Baobab among mopane

Getting lost in forest or bushveld is a risk, more so on flat plains where fences, roads and rivers are few, far between or absent. The discomfiture is aggravated when mod cons like cell phones and GPS are unavailable or don’t work. Worse still, when water and other provisions run out.

Maybe the worst is when one is in this position alone, without the relevant skillset of fieldcraft for surviving in the bush. It may go beyond that, when panic sets in for lost case level to be reached. Thunderous beating of the heart remains as sole advisor, sending rational thinking on its way forever as fatigue overwhelms.

Sitting down in despair after many hot hours of walking in circles brings the mirages (not aeroplanes) and hallucinations. When Superman or Spiderman is spotted flying over, don’t shout. Save the energy for fighting off the vultures that have spotted food long ago and are circling. (Don’t look up.)

Among bushveld raconteurs one picks up the heartless advice of sitting down on the shady side of the tree once walking becomes impossible, or when bitten by a black mamba: It’s so much easier to die in the shade!

The hot, dry Limpopo Valley bushveld includes the occasional Adansonia digitata towering above mopane, thorn tree, bushwillow and most of the others.

For those that climb trees well, the tallest may serve as a lookout, although baobabs are less easy for people to climb than for leopards or baboons. The big tree or koppie is also a beacon for navigation, soon to become invisible when moving among the trees; as little navigational use as the sun on clouded days.