It’s fantastic to be wild at heart. Even more so if you can escape the continuous flow of WhatsApps and Ai feeds. Your imagination then pushes the experiences beyond the horizon. The FISH is one such a nonfiction affair, combining open space, fire talks and hearing the sounds of the once familiar animals talking to each other over a moon filled landscape. Dumping all your securities into your backpack, makes sence, but it also turns your hike into a nightmare of note. You became a sloth, dreaming about fun and adventure while melting away in the dry desert air, dragging your paraphernalia along.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is a 1997 book written by Jon Krakauer. It details Krakauer’s experience in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a storm.

“This textbook” became my guideline on leading groups into the Fish. The gap between fun and disaster became small when you cut the corners of expedition leadership.

The stories about your daily encounters will stay with you for years to come. The laughters stay hidden in the pools and rocks below every rapid you cross.

You must be fit. Fit implies you must train for the terrain with the equipment you will use. Your hikes will be at least 5 hours for 5 days. The terrain is sandy, rocky and staggered with boulders. Get your personal trainer to prep you for this. Start training for the hike at least 3 months in advance.

1. DURATION. Plan to hike for 5-6 days. The total distance is 65 tough km’s.
2. BOOTS or tekkies. Your feet will swell and you must get used to the specific shoes you will wear during the hike. It must comfort your heels and toes. To small shoes is a killer. Ask me, I’ve made the mistake again this year.
3. WEIGHT. Do not carry extra gear. If we talk averages, do not take a bag heavier than 12-13kg’s.
4. CLIMATE. The weather is totally unpredictable. Plan for the best and worst. May is to hot and from August onwards is really a no-go. The water levels in August is low. I’ve hiked the Fish twice this year and it changed a lot from May to July. May reach 40’C and July as low as 0’C at night time. August became to hot again.
5. KIT LIST. It is very personal but more important to plan and prep correctly. A Garmin or Sat phone is maybe important but not essential. Planning is more important than gear. But lets talk kit list.

◦ PPP… propper planning prevent piss poor performances
◦ Hike with a good guide
◦ Map & Compass
◦ Medical Kit
◦ SALT, rehydrate sachets
◦ Choose the diet that you can carry and what you are used to.

In summary. All good things in life comes from grace. Grace comes from art, and that doesn’t come easily. Hiking the Fish follows this rhythm, it flows “periodically”, when you take the time to focus on the good things in life.

… and the river flows through it…

Train with Shaun Prinsloo from SSI and earn your Open Water Certificate. Build confidence in and out of the water with expert support from Jan Heenop.