While I was growing up, I spent many hours at my grandparents' farm in Northem (Limpopo, a stones throw away from Oppikoppi). It was a magical place, where many glorious childhood memories were made. There was no electricity, only an old Arga stove in the kitchen, a 'donkey' (an outside geyser heated by fire), paraffin lamps and candles and falling asleep at night was to the sound of jackals in the distance. I recall the long walks at dusk with my Mom and Dad and on more than one occasion thinking to myself just how much I loved being there and that I wanted to become a game ranger. These were distant memories that were triggered for some or other reason while reading Braam’s book.
Braam and my paths recently crossed. Conservation lies at the core of his being, but besides that he has an impressive CV as long as my arm in a number of different areas (extreme adventurer, motivational speaker, business man, writer, to name just a few); I was therefore keen to find out more about his incredible journey along the Great Wall of China, to learn more about what motivates him.
The book takes you on his and David Grier’s journey of covering a marathon (42km) if not more-a day for six days a week over a period of 17 weeks. They were told that it was physically impossible. Goes to show, anything is possible if you put your mind to it!
What resonated with me is Braam's passion for nature and what struck me was his description of the desolation of the Gobi desert that there is absolutely no sign of life due to the years of overuse of the land and erosion; the prognosis for rehabilitation ever is non-existent. This made me realise that we are all on our way to a 'Gobi' desert if we don't start doing something. It's not someone else's problem, it is ours. There is not enough natural resources to sustain us all, yet we are all wanting the latest and biggest and newest material things.
Braam writes, "Challenging nature in a positive way, such as climbing Everest or crossing a stormy ocean, surfing a giant wave or riding a thermal column of air with a paraglider, feeds a hungry search soul. Challenging her in a negative way, overexploiting her resources by destroying forests or polluting the air causes her to hit back hard at us....
...I also believe that when we challenge ourselves in the embrace of nature, we show the Earth respect. It brings us closer to her in ways that enhance us beyond words. I believe nature shows us our potential and gives us humility beyond the ego we build based on our material trappings."
Recommendable: Definitely 9/10
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