Explore Sossusvlei Dunes and Sesriem Canyon: 3/6

 Today we went out to the dunes, with the possibility of walking to the top of one called Big Daddy. Sandy and I came prepared with hiking poles fitted out with large sand baskets, which proved very useful. The rule of thumb is to walk in someone else's steps because the sand is more compressed there, but that was really tough to do. 

Next to Big Daddy is an area called the Deadvlei. Vlei means marsh. A long time ago, there was a lot of water in a sand depression and trees started to grow for many years. Eventually, the water evaporated and the trees died and got scorched in the desert heat. It now looks like kind of a petrified forest, and it was our first objective. I had this (crazy!) idea of trying to climb Big Daddy, but boy is it BIG up close and personal! I quickly found that my fitness level, even with my hiking poles, was barely enough to get me to the crest of a small dune that allowed me to see the Deadvlei. I stood at the top for a while, and then walked down some, but not all the way. Trying to summit Big Daddy might have killed me. 

Springbok

Big Daddy. You walk up the crest 
on the side the wind formed (right,
in this case) and sort of slide down
the softer side. The lower area
behind the fence(?) is about the height
of the dune leading to the Deadvlei.

View of the Deadvlei

My friend Sandy was the only one in our group of 16, including at least 3 people who had a legitimate capability to make it to the top, who actually did it. She said the scary part was coming down, where you sort of slid and because of the angles, you couldn't see the entire hill.

I made it back to the picnic area and waited with a few others for the more adventurous folks to return.

Oryx

Springbok

Magpies

Later that afternoon, we visited a small section of Sesriem Canyon. It was carved out by a river and was an important source of water for natives. The name means 6 belts, referring to the length of the rope needed to draw water.

Guinea hens. Not the smartest birds

Above and below: Ostrich