Transfrontiers -> the return

For the last few days I have been backing-up for Brian in the Klaserie at Transfrontiers. A short 4 day trail on which I was hoping to rack up a few more encounters and hours on foot all with a view to notching up the big 50 encounters needed to get the full trails guide qualification.

To begin - there are two critical aspects that must be in place when arranging a meeting point for the road transfer from point A to point B. One is the agreed time and the other is the location. My early morning departure from JHB to Hoedspruit on Friday began on a rather poor note, as tends to happen when you meet your transfer driver at the wrong hotel. It's all very well that both parties arrive punctually at 5:15am, but unless you're at the same place, well it's gonna be a bit of a balls up. So I got a call at 5:16 AM, saying 'Where are you?'. I found myself at the Garden Court Sandton, instead of the Garden Court Sandton City. Eeek. Thankfully though they're only a 5 minute drive from eachother so I escaped any serious punishment from the ex-policeman 120kg bus driver, and got away lightly with only being called a 'clot'.

Anyway we got to Hoedspruit swiftly and safely in the end. Considering that Brian had told me a day before the trail that they hadn't had an encounter for 30 hours or so of walking, I wasn't expecting fireworks, but it turned out to be a pretty productive weekend.

The trail had a fairly low key kind of vibe to it with just the one aussie guest booked on it, so it was pretty quiet one indeed. This is not a bad thing at all, because it means that you're able to move through the bush much more quietly and swiftly than with 10 people stomping through the veld, meaning that there's a better chance of you noticing animals before they notice you.

Anyway we got 5 encounters on foot that we could log. 1 each of buffalo, elephant, rhino, lion and hippo (out of the water). So a nice mix.

It started with the buff, which was a old tired dagga boy, just lazing about near the dam close to the reeds and ended on the last morning with 3 white rhinos, a bull, cow and calf whichwe viewed from across the Klaserie River without them being aware of our presence. But it was a weekend of lions. We saw and heard them on nearly every activity. On foot we saw (first heard) a lion & lioness mating, and so didnt approach but rather moved into a good position a long way off from which to have a safe viewing. Luckliy they were on the airstrip so we could watch them from a good distance without alerting them to our presence. It is never wise to approach mating lions or a lioness with cubs, as its aking for trouble.

From the vehicle though we saw them mating from close up, and also saw 3 other males lions who make up a powerful coalition of 4. The 3 other poor chaps seemed to be very patient in hanging around their buddy while he was mating for 4 or 5 days, which was great for lion sightings co they didnt move out of the airstrip area for the 4 days that we were there. At one stage we saw one of the non-maters trying to hunt some impala, which he didn't get. Its probably a good time to try though, cos during the rut the rams are so busy chasing eachother around and herding up females that they're often not paying attention to potential dangers.

It was also the first time I had been back to Transrontiers since the elephant incident in November. Almost 6 months to that day, Brian and I set out after brunch to go back to the site. The aussie chose a siesta instead, which is welcome relief after a few hours out walking from sunrise and then a massive brunch. I was glad that Brian & I could go out alone to revisit a significant place for both of us.

It was quite astonishing that after walking for nearly 10 hours without seeing much fresh sign of elephant activity, we encountered a breeding herd barely 2 minutes into out walk. They were a good distance off to our left, so we watched briefly and then carried on. 10 minuntes later and Brian spots a big hippo grazing in the midday sun 30m in front of us on the same game path. Weird, animals dont read the books about how theyre supposed to behave. ie avoid midday sun and graze at night.

Anyway, it eventually moved off towards the river and allowed us to pass and finally make it to the elephant site. It is still very familiar, only everything is greener and the grass a little taller. We stayed there a while reflecting on that hectic day. My predominant feeling was and still is one of gratitude. Amazingly at the spot where the carcass lay, where all that remains are a few vertebrae bones and a big circular path of dirt amongst the grass where nothing is growing, Brian peered down and spotted a piece of metal. No ways - it was one the bullets from my 375 which had been inside the elephant, and had now appeared, long after the body had vanished. The big rain shower from the night before must have unearthed the bullet allowing us to find it. wow. Brian had been back there many times since November, but only found it when we were there now. Amazing.

Im glad that I made the trip back to Transfrontiers and will definitely be back again, when the opportunity arises. Thanks Brian.

I only wonder how long it'll take for our hearts to stop beating so loudly when we encounter elephants. I hope it is soon... :)