Diary of the Namibia Desert Challenge 2009 by Lynne Turner
Day 2
After breakfast and a warm up session on the sand we headed out to the dune fields. The sand was hard enough to walk on but we also had to walk through clumps of long grass. Within an hour Fiona discovered that the grasses are home to snakes which prompted a discussion on the different types of snakes (fortunately this one wasn’t venomous) and what to do if we were unlucky enough to come across something more serious such as the deadly Puff Adder. i.e. stand completely still because they can only see movements. Privately I think we all hoped that we wouldn’t be tested on it. However at the first water break Faan had left us a little gift in a Nokia Mobile phone box. Nobody believed Kobus that the box contained a live Puff Adder until he opened the box to show us. It was a very sleepy and docile snake and we all got a good look and took some photos before it was released into the wild again.
As the day progressed the dunes became higher and the day became hotter. Walking to the top of the last high dune before lunch break, the excited chatter had turned to silence, as everyone was concentrating hard on their breathing and on keeping on walking. There was a welcome relief as we came over the brow of a hill and saw the green canopy – Lunch! By now the temperature was up to 41 degrees so we were very grateful for the shade and a short break. However after lunch the heat took its toll and a number of people began to suffer from heat exhaustion. We found a tree with some shade and tried to create more shade with pashminas and sarongs (essential trekking equipment!) and tried to cool down. Albert decided to call in the roaming vehicle to assist us and a few people were evacuated, after forcing down energy drinks on Albert’s advice, to replenish their essential minerals. The rest of the group continued walking, and found our camp for the night pitched under the shade of a huge Mopane tree. That night Albert had his first “clinic” of the trip and we were all enormously grateful to have an experienced Namibian paramedic with us to keep us alive and healthy. Luckily those who had been evacuated during the afternoon were now in much better shape after a rest and the chance to cool down, so they could carry on with the rest of the trek.
