One day baby we will be old.
As the readers who follow my Blog will know i walk for mental health awareness. If you read back some posts you will get more of a feel.
I heard this song ( one day baby we will be old ) and was captivated by it.
Yes it is a fact of life. We will get old. Its the course of nature. The one thing i know is mentally i feel younger than i am. Belive it or not but even the old people in your life or meet have feelings and emotions just like a younger person. In fact some are actually quite scared. Be as kind to an older person as you would be to a kid. They have survived all that the younger people are yet to go through. Eventually our bodies will give in and then we will all be going where ever. The point is you are as imortant in this world as i am. Nobody has it all figured out. Everyone out there is battling in one way or another. If you look at the next person you see. Imagine what life would be like if you were them. How would you feel if you were your friend and had to deal with your issues. Maybe they have work and financial pressure? Maybe the person being nasty to you is actually an alcoholic and has no idea how to regain control of their life. Their attitude is actually a reflection of who they are. Maybe they are lost. Cut yourself and eveyone around you some slack. You are human. Live in the now and remember we cant change the past but we are busy writing it.
Its sure it is amazing to be pain free right now. Let’s face it we are never pain free. Scars run deep. However, we need to find a way to manage it. I may have had a lot of pain in my life but I truely did have a great party. Until it just built up and built up. I had no idea I was a walking time bomb. Alcohol abuse starts very slowly. You won’t know the difference at first. Same as your state of mind. Let something fester and it grows into an angry tornado. Don’t practice what you preach in your spiritual side, and you will be hollow, and it gets lost. I have a larger-than-life personality but with the added high-octane fuel I was putting into my body I was a runaway juggernaut. Right now, I am doing what I love, I am surrounding myself with positive people and my health is improving. Only once you take away the pain you do realize how much pain you were in. You live with it day after day and then boom. Manage your life. Spend more time on yourself. Go for a walk in nature. The only way through life without going loopy is to be in control. It’s yours, you must live it! Nobody else! You are strong, you are TNT, you’re dynamite…………Take control.😉
Wow what an amazing holiday season.
My birthday was fantastic and was spent with Ellen in the Klein Numas gorge. It’s on the western side of the BRANDBERG and totally picture skew 😉 Extremely remote and quiet. Just the way I like it.
We went on to Uis and on our way out we came across two young Israeli lads who had also been wild camping. We chatted and I gave them my number. Literally 3 hours later I got a call from their father in Israel, and they had broken down in the Ugab heading west towards the coast. They had sent him a message with their satellite phone. He gave us the GPS coordinates and we towed them to BRANDBERG White Lady Lodge. They were totally self-sufficient and had loads of water. So, they said they were happy to wait it out. Lol it was a real adventure for all 😉 Safe travels guys.
On our way there we stopped to say hi to Sarah at BRANDBERG White Lady Lodge. Brandberg White Lady Lodge is also the end of the Damaraland Caminos. It is such a special place. I have a friend from a farm nearby who has walked both the Skeleton Coast Camino and Damaraland Caminos with me. She says the BRANDBERG and surrounds have positive powers and it is her special place. I believe her and it is quickly becoming mine 😉
We had some desert repairs done to Ellens pink bumper 😉 while in Opuwo for two nights. We spent Xmas at Etosha, What a great time. We saw loads of Lion, Elephant and Rhino. Halai did not let us down 😉
KUNENE CAMINO 20 May to 30 May 2022
I am now in Tsumeb after driving and walking the Kunene Camino 2022 from Ruacana falls to Epupa falls. 150 km and a rollercoaster of beauty without the loops. It will be a hard walk. The road is entirely made out of hills and can be quite stony and corrugated. There are cambers on this road. I have walked many roads like this, and it can take its toll on your ankles. Remember it’s a Camino not a race. You are either going uphill or downhill😉 At least it feels like it. Some are small hills and some are simply hard.
This is the start (3 km) of the first day.
The Kunene river or Cunene river in portuguese is 1050km long and starts in the highlands of Angola. Our walk will be following this river from the Ruacana falls to the Epupa falls. There are a lot of indigenous OvaHimba and OvaVimba people along the river (approx 50 000) but they keep mostly to themselves. They populate the southern part of Angola and the Kunene formally Koakoveld. I found out the Vimba are basically the same as the Himba just they wear a different type of traditional dress and the women don’t cover their skin with this paste of butter, fat, and red ochre known as otjize to their skin and hair. They form part of the Bantu speaking tribes and are semi nomadic. They have homesteads where they grow crops but often move with the rains.
I am extremely excited for this challenge and can’t wait.
So let me tell you about the walk and answer as many questions as I can.
It is a 11 day Camino with travel there on the 20th May and back on the 30th May
It will be 9 days of walking made up of the roughly ( my vehicles odometer ) following distances.
Day 1 14,7km
Day 2 19,7km
Day 3 15km
Day 4 15,5km
Day 5 19.3km
Day 6 17km
Day 7 15km
Day 8 16km
Day 9 16km
I believe that with the hills, the stony road and weather conditions will make this long even for 9 days. I am not sure how many of you have walked 15km+/day for 9 straight days, but it can take its toll. Nevertheless, no pain no gain or something like that lol. I would suggest starting to train now though 😉
We will stay in formal and informal campsites and will also overnight in or near Himba villages where we will pay our way with cash or food.
