my saviour but no sooner had I hit the
surface, gasping for air, then I was
sucked down again.
The process of coming to the surface
and then being sucked down once again
happened probably 5 times at which
point I had been propelled down the
rapid, was exhausted and fighting for
breath. It was only then that I spotted
the safety kayak which is position at
the bottom of each rapid for just such
emergencies. I also at that point saw
how many of my fellow rafter had been
thrown from the raft and were being
rescued either by the kayak or making
their own way to the raft which, still
manned by Tim and two of the crew who
had not been jettisoned, was actively
rescuing us as quickly as they could.
With the shouts (in a Kiwi accent) of
“Don’t let them go under” and “Get them
in the boat”, I knew then this was no
jaunt down the Suwannee but serious.
When I eventually reached the raft, I was
hauled in by one of the crew as I was
almost too exhausted to pull myself in.
Strangely enough, although the river
didn’t manage to get us, on the last night
of the trip, as is so often the case in hot
and remote destinations, the entire was
beset with illness. We suspected a viral
illness which left everyone feeling very ill
through vomiting and other associated
(and equally unpleasant) excessive and
expressive bodily functions, which left
the mighty Zambezi bearing a close
resemblance to a woodland stream
compared to the state of the single
port-a-loo! Indeed, many of the group
became so unwell that helicopters
were called in to evacuate them from
the gorge and transport them to the
hotel where we would spend our last
night. I am reliably informed that some
of my travelling companies (who I have
remained in touch with) have still not fully
recovered.
However, despite all this, my experience
of the Zambezi was truly amazing and
all of us are now completely hooked on
white water rafting.
So; 7 days, 11,000 miles, 3 African
countries, a severe bout of norovirus,
and a wonderful imposed diet following
4 days of no food, I would leap at the
opportunity to do it all again, especially
with the £5,600 that was eventually
raised for the brilliant Winston’s Wish.
So where next? I would love to keep
the fundraising/adventure theme going
and one of my travelling companions is
looking to organise a hiking and rafting
trip in Peru in 2017. Personally, I would
very much like to experience Nepal –
trekking, biking and rafting the equally
fearsome Tamur River in the Himalayas.
But that’s another story and another
edition of Re: Magazine.
For those generous readers of this
magazine, my Just Giving page remains
open and will do so until the end of the
year. If you have been moved by what
you have read but moreover moved to
support this wonderful charity, please do
feel free to visit my Just Giving page.
B
y Lee Hills
justgiving.com\Lee-Hills1
That moment was not an experience
I would wish on anyone and would
not wish to repeat, but I would not
have missed it for anything. The sheer
adrenaline rush of hitting the rapid, being
sucked under, fighting for one’s life and
then collapsing safely on the boat, is one
which is difficult to recreate anywhere.
Nevertheless, I was certainly a lot more
cautious as we continued on our journey
and hung on just that little bit more tightly
when we approached the next rapid.
Thankfully, neither my boat nor any of the
others capsized on the remainder of the
trip, some of which was spent camping
on the Zimbabwe side of the river and
others in Zambia.
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