Day 12 of 19

Twelve kilometers in the wrong wind

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Northwest again — no sign. Then east to the furthest pan from camp. A group of old-bull spoors at the pan. We take them at twenty to ten. The wind is on our back most of the day. I don't think this can work. Felix and the trackers don't care.

Back to the northwest water hole. No old-bull sign. We raced east to the furthest pan from camp. A couple of old-bull spoors from last night on the dirt road in. At the pan, a group of old-bull spoors. We started at twenty to ten.

The tracking was hard — other elephant sign everywhere, dry sand and grass. We lost the line a couple of times. The worst was the wind: on our back most of the day. I did not think this could work. Felix and the trackers were in high spirits.

Eleven kilometers of tracking on dried grassy sand, day 12 — Eleven point nine kilometers, wind at our back — and then Keshe spotted him

They were right. One-twenty in the afternoon, eleven point nine kilometers in, Keshe spotted an elephant at the edge of a clearing on top of a hill. Close, but the wind was bad. We dropped downwind fast. Very old bull, big body, sixty pounds. We circled the group — five more bulls, all fifty to sixty.

The sixty-pound old bull on the hill, day 12 — A very old bull at sixty pounds — fading color, round head

On the walk back, three more bulls. One old, with a big head and body — another sixty-pounder at less than twenty meters from us, completely unbothered. Two others young. We hit the cruiser at ten past four for lunch, then drove for more sign.

Late afternoon looking for one more spoor, day 12 — Eighteen point six kilometers on foot today — the legs are holding

Ten point two yesterday. Eighteen point six today.