My Caminos are also foody caminos. I have been in tourism for 30 years and realized very early on that if the guests do not eat and sleep well you have a problem.
The Kunene Camino is a fully catered glamping camino.
George my 2IC (second in command) is a great chef and I have been cooking on a fire my whole life. We guarantee you meals made with love. 😊
Each 2,1mx2,1mx2,1m dome tent is equipped with 2 stretchers, mattresses and sheet covers, that you keep for the duration of the Camino. Please feel free to bring your own bedding or ask me and I will supply you with a sleeping bag and pillow. The back up team will take care of all camp duties. So you don’t need to put up or take down your tent.
You will have to share a tent or pay the single supplement. So, invite a friend 😉
Here is our route.
A Typical day
We rise 1 hour before sunrise for Coffee and Rusks. We pack our bags and we leave them at the trailer. The backup staff will take care of them.
We walk from sunrise to around midday. You go at your own pace. We will have a lead vehicle that will do a head count at breakfast and at around two thirds of the way. However, I will be with you, and we are going to have a great Camino.
Once our back up team has packed up camp they will leap frog us and serve breakfast around 6km every day. They will then go ahead and set up camp. We will have a water refill or snack at around two thirds of the way.
Once in camp and after lunch it is your time. Relax, meditate, visit the Himba, sit by the river in the shade, take photos or simply chill out.
Shower hour is open late afternoon. Then we can regroup for sundowners and a braai under the stars
There is plenty of water to bathe with and we have a shower cubicle to shower inside. Total privacy.
The water can be warmed on the fire.
We have the same for the toilet facilities. Total privacy.
Please remember that the kunene has lots of crocodiles. So please no swimming in the river.
Getting there and back.
I will charge separately for the transport, and it can be done in two ways.
- Catch our shuttle from Windhoek to Ruacana Falls and then back from Epupa Falls to Windhoek.
- If you have a spouse or friend that has a 4×4 and would like to join us but not walk (preferably a driver with 3 passengers/walker): they are welcome to join and do day trips in the area while we walk or follow us should they wish. They would be included in the meals and can share a tent with the walker.
You are welcome to bring drinks and we will have some cooling options especially after we start eating our way through the fridge 😉
We request all hikers to follow the government Covid 19 regulations please.
Here are the prices for the Kunene Camino 20 May to 30 May 2022
Kunene Camino 9 day 150 km N$9 999 pp sharing
Kunene Camino 9 day 150 km Single non sharing N$11 999 pp
Non walker driving N$5 999 pp sharing
Shuttle from Windhoek to Ruacana Falls N$800pp
Shuttle from Epupa Falls to Windhoek N$800pp
We take 20 hikers.
We cater for all food requirements…..I think 😉
You only carry your day bag and we do the rest. No putting up of tents, no cooking, no dishes, no worries.
Bookings or enquiries please send to chad@wildcherryadventures.com
It will also be loaded onto the website as soon as business reopens. http://www.wildcherryadventures.com
Here are some pics from my recce.
So, I have a plan.!!!!!!!!!!!! Some people in this bank holiday crowd are starting to shiver. 😊
I was sitting in my car under a tree in the aircon when a young Himba boy walked up to my window. They are tinted so he battled to see in but I could see him clearly.
He put his hand up against the window and pawed at it, his eyes were hollow. All he said was hungry……Hungry. Honestly it was very unsettling. It was out of a doom’s day movie. It shook me to the bone ☹
So Wild Cherry adventures and Chadmanwalking is going to help.
My Caminos all operate within conservancies. I am in the ideal position to get some food to the rural communities. With the Damaraland Camino I also want to support the community and the Save the Rhino trust as we will be walking in an area where we can also be another 20 pairs of eyes. The skeleton coast Camino will also be supporting local communities, and all this will be addressed in January. There is the financial support of course but the people are hungry. It has been a very hard few years for everyone.
When you have the mental stress and then you watch your family go to bed hungry. It’s got to hurt.
I have an idea for the Kunene Camino, and I will give you details in the new year when I get confirmation from the supermarket chains represented in Ruacana/Oshifo.
The participants of the Kunene Camino will spread the food and love.
Hopefully we can make a small difference.
Damaraland & Skeleton coast Caminos
Here are the dates for the Damaraland Caminos and Skeleton Coast Caminos in 2022:
Also check out the website on http://www.wildcherryadventures.com
The Kaokoveld Camino from Hobatare lodge to Etendeka mountain Camp.
29 April – 8 May 2022
I will have a price for you and the itinerary by the 4th January 2022.
Watch this space……
Ellen @mypinkbumper and i are also doing a Silence, Meditation. Mindfullness and Happiness Retreat from the 3rd to 7th January at Moonvalley camp.
I am super excited about it and think the retreat out in Nature is great way to reset.
It is full but if you want to go onto a waitlist or info on upcoming retreats please dont hesitate to contact Ellen on horlebein@icloud.com
With that i wish every one of you a great 2022. I feel things are starting to get more positive. If you are one of the unlucky ones and are at a low. Remember this too shall pass and you will bounce back. Life is like that. Take what you do have and start rebuilding. You have yourself! Charity starts at home. Cut yourself some slack and be kind to yourself.
Nature is always there for you.
Go for a walk 😉
Chadmanwalking out!
Chadmanwalking 