even handed out printed certificates and gave each of the boys a youth Bible and a t-shirt.

As we dropped the boys off back at their school, we reminded them that the hike in itself was not magical or life-changing. We only helped them better understand themselves and their decisions. For these boys, the challenge wasn't ending, it was only beginning. The true challenge will be taking what they've learned and going back home.

The Fish River Canyon 2017 team