Africa Again

I am back in the International Terminal in the Atlanta airport. In just a few hours I will be in route to Africa again. Some would ask why? I have already hunted leopard and lion, buffalo and elephant. I have taken hippo and most of the plains game available. I have hunted in most of the southern African countries where hunting is allowed. Why do I feel the need to return?

I wish I could tell you why. But I can’t. I can tell you all the cliché’s about how Africa gets in your blood. But I cannot accurately describe what it is that keeps calling me back. Words can hardly do justice to the actual scents, sounds, and sights that I crave in the same way that I need oxygen.

I will tell you about waking before daylight in the stillest part of the night and hearing the gentle calling of a nightbird. As I lie quietly I also might hear the calling of a big male lion as he invites his ladies to join him. Sometimes it is the sawing of a leopard or the threatening cries of a baboon from his perch in a tree. Often it will be the deep throated Harooomph ! of a hippo from his channel in the river.

Upon rising each morning to wash my face and dress for the day I will hear the tent zipper unzip and I will be greeted by the houseboy delivering me rusk and coffee or tea.

“Morning Boss”, he says in broken English.

I will wear no watch and carry no cell phone when I leave the tent to join my PH at the Lapa. My wallet, phone and passport will have been locked in my gun case since I arrived in camp. Our only decision each morning is where to hunt. As we are finishing our breakfast and loading the rifles into the cruiser I will notice that the first bit of color is starting to touch the horizon in the east. Just moments later it will change from pink to orange and then red before magically transforming into the deepest azure blue sky you have ever seen. I will be as amazed at this sunrise as I am each and every time I see it. And I know that it will repeat itself again in reverse in the afternoon. I can tell you about this but my words are truly inadequate to convey this vista in the manner it deserves.

Upon leaving the comfort of the mopane fire I will immediately realize that the air is still quite chilly and I am glad I have on my coat. Experience tells me I will be shedding it within the hour, maybe sooner if we begin a track. But at this particular time in the morning a jacket is an essential element in my wardrobe which also includes khaki shorts, a synthetic tee-shirt, ankle boots and leather gaiters.

At the truck we will make sure the rifles are loaded securely and the PH will check to make sure that we have lunches packed. Water bottles, first aid kit, spare tire and tow chain are also located and accounted for. When we are certain that we have all we will need for the day the trackers and the game scout will climb aboard and we will pull away from camp.

The gentle cooing of the ring necked dove welcomes the rapidly rising morning sun. The air is fresh and clean and the humidity is near zero. My head is as clear as the sky above and I relax and take in the sights and sounds of the bush. I cannot recall ever having a headache while in Africa. Often we are content to drive for long periods of time without a word being spoken. Cruising the MMBA (Miles and miles of bloody Africa) is how Captstick described it. But often we get interrupted by the sighting of game or tracks.

This feeling that comes over me in this part of the day is probably the hardest of all to explain. I find myself freed from the crippling restraints of civilized living. I am never as alive as when I am a part of the African landscape .A predator among prey, living out life’s drama in a song and dance that has played out on these sandy plains since the days before man first picked up a sharp stick to join the chase.

Long after the sun has set we will approach the lights of camp. One of the boys will greet us with a Castle lager and a tray of snacks as we make our way to the fire. The smell of mopane or leadwood smoke tells me that I am home. This is where I belong.

Supper will be filets from the gemsbok I shot that day or the eland I shot the day before. Most likely a fresh salad and some pumpkin or local vegetable will round out the meal. And likely there will be a bottle of good South African wine. Afterwards we will linger only a short while by the fire as daylight will be coming again all too soon.

Why am I headed back to Africa? A drop of rain falls on the mountaintop, trickles into a small creek, and eventually joins a mighty river that finally empties into the great ocean. It does so because it is physically compelled to do so by the laws of nature. We do what we must do because that is who we are and that is what we must do.

Beautifully written and so very true!!

Have a good time and a successful hunt.

Damn right! Good hunting.

Yep! Hard to explain to someone who hasn't been.

quote:

Originally posted by eyedoc:
Africa Again

Why do I feel the need to return?

I wish I could tell you why. But I can’t. I can tell you all the cliché’s about how Africa gets in your blood. But I cannot accurately describe what it is that keeps calling me back. Words can hardly do justice to the actual scents, sounds, and sights that I crave in the same way that I need oxygen.

This applies to most of us here, and we can't seem to explain "it" to people who haven't hunted Africa!!!

I know you will have a great safari!!!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Well put, thoughtful. Have a great hunt. I'll look forward to your report.

Doc "Make the Shot!"

Mike

Having just read this at 5:22 local time, the thought of leaving work and driving home is all-of-the-sudden pretty damn unappealing.

Africa is where I really want to be.

Very well said. So hard to explain the attraction, but it is so compelling that it can't be reasoned with or denied. At best, we can temporarily appease it.

Have a great hunt!

Eight years ago today, I left on my one and only safari, just to get it out of my system. We recently completed my fourth 15-day trip last month, and have been figuring out with the wife how to remodel the house this year, so I can go back again next!

Yup, can't explain natural selection.

Wow eyedoc, that really sums it up. Even though I live here I'm caught up in the rat race of running a business and earning a living. Hunting trips clear the mind and rejuvinate the soul. This weekend I'm off to the Umkomaas Valley to stalk with my bow amongst the riverine bush for kudu and bushbuck, maybe an impala that wanders in too close. Then in three weeks its off to the Zambezi Valley to bowhunt tuskless with CMS. Both very different hunts but the recipe is the same.
JCHB

Hope to get reports out soon.Should be in camp before dark tomorrow.

When I'm in Africa, I'm living the dream.
When I'm home in the states, I'm dreaming of Africa!
Well done Doc.