Adrian Tregoning

Deepdale Gorge – KwaZulu Natal’s Hidden Gem

Deepdale Gorge on the Umkomaas River is one of my favourite runs if not my favourite. It’s not the biggest of rivers nor is it the smallest. It isn’t the most radical either nor is it the easiest. It’s just a plainly awesome run that will draw me back time and time again. I think it’s probably just the remoteness and raw beauty of this roughly 32km stretch that makes it for me. The sometimes house sized boulders in the river bed leaves a snaking path for the water to follow and makes for some really sweet rapids, all the while in a beautiful valley with some amazing trees, thorn bushes, flowers and various fascinating plants. This would be my third trip down here and I was not to be disappointed.

X-Fest 2007

On the 17^th and 18^th the usually quiet banks of the Umzimkulu River would be transformed into a cacophony of bass music, announcements and excited, sometimes slurred voices of kayakers, mountain bikers and a host of other like minded people. A good recipe for fun and excitement. My account of the event will be unlike most people there as I missed out on most of the proceedings and did my own thing with a few people and wouldn’t change that for the world.