I-Rio Blanco icishe ibe umbukwane ngendlela imvelo iba ngayo.
Amanzi ayo ayizinguzunga zeqhwa ayagingqika futhi ehle eziNtabeni zase-Andes onqenqemeni olusenyakatho yePatagonia eningizimu yeChile. Indawo ekahle kakhulu yezivakashi ezithanda imvelo, ngaphandle kokuthi umfula umncane kakhulu ukuthi ungangena isihlenga futhi unobuqili kakhulu esikebheni.
Kodwa lokho akwanele ukuvimba abafuna ukuzidela ababhalisele ukuzijabulisa kwakamuva kwezemidlalo eziyingozi. Kubizwa ngokuthi "i-canyoneering," noma i-canyoning nakuba ngokusobala abanye bangakubiza ngokuthi kuyahlanya.
Abavakashi abane, kanye nentatheli, bagqoke amasudi amanzi. I-adventure iqala emhlabeni owomile ngohambo lwemizuzu engama-45 lokukhuphuka. Njengoba sikhuphuka ehlathini eliluhlaza, kunombuzo owodwa nje osikhathazayo:
Yini i-canyoning?
“Akunangqondo,” kusho uJessie Traub, 22, waseMilwaukee, Wis., emamatheka futhi ephakamisa amahlombe. Uhamba nojosaka eSouth America nomngani wakhe uMargaret Kosmack, 23, waseToronto.
“Angazi,” kusho u-Kosmack lapho ebuzwa ukuthi uyazi yini ukuthi i-canyoning iyini, “kodwa sikhathazeke kakhulu ngayo yonke imihuzuko esudi yethu emanzi esevele ikhona. Igiya lishayeke kakhulu.” Bese ehleka noTraub.
UJessica Hungelmann, 29, uvakashele ubaba wakhe, uJim, umsubathi oneminyaka engu-58 ubudala. Basuka e-Idaho. Usebhizinisini lamazambane eChile.
“Angazi ukuthi ngenzani, kodwa ngikulungele,” kusho uJim Hungelmann. Naye uyamamatheka.
Umhlahlandlela u-Philippe Manghera wase-Pachamagua wenze lolu hambo izikhathi ezingaba ngu-200. Useneminyaka eyisikhombisa ehlala lapha, kodwa muva nje lo mdlalo oyingozi usudume kakhulu.
“Kufanele uqaphe,” kusho uManghera njengoba sifika lapho siqala khona: ichibi elicwebile eliluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka eligcwele izimpophoma zokuqala kweziningi ezimangalisayo esizolibona.
I-Manghera isikhombisa izinhlobonhlobo zezinyathelo zokuhamba emanzini ashelelayo kuhlanganise nenkawu (ekhasa ngemilenze emine) kanye nesibankwa (ekhasa ngezisu zethu).
Iqembu lonke lifakwe ama-polypropylene hoods, amagilavu namasokisi. Nesigqoko sokuzivikela.
Sonke sigxumela emanzini ayikristