August 1989

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My boss Tilo Thielen at the time who was a keen hiker introduced me to backpack hiking. He and his boss organized two Kombis to transport a whole group of us to Namibia to go and do the Fishriver Canyon hike. I do apologize for the quality of the photos. I done this hike in the days before digital cameras and had to scan them in.

We traveled as far as the Augrabies falls where we overnighted in tents, before continuing the journey the next day to Namibia and AiAis in the Fishriver Canyon.

At AiAis we again overnighted in tents. The next morning we all piled into one Kombi with our backpacks and drove to the starting point of the trail which is about 80km further north.

The group photos before tackling the descent.

The first part of the descent is very steep and slippery.

It takes you a couple of hours to get to the bottom of the canyon.

After getting down we hiked a short distance and set up camp for the night.

You just sleep in the sand anywhere. The temperatures can be anything from very hot at night to extremely cold, and you just have to be prepared for any eventuality.

Sulfur Springs. Here a hot spring originates and runs into the Fishriver. You cant miss it, it stinks so much but its great for a swim.

Just dont try diving into the water. Here's my boss Tilo who learnt that one too late. Sometimes its good to have a hard head in management! Besides a bit of skin damage the scull held firm.

The Fishriver hike is great if there are not too many hiking groups down there at the same time and there is enough water.

You wind your way along the canyon for between four and five days depending on your speed.

The scenery is really magnificent!

Usually a big bonfire was made every night from the driftwood that was laying around.

We finished the hike in four days as some of us had to get back to South Africa again quickly do to commitments. Everyone dived into the bar at the end of the hike for beers and that evening the steaks where devoured in great quantities! Living off Soya and dehydrated stuff for a few days makes you appreciate how good a steak can taste afterwards!