Beyond Boundaries: Expedition reaches Atlantic

EIGHT of the original 11 contributors with a disability trekking across Namibia from east to west have indeed gone Beyond Boundaries.

Last week they stood on the Skeleton Coast itself, where the ephemeral Uniab River runs into the Atlantic Ocean, the final stop on their epic expedition. In their last few days, the team crossed the considerable sea of sand dunes that rises majestically from the gravel plains of this awe-inspiring tract of land long since proclaimed as the Skeleton Coast Park.John Paterson, Warden of the Park, accompanied the expedition after it crossed the Park boundary and his vast knowledge and experience proved invaluable whilst traversing this harsh paradise.Heidi Thomas, one of two paraplegics using a wheelchair, was evacuated after just 24 hours in the Park, suffering from a potentially very serious and rapidly deteriorating pressure sore; Tim Sampolinski, an arm amputee, subsequently guided his seven remaining colleagues through the sand sea, mapping a route across some mighty dunes.On the bigger slipfaces, 50 metres and higher, the team used a rope and pulley system to pull the wheelchairs up the steep slopes of soft sand.Adrenalin, fuelled by the westerly sea breeze and their proximity to the coast, countered the exhaustion brought on by the struggle through the dunes and the cumulative effects of weeks of tough expedition trekking and little sleep.A sense of euphoria became evident as the distant ocean was glimpsed from a dune ridge: the end, 2 000 km from the starting point at the Victoria Falls, was at last in sight.PENULTIMATE LEG Earlier the team had battled along the Hoanib and Mudorib river beds to access the gravel plains leading them to the Skeleton Coast, and the mighty sand dunes they had to somehow cross to reach their goal.Desert dwelling elephant, similarly adapted giraffe, oryx and springbok were spotted in good numbers, but one mammal in particular worried expedition leader Ken Hames: the black rhino.He and professional guide Brian Bartlett saw several fresh tracks very close to the route the disabled were following; by definition the black rhino, with its poor eyesight and reliance on excellent sensations of smell and hearing, can be inclined to charge at any territorial disturbance that it senses.But the presence of four Himba tribes people, two men and two women, were hired and deployed as lookouts.A support vehicle, tracking well behind the intrepid walkers, did spot two rhino, but otherwise the party reached the Park without major incident.Leader Ken summed up the penultimate stage of the journey: “These animals are so unpredictable, and when taking a party of disabled people through the rhinos’ home environment, uninvited, we have nowhere to hide.But by taking particular care and moreso respecting this most fragile eco-system, we have achieved a safe passage.”CONCLUSION Every single person on the expedition, from the participants, their chaperones and guides, the camera, sound and production crews to the logistics and support personnel, felt hugely privileged to be part of this ground-breaking journey, benefiting from the extreme munificence of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MET) in allowing access to areas of the Etosha National and Skeleton Coast Parks.Most of all, Diverse TV now has the wherewithal – in the shape of this landmark documentary series Beyond Boundaries – to challenge the preconceptions of what the disabled can and cannot do; indeed to create mainstream awareness, worldwide, of the very real abilities of all people with a disability and the need for society to accept and accommodate them as the valuable assets they are.Thank you to both Namibia, where in 2006 the Cabinet is urging citizens to focus on people with a disability, and to the disabled themselves – together they make the world a better place.In their last few days, the team crossed the considerable sea of sand dunes that rises majestically from the gravel plains of this awe-inspiring tract of land long since proclaimed as the Skeleton Coast Park.John Paterson, Warden of the Park, accompanied the expedition after it crossed the Park boundary and his vast knowledge and experience proved invaluable whilst traversing this harsh paradise.Heidi Thomas, one of two paraplegics using a wheelchair, was evacuated after just 24 hours in the Park, suffering from a potentially very serious and rapidly deteriorating pressure sore; Tim Sampolinski, an arm amputee, subsequently guided his seven remaining colleagues through the sand sea, mapping a route across some mighty dunes.On the bigger slipfaces, 50 metres and higher, the team used a rope and pulley system to pull the wheelchairs up the steep slopes of soft sand.Adrenalin, fuelled by the westerly sea breeze and their proximity to the coast, countered the exhaustion brought on by the struggle through the dunes and the cumulative effects of weeks of tough expedition trekking and little sleep.A sense of euphoria became evident as the distant ocean was glimpsed from a dune ridge: the end, 2 000 km from the starting point at the Victoria Falls, was at last in sight.PENULTIMATE LEG Earlier the team had battled along the Hoanib and Mudorib river beds to access the gravel plains leading them to the Skeleton Coast, and the mighty sand dunes they had to somehow cross to reach their goal.Desert dwelling elephant, similarly adapted giraffe, oryx and springbok were spotted in good numbers, but one mammal in particular worried expedition leader Ken Hames: the black rhino.He and professional guide Brian Bartlett saw several fresh tracks very close to the route the disabled were following; by definition the black rhino, with its poor eyesight and reliance on excellent sensations of smell and hearing, can be inclined to charge at any territorial disturbance that it senses.But the presence of four Himba tribes people, two men and two women, were hired and deployed as lookouts.A support vehicle, tracking well behind the intrepid walkers, did spot two rhino, but otherwise the party reached the Park without major incident.Leader Ken summed up the penultimate stage of the journey: “These animals are so unpredictable, and when taking a party of disabled people through the rhinos’ home environment, uninvited, we have nowhere to hide.But by taking particular care and moreso respecting this most fragile eco-system, we have achieved a safe passage.”CONCLUSION Every single person on the expedition, from the participants, their chaperones and guides, the camera, sound and production crews to the logistics and support personnel, felt hugely privileged to be part of this ground-breaking journey, benefiting from the extreme munificence of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MET) in allowing access to areas of the Etosha National and Skeleton Coast Parks.Most of all, Diverse TV now has the wherewithal – in the shape of this landmark documentary series Beyond Boundaries – to challenge the preconceptions of what the disabled can and cannot do; indeed to create mainstream awareness, worldwide, of the very real abilities of all people with a disability and the need for society to accept and accommodate them as the valuable assets they are.Thank you to both Namibia, where in 2006 the Cabinet is urging citizens to focus on people with a disability, and to the disabled themselves – together they make the world a better place.