Excerpt from Bush Diary, Madikwe Game Reserve

We were reminded this afternoon of the brutality (if that is the right word ?) of the life and death struggle of the bush I have been privileged to live and work in. One of my colleagues and his guests witnessed a lion pride stalk and chase a family of warthog, and in so doing flushed an aardwolf from cover. A sub-adult male lion from the pride caught and killed the aardwolf, and there was no attempt to feed off the aardwolf body (also a carnivore). From our point of view, it is a “loss” and “waste” to lose such a rarely seen animal in such circumstances.

Not far from Madikwe River Lodge, west of the Marico River are the Madikwe Plains. We were priveleged to have resident aardwolf living on the plains. It was not unusual for us to see an individual foraging on the open grasslands, when we returned back to the lodge in the evening after the sun had set. Aardwolf are quite a rare sighting, not often seen in many game reserves, so it was great to be able to see such an unusual animal with the guests. Aardwolf are part of the hyena family, but feed almost exclusively on harvester termites, hence they have reduced dentition compared to other members of the hyena family. They adapt their feeding times to the times when the harvester termites are most active on the surface gathering dead plant material to take back into the termite nest. In mid-winter when the nights are particulalry cold, the aardwolf would be more active earlier in the eveneing, and we would have a better chance of seeing them. A single individual can consume a vast number of termites in a night, and hence play a key role in controlling the harvester termite population.

Fever Tree Forest, Phinda Game Reserve

Fever Tree (Acacia xanthoploea):

In the lowveld areas of South Africa, it is a great sight to see fever tree forests especially early morning or late afternoon with the highlighted bark covered in a yellow powdery substance. The bark literally shines, hence the use by local Zulu people as a remedy if you are having bad luck or can't find a job. The Zulu name for the tree means "something that can be seen from far away".

The tree is so named, (fever tree), because early pioneers thought that this tree caused a fever, in some instances from the bark powder that would settle on their skin. In fact the fever they were vunerable too was malaria, carried by mosquitoes that thrived in the same swampy and low lying areas as the trees.

Unusually, many gardens in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg contain fever trees. Historically fever trees would not have been found on the highveld of South Africa, but with the well watered gardens and some protection from frost when young, the trees now thrive in these suburbs.

Big Five Walking Safari, Phinda Game Reserve

There is no better way to experience the African bushveld than on a walking safari !

Favourite Quote:
"The bushveld is a place that grips and subdues you and makes you one with yourself"
(Jan Smuts)

Black-crowned Night Heron

Scuba Diving, Praia do Tofo, Mozambique

During the last of the three weeks of our trip to southern Africa, we spent four days in a little piece of 'paradise' named Praia do Tofo, Mozambique. Specifically we went there for the diving, but the whole experience was terrific and a chance to escape from the rat race. The diving experience was incredible through the dive operator Tofo Scuba. The young team from Tofo Scuba was excellent and professional throughout. We were fortunate to see humpback whales breaching close-up from the dive boat. We dived a different reef on each of five dives, and all were unique and special. The highlight definitely was Manta Reef. The reef teems with life and includes two Manta cleaning stations. On all the dives we did a roll back negative entry with rapid descents to the reef below. We descended into an amphitheatre and remained there for most of the dive keeping any movement to a minimum. At one point we had a manta circling above us within touching range. What an incredible site and an image saved on my mind that I will never forget ! This is definitely one of those wildlife highlights that will be remembered for the rest of my life.

www.tofoscuba.co.za

www.scubamozambique.com/acccasabarry.htm
http://mozmarinescience.googlepages.com/mantarayresearch

Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, 2007

Well another failed attempt to complete the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon - this time my second attempt. In hindsight I should never have started the race having come down with flu the week before. I discovered that persistent flu symptoms do not go together well with trying to tackle excruciating heat (~ 45 DegC) and the desert conditions. The first day turned into a bit of a disaster. After vomiting after check point 2, becoming extremely dehydrated and taking a short sleep to try and recover, I headed off on the wrong river gorge. My mistake completely but I just wasn't thinking straight. Oh well, these things happen and I am not too disappointed. Many more experienced runners remind me that in a race like this it is all about the journey getting there, and if for some unplanned reason you are unable to complete the race, well that is just one of those things. The preparation for the race has been thorough and a great challenge. Will I attempt it again - not sure time will tell.

King Cheetah, De Wildt Cheetah Centre, South Africa

Walking Safari, Phinda Game Reserve, South Africa

During mid-October we spent a fantastic four days at the Walking Safaris camp at Phinda Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The experience was memorable ! We were looked after by a great team at the camp, led by Sam the ranger for the camp. The ultimate african wildlife safari has got to be on foot and staying in an unfenced camp. Although the idea is not to encounter the big five on foot, but rather leave that until the evening drives to look for them, we encountered lion on foot - two lioness. Not the first time for me, but a great experience and the whole situation was handled incredibly well by Sam and his tracker. We saw them, they saw us, we stopped, watched for a short while and then backed away, with no aggresive response from the animals at all. The bushveld is not just about the big animal sightings and we had a great time looking at the smaller things - tracks, plants, trees, insects and smaller animals. A fantastic location with a very professional team.

