Kloofing in Knysna

Kloofing. Awesome word, isn't it? It's Africaans for canyoning, i. e. scrambling through water and over rocks in a canyon. About a 30 minute drive outside Knysna, South Africa is the Drupkelders Canyon. The direct translation is dripping cellar. One of my favorite past times in Kentucky was climbing over rocks in the Rockcastle River with my friends, Adam and Kacie, so I was excited to get the chance to do it in South Africa.

I was shuttled to the park South African style, in the back of a pickup. In the states they would never allow you to drive on a highway without a seatbelt, hanging out in the back of the bed. But when in Rome...

The hike down to the canyon was beautiful. It was good to be back in the forest. After all the desert landscapes, the lush greenery and pine trees felt like home.  After putting on a wetsuit, I dove into the river and was off! The wet suit added a nice level of warmth I had never experienced while exploring rivers before. It also provided pretty good protection from scrapes. Scrambling can be tough on the skin.

My guide for the day was Nicholas, who was sporting a pretty epic handlebar moustache. He was an amateur herpetologist, so you can imagine we got along great. He was constantly hunting for snakes, skinks and frogs among the rocks. I was on the lookout for cool aquatic insects. I observed exuviae of both damsel and dragonflies in additon to a few caddisflies. It must've been a pretty clean river.

On the hunt for herps

We started swimming upstream. The current wasn't bad at all, until you started to approach the waterfalls. The canyon itself was stunning. It was such a great experience to actually swim through it.  The rocks lining the sides had lots of good cracks and crannies. It's been a while since I rock climbed, so I definitely tested out my skills since the water makes a nice soft landing. Saying they were rusty would be kind. I even jumped off a rock about 9 meters above the water. It was a little daunting when I climbed to the top, but I took a deep breath, jumped and shrieked on the way down.

Ahhhh!

In a lot of places there were collections of foam, which are formed when particles and oxygen are kicked up by the rushing water. In some areas the foam was so thick that small pieces were floating on the air like snowflakes. Very appropriate, since it is close to Christmas and likely snowing at home. The foam also acted as a hiding place for frogs.

Foamy frog

I could've stayed in the river all day, but all good things must come to an end. We had lunch by a calm stream, enjoyed one last swim in the estuary, and headed home.