5 am wake up came early, but we were dutifully
at the main area to leave at 5:30- no breakfast and one cup of coffee. We arrived at Wilderness Safari’s private
gate to the park (which saved about an hour drive to the main gate), and sat
until the sun touched the dunes, which, as Eric had tried to explain to the
Brits, didn’t happen until about 6:30.
We could have easily got up ½ hour earlier and had a wholesome
breakfast. This got Jeri and me very
grumpy.
We did get to watch a couple of balloons go up in the dawn’s
early light (about $16,000), only mildly envious.
The
early morning light on the dunes was really magical. These dunes are some of
the largest in the world reaching a height of over 300 meters (1,000 ft). The major dunes have been named, the most
famous is dune 45.
Because this tends to get crowded with sand dune groupies, Eric suggested we drive a bit further to Big Daddy, which he felt would have fewer climbers and also better views of Deadflei, the eerie dried pans full of creepy dead trees. The Brits were unable to climb the dunes, so Eric walked with them to Deadflei and pointed us in the direction of the climb.
Walking
in deep fine sand is difficult on a beach, but try climbing a steep mountain of
it.
The sand shifting under our feet was
only one impediment. The sun was brutal,
and as we started the climb, the wind picked up and increased in velocity as we
rose.
Because of the heat, I wore shorts
today-big mistake. The wind picked up
the sand and drove it into my legs like a sandblaster. My hairy legs are no more. The sand also was an issue for my
camera. I tried as best I could to keep
the camera covered and out of the prophy-jet, but as I used it later on, I was
able to feel the gritty sand in the wheels and buttons. I see a professional cleaning in the camera’s
future.
We
finally reached the top after only a couple of near misses. The view of Deadflei was impressive. But now we had to figure out how to get
down. The pitch had to be at least 45
degrees, steeper than any ski trail we’ve had the pleasure to negotiate. We began down, holding hands (figured that
way we would go together), sinking into the hot sand up to our shins. This was good, though, since it slowed our
descent. 2 German couples who were
behind us, let it rip and flew down the hill, kicking up sand and screaming in
German. By the time we reached the pan,
we were each carrying about 5 lbs. of sand per boot.
We found Eric chilling on an old log
and had him take a few pictures of us, tourist style, proving that I was actually here.
At
the bottom, the landscape was quite eerie, a great setting for a horror movie. Deadvlei is a clay pan characterized by dark, dead camel
thorn trees contrasted against the white pan floor. The pan was formed when the
Tsauchab River flooded allowing camel thorn trees to grow. The climate changed and the sand dunes
encroached on the pan, blocking the river from reaching the area. The
trees are thought to be about 900 years old. Decomposition of the dead trees
has not occurred due to the extremely arid climate leaving them as a photographer’s
paradise with the black trees, red sand, white pan and bright blue sky. If only the wind would calm down (actually, on the pan it was not anywhere near as bad as
on top of the dune).
After a few hundred requisite photos, we headed
back to Little Kulala for lunch and siesta (aka downloading pictures).
Later
that afternoon, we drove to a spot high above Little Kulala to watch the sun go
down and drink. On the way out, we saw
some incredible nests that were in some cases so large that they took down the
tree,
birds feeding their young,
and desert adapted oryx and springbok.
On the
menu at camp this evening was oryx. We
prayed that while we ate on the terrace, overlooking the spotlighted watering
hole, an oryx didn’t show up.
Thankfully, we saw only a fox and jackal. Good thing, because the oryx was outstanding!
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