Kingston, Lake Ontario for a challenging weekend of diving continuing our advanced diving courses - deep, wreck and night diving. The conditions are tough - low visibility and cold water, but with the right gear the temperatures were tolerable. In the cold deep lake water the wrecks are uniquely preserved as compared to many other areas in the world. One such was a double paddle wheel steamer whose paddles were still predominantly intact. Deep and wreck diving is a real mental challenge for me to overcome. Wreck penetration was the plan for our last dive, but we never got to practise that skill with the separation of the group down there. It will take more practise and experience for me to feel more comfortable down there, and before entering an enclosed space at depth ! Needless to say my air consumption is above average but that should improve with experience. We are told often the high quality of experienced Canadian divers - I am not surprised with the local conditions they dive in. Not only do the advanced courses help our diving skills, our thoughts are that it is great preparation for a planned diving trip to Mozambique in late October.

A great weekend was spent in Quebec City, the main objective to run the Quebec City Marathon held on 26 Aug. A new place and area for me to see and experience in Canada. The race was well organised and scenic running either side of the St Lawrenve River. Our times were steady and slow with the longer term goal of the extreme marathon in our minds. After the race with sore legs, we got on a boat cruise on the river resulting in some stunning views of Old Quebec from the river.

Our scuba diving experience and training is progressing and we have now completed our first Specialty diving course - Navigation. The course was held at Gulliver's Lake - nothing spectacular but a good place for diver training and getting used to compass navigation beneath the surface. Three more specialty courses to come during September including Deep Diving, Night Diving and Wreck Diving.

!!!!! Just when the training was going well, and my running strength and speed with a backpack had reached a new level, an injury happens. I guess that is part of training and taking part in events like these. I have now a soft tissue injury to my foot arch which is surprisingly very painful, it was mild until I took part in another trail race last Saturday and caused more damage. Oh well, patience is the key with lots of icing, stretching and a few physio visits. The goal now is to get through this as quickly as possible but making sure the foot is properly healed before getting back on track with the training. The race starts on Saturday 20th October - 91/2 weeks to go !

Well, one more post to give an idea of the varied training I am going through for the extreme marathon. I guess the posts have varied slightly from the main topic of this blog about my passion for conservation, but doing all these races also gives a great opportunity to see and experience new outdoor areas I probably would not have visited. One race series I did last summer, and have repeated this year is the 5 peaks trail running series in southern Ontario (http://www.5peaks.com/). They are an incredibly well organised series of trail races that have grown in poularity remarkably in the last two years. The courses are very challenging but a good fast trail run test. See the website for more details !

Completed our third adventure race of the ARC (Adventure Racing Canada) series this last weekend. This race was held at Wye Marsh (http://www.wyemarsh.com/) just outside Midland, Ontario. A tough race for various reasons although the terrain was much easier than previous races. 6 km canoe, 20 km mountain bike ride and 7km trail run. The canoe through the marsh was especially challenging navigating narrow channels through the marsh, and ploughing through thick lily beds in places. No chance to get the momentum going with the canoe and a struggle for most of the way. It is becoming a regular occurrence that at least one of our duo comes off the bike during the mountain biking stage, and this time it was me, going over the handle bars in some thick sand. Fortunately only some minor grazes, and so the training goes on in preparation for the Augrabies Extreme Marathon in October. The plan is for August and September to be "huge" months in terms of hours on our feet, and training with the weighted back pack as usual.

Another excellent trip, this time back country canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park. We based ourselves for four nights at a camp site on Tom Thomson Lake, on one day doing an extensive canoeing day trip of approximately 25km, and over 7 km of portages. The scenery was spectacular and pristine. The weather too was in our favour, with five days of sunshine, each evening being calm and tranquil. This gave me my first opportunity to see and hear the common loons on the lakes calling as the sun set. Their yodel call being a great addition to the evening experience. Our canoeing is improving with every adventure race and canoeing trip, and it is just a great experience to be gliding over the glassy lake surface with no wind, the only sound being the dip of the paddles in the water. What a contrast to the continuous background noise of the city, and it certainly takes some time to adjust to the wilderness and hear the distant sounds of animals and birds.

Well, besides the day to day training always with a rucksack, yesterday was another significant endurance test. We covered 90km along the Elora Cataract Trailway (http://www.trailway.org/) in south-central Ontario. 45km by foot, and 45 km back by bike. Not difficult terrain in terms of climbs or descents, or the surface which is a gravel path - just very long ! The trail was originally the route of the Credit Valley Railway.

Another great long weekend in the outdoors, this time kayaking along the Saugeen River over the Canada Day long weekend (http://www.svca.on.ca/outdoor.htm). We camped at the Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area close to Paisley in Ontario. Three days of kayaking upstream and downstream of the camp site with a total of 17 hours kayaking, and approximately 80km, over the three days. The river was spectacular with some minor rapids but lots of gentle paddling and drifting with the flow of the river.

After the hours of paddling, a blazing sun with hot temperatures and little wind, lying on the beach at Southampton made for a great end to the long weekend. A pity we then had to join the long trail of traffic heading back into the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) !

Two more shorter adventure races completed (http://www.adventureracingcanada.com/). Opportunities to build fitness and strength for the extreme marathon in October, but also a great way to experience new outdoor areas of southern Ontario. The adventure races are also a great way to cross-train and give the legs a break from the hours and hours of pounding on roads and trails. The first was in mid-June in the Kelso Conservation Area, in winter an area with small ski slopes, and close to the Greater Toronto Area. The second in early July was in Bracebridge further north. Both these races have only been my 2nd and 3rd time canoeing, but with each race our duo improves dramatically. The mountain biking is extremely challenging !

The weekend away in Bracebridge also gave an opportunity to briefly explore a new area for me of Georgian Bay. Since arriving in Canada last year April, much of last year was all work and no play. At least this year I have managed a better balance and getting to experience many new areas of southern Ontario. The province on its own is massive, almost as big as the whole of South Africa. An unusual experience was the sandy beaches in places along Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Something I never associated with the Great Lakes growing up in southern Africa, and never remember seeing the beaches in any of the tourist brochures, web sites or "coffee-table" photographic books.

Preparations have started in earnest for the South African Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon in October, 2007 (http://www.extrememarathons.com/), an uncompleted challenge for me. The diary of events for the next five months does not only include running events but also adventure races to enjoy. Our duo team recently completed a RaidPulse Adventure race at Lac de L'Argil, close to Notre Dame de la Salette in Quebec. Canoeing, Mountain Biking and Bushwacking including some challenging map reading. It was a tough event, and the first adventure race for both of us. With a couple of mishaps including a bike crash and a missed checkpoint, it took us 7h30 to complete. The challenge was good and a thorough learning experience for the next events. The photo is early morning looking out from the start across Lac de L'Argil.

An adventure weekend on the Grand River in southwestern Ontario. A five hour canoe down river followed the next day by an extended cycle ride on the trails close to the river. Although the river is over 300 km long, our first visit was just to the area south of Cambridge to Brantford, camping in the Brant Conservation Area. Some beautiful stretches of the river north of Paris, and remarkable that only an hours drive from Toronto, we can find places like this to wind down from the city and work stresses ! Some hard work has been done on cleaning up the river and building trails, and heard from locals of recent sightings of bald eagles on this stretch of river that had not been seen in many years.

Well, have now completed my four open water dives, completing the last two at Hudson Grotto, north of Tampa Bay, Florida. This opens up vast opportunities to also now experience and learn about the marine and freshwater environments. I was fortunate field guiding in northern Natal, South Africa to experience the bushveld, but hoped that one day I could get into the ocean and see the wonders of that environment. One step closer now with my open water scuba qualification. Hudson Grotto is interesting to say the least and nerve-racking for my second time in the water. Averaging about 110 ft, we only dived to 55 ft at the deepest on our training dives. Visibility was poor and we dived with torches. Constant watching out for my dive buddy Heather, and the instructor ahead, just to make sure I did not lose sight of them ! A distinct thermocline at about 45 ft as well made for some chilly diving down there. Anyway all went well and all skills completed. Eagerly learning more about the marine environment and hopefully have many opportunities to share that passion and pass on the message of conservation and our extraordinary ecosystems and the creatures and plants that inhabit them !

Very, very different to the African bushveld but impressive too ! For the near future I am living in Ontario, Canada and so must make the most of the wilderness areas here. After a cancelled trip at the end of December due to lack of snow, our dog sledding trip finally took place in early March in Algonquin Provinicial Park. What a unique and challenging experience to be out on your own sled with your dogs on the snow trails. The dogs just love to pull, and at times on parts of the trail, the dogs and sled are a challenge to keep in control and to keep the sled upright ! On the second day we set out from the camp with unladen sleds, there was little wind and a low mist. With just the sound of the dogs running and panting, and the sled sliding over the snow, the moment was surreal !

On foot in the wilderness area of the Eastern Shores Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu Natal. This is one of my favourite wildlife areas, with spectacular and unique scenery, flora and fauna. The combination of big five game reserves on the coastline of South Africa adds to the attraction.

On this particular trip, we hiked with an armed ranger to spend the night at a fly camp on the lagoon shores. As we rounded the corner close to sunset at the edge of the lagoon, we were amazed by the sight of approximately 70-80 hippo in the shallow waters, gathering to come out of the water and feed during the night.

What more to say ? What a privelege to see the lioness and her cubs frequently. The cubs grew amazingly fast almost doubling in size every three months !