Tough stretch ahead for Dave

Dave van Graan reached the 300km mark of his 800km-on-foot venture through Namibia to raise awareness for the Desert Lion Conservation on Sunday, 5 December.

Over the dry, rough, desolate stretch from Opuwo to Khowarib, Dave had the privilege of seeing giraffes, foxes, springbok and baboons along the way. Of course, he also has to deal with less welcome species throughout the journey, such as scorpions crawling in under his tent at night and always watching his step, lest he steps on a snake.

On Tuesday, 7 December, he rested at Khowarib Lodge and continued to Palmwag (about 80km from Khowarib) on Wednesday. The next 200km stretch, he says, will be very tough as few people (if any) are around, which means that access to water to replenish his supply is not guaranteed here. His biggest challenge ahead, however, awaits him beyond Palmwag, when he has to cross over a stretch of mountain, called Dopsteekhoogte Pass, while dragging his heavy cart along. From there he plans on moving west towards the sea.

“The other day I passed a small village and greeted an old man sitting under the shade of a tree, drinking beer. He returned the greeting and asked what exactly it was that I was doing, so I explained briefly that I was walking from the Epupa Falls to Henties Bay. After a deep, long swallow from his beer, he looked at me and asked if I was crazy. I replied that I was, and he reckoned that it will certainly help me on my journey,” Dave told laughingly, his sense of humour clearly still intact - sore feet and tired bones aside.

Dave says he is enjoying every moment of this experience, having seen some beautiful places and having met some very pleasant people, setting up camp somewhere in the wild bush and generally just relishing the breath-taking surrounding scenery and sense of absolute peace.

Keep track of Dave’s progress on https://share.garmin.com/davewalkabout or by visiting his Facebook page (Dave van Graan). 

News - Date: 09 December 2021

Denise van Bergen

Denise van Bergen joined the Zoutpansberger/Limpopo Mirror in November 2020. She has previous experience as a journalist working for Die Pos in Modimolle.

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