Rollin' down the river

The Zambezi river is the 4th longest and one of the most powerful rivers in the world. It undulates from its spring-well in Zambia through 5 African countries and dumps into the Indian ocean off the coast of Mozambique. Its waters are coveted for an amazing rafting experience. Half our group wanted to raft and the other half went on a leisurely breakfast cruise. Either way, being anywhere near the Zambezi is an exhilarating treat. I wish I had pictures to share but we couldn't take our cameras with us. One of the girls on our raft had a waterproof camera (my next purchase) so hopefully she'll hook me up with some cool images. We started of the day with an orientation in a rickety pavilion overhanging the gorge where the Zambezi rages below. Skinner, an energetic 40 something year old guy who grew up on the river and knows it like he knows himself, presented the briefing and passed out death waivers. With the humor we'd come to expect from local Zimbabweans he made us wonder if we shouldn't just jump off the ledge and save him the trouble of navigating our raft. I guess they have to prepare you for the worst; after all, at the very least the Zambezi is chock full of crocodile. There were people from all over the world signed up on the trip. We met people from Croatia, England and various parts of Africa. A family from England stood next to me - the teenage daughter so scared she was in tears and I thought the Mom was going to pass out. Feeling as though we had a good sense of Skinner's skill set we lobbied hard to get in his raft. He acquiesced and we were off on a long drive to the river's edge.

We suited up with jackets & helmets and grabbed our oars for a daring and dangerous hike into the gorge. Though I'm not too coordinated as a rule I didn't have any trouble but those who have bad knees, etc. were hatin' it. Of course there were no stairs, hand railings or anything of the kind. It was loose uneven terrain with the odd vine or rock to catch your footing. The occasional waterfall made the path a little slick. Amidst all this beauty I couldn't help the pessimistic thoughts that crept into my head as I dreaded the hike OUT at the end of the day. We finally made it down to the river. After all the walking and coffee I desperately needed to "check the prop". This was the fodder our guide needed to get started with shenanigans. It was hard to concentrate when guides are bombarding you with water from every angle while one is grabbing your leg pretending to be a crocodile.

Safety is paramount so we all piled into our raft and took a few instructions including practicing falling out. I think we had seven rafts in our excursion and as many kayaks to fish out the swimmers. We had all rafted before but weren't sure what to expect from the rapids given the frightful orientation we'd just been through and knowing the strength of the river's current. Rapids are rated on a scale of one through six - 6 being the most gnarly. There are 24 rapids in a few miles stretch of the river, most of them class four. Rapid #9 is NEVER navigable no matter what your skill level. Usually you raft 1-8 and then get out of the river and walk all of your equipment around #9. Today, since the downpour a couple of days earlier, the river was too high to walk around #9 so we started at #10. The rapids have names like Obliterator, Terminator, Washing Machine, The Ugly Sisters & Mother. We had 3 guys - 2 occupying the front positions and therefore setting the pace- and 4 girls in our raft, plus Skinner at the back. One of the guys in the front was more interested in video taping than paddling so our rhythm was a tad off. About half way through the guys were sent to the back and the girls took over the lead. (It was a much more cohesive strategy I must say). So we hit the first rapid and rocked it! It was so exciting. Each one got increasingly more so as we crested the waves and our little dingy was tossed about. I had hoped for some class fives 'cause I've never done it before but the fours were exhilarating. We hammered it for a few rapids, one after the other but there was plenty of opportunity to float the river enjoying the stunning scenery. It was kind of like pictures I've seen of the fjords in Norway. Incidentally, Skinner spends the summer working the rivers in Norway. There were lots of gorgeous waterfalls and a number of animal species make the ravine their home. At times we could swim and splash around near the raft but one of the more exciting parts was jumping in and hanging onto the raft as it swiftly sailed down the river. So much fun! None of our people got flipped but there were many floaters throughout the day from other rafts.

Facing sheer rock I started the climb out of the gorge at a good clip. Endurance isn't my strength and I struggled much of the way up. It was the hottest part of the day, muggy, and thick with bugs. I got the worst sunburn of my life on my legs and I thought I was going to die. Thankfully there were porters to carry the rafts up for us. I definitely would have died otherwise. True to form bottles of Bollingers and a bounty of food awaits. We were accosted by young men selling carvings of wood and soapstone indigenous to Zimbabwe trying to plunder us for as much as they could. They even asked for the clothes off our backs and shoes on our feet. It was questionable whether they needed it themselves or intended to sell it. As long as tourists keep enjoying the Zambezi the population will keep trying to get their money.