Rafting the Mighty Zambezi: a whole lot of water

The Zambezi River, Africa's 4th largest, has cut deep gorges in the canyon that separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. Above this set of canyons is Victoria Fall-- one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Below the Falls and through the deep gorges of the canyon is some of the best white water in the world. The water is warm, and the flow is truly astounding, with the rapids created primarily by sheer volume as opposed to the rockier, and scarier, rivers we have run in the Western half of the States, Queensland and Costa Rica.

A natural wonder - Vic Falls

Being In Vic Falls

Before rafting, we had a nice mix of adventuring and hanging out. The hanging out included going out to a restaurant that specializes in game meat. I had impala pate, croc, kudu, water buffalo, eland and the mouth watering warthog. Yum! Also joined a dozen or so dudes form various countries to watch the Manchester Derby, with Man U piping in at during injury time to seal the win. We also enjoyed a run that took us by a baobab tree that was 54 feet in diameter and had carvings from colonizers as far back as 1923.

Rafting

Although these, and our day trip biking into Zambia, were wonderful, the clear highlight of the time in Vic Falls was our day rafting the Might Zambezi. Our put in point was right below the falls, about 100 meters down from the mouth of the canyon on the Zim side. This starting point is about as spectacular as i can imagine. The water level varies greatly on this river, more than ten fold over a full year. During the high season only about half of the run is navigable. Luckily we were here for low season and so got to do the entire run. Still, even now in the ebb of the low season the water roars over Vic Falls with so much volume and force that the mist is visible for miles, wafting up to the heavens. All told, we had the full 19 rapids to look forward to, many of them class IV and V, which are the highest ranking available on commercial rafting trips.

Vic Falls mist

On the boat were three couples from the Oasis truck, a kiwi couple, a kiwi/english couple and us americans. Our guide, Blessing, was an uber fit guy in his twenties. A Belgium dude riding a Honda Motorcycle from Belgium to Capetown rounded out the crew. With friends and two other adventurers, the day was off to a good start.

After a quick safety talk, we were off, right into the Boiling Pot. This is a massive whirlpool that is the first rapid of the run, and you have to be on point as a team straightaway because the rapid flows right into a rock wall that can trap a boat for 2 or 3 flips if you are not careful. That would be a terrible way to start the day, let me tell you. The funny thing about the rapid is that from the shore, the waves don't even look that big. Once you are amongst them, they rise over the boat.

Rapid #1 - Boiling Pot

Rafting is one of my favorite outdoor activities, primarily because it is a team activity ini which we all share the risks and successes. You can clearly feel, and see, the difference between a boat that is going on all cylinders versus one that is disorganized or filled with people somewhat ambivalent about the entire endeavor. Our boat is certainly the former, with the majority of people having rafted before and intuitively understanding how critical it is for us to work as a team. The bond we already share is also an invaluable asset.

The rapids on the upper half of the run are excellent, and about a third of the way through the run we have a choice between a straightforward class III and a massive wave that goes at class V. Our group did not come all the way to Vic Falls to go the easy route and we opt for the big wave. Dropping in, we come to the massive wave, bigger than the length of our 16 foot boat. Unfortunately, we came in a little sideways and i know that our time in the raft is over, we are going into the river. A few seconds confirms hat snap assessment, as we rise up the wave, slowing almost to a stop as the wall of water flips our boat.

Uhh-oh - Flipping over and floating through rocks

We are in the rapid, right up and personal and it is chaos. The boat is upside down and we are all angling towards it, while Blessing scampers on top and starts the process of the righting it. In my head, i keep thinking about how we are supposed to 'Get Left' yet the river sure seems intent on me heading right. After a few disorienting seconds, i see Mu reaching out to grab me towards the raft, which she is holding. A literal safety line from my lovely wife. I lunge over and we are with the relative safety of the raft, but there are still big waves to come and the boat is upside down. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, while Blessed is flipping the boat back to its correct side, Mu lets go of her grip for a few seconds and is instantly pulled away by the Zambezi. I manage to stay on and our guide pulls me back on board, and i drag a couple fellow rafters on as well. Mu is not one of them and i begin scanning the water, and find that she is hung up on the right side of the river, very much alone. At first, that seems like a good place, as it looks somewhat quiet. However, a few moments later, i see she is trapped a bit above a ominous looking rock 'V', with a drop. We are now at least a hundred feet away and i am powerless to even offer encouragement or advice. It is a sickening feeling, and one made all the worse by her ski accident earlier this year.

That ski accident, in which Mu dislocated her hip and came down on her head after a big fall in a creek bed, has remained powerfully with us both. On the plus side, it has enhanced both our bond and our appreciation of this life we are privileged to lead together. For that, i am perversely thankful. On the negative side, Mu has to monitor the hip to be sure that no long term issues are creeping up and it has made her decidedly more skittish about adventure sports, which are pretty much our favorite pastime. Very much expected, but in this moment on the river, i sure wish that it was me in the bad spot and not her.

Slowly, Mu pushes into the current and is pulled quickly through the rocks. For a few long seconds, she is out of view and then to my relief she pops to the surface, goes through a little more turbulent water before being picked up below the last rapid of this section. Whew.

We are reunited on shore because the next section of rapids is so large that everyone has to walk around it. Except Blessing, who is a badass and floats the Class VI rapid alone in our boat. Mu is shaken up a bit, with a bashed hip, chin and shoulder that all will take the better part of a week to heal up. Mentally, she is great, ready to get back after the white water. It could have been worse, as she was alone in that spot with no access for the rescue boats. We learn later in the day that this 'V' killed two rafters about a decade ago, which drives home how serious things can get in an instant while adventuring.



The trip goes on from here, with many more excellent rapids. It is exhilarating as we flip the boat once more and lose a few people at other points. The river is as powerful as you could hope for and the entire group has palpable energy reveling in and reliving our exploits for several days. The beers at the end sure taste great and go down easy. Mu and i love it all, but we both have that nagging feeling in our guts about the risks and consequences of these sports we love so drearily. I don't think that is going away anytime soon and will be something we manage going forward. A good thing, i am sure.