Adventure duo reports back on Senqu expedition
Adventurers share their experiences of the Senqu expedition in Lesotho.
JURIE Pohl and Devon Flanagan, employees at Spirit of Adventure (SoA) in Shongweni, recently launched a blog on their Senqu expedition in Lesotho, to continue raising awareness for a local NPO.
The two adventure junkies hiked and canoed more than 500km along the Senqu River in Lesotho to raise awareness for the Spirit of Adventure Leadership Trust (SALT), an NPO initiated by SoA to teach youth from previously disadvantaged backgrounds strong values, the importance of conservation as well as leadership skills through outdoor activities.
Their expedition started on 14 November and they completed the trail on 25 December 2013.
“Despite our boat getting damaged, sleeping outside in extremely cold weather, injuring ourselves on several occasions and the river levels being low, we completed the trip two days ahead of schedule,” said Pohl, a director at the SoA camp.
According to Pohl, the blog was also used as a vehicle to share the adventurers’ experiences as well as provide some exposure for their sponsors.
“The blog includes all of the highs and lows of our expedition. It was just such an amazing experience, and we are some of the first people to have such a detailed account of the Senqu trail. We want to share the lessons we have learned, the adversities we experienced as well as beauty that we witnessed,” said Pohl.
Flanagan reported that the highlight of their expedition was the night hiking. “At one point we decided to hike the trail at night. It was so dark that we could not see more than six metres in front of us. It made the trip a much bigger adventure, as the only guidance you have is the GPS,” said Flanagan.
Pohl added that their lowest point was witnessing the terrible drought the country is experiencing. “In certain parts, the Senqu river’s water levels were so low we had to carry the boat. The erosion is terrible, and the current infrastructure developments are so badly planned that they often facilitate the erosion,” said Pohl.
The two explorers are also planning to undertake talks regarding their expedition, to share advice with those who wish to brave the Senqu trail.
Contact Pohl on 082 214 4991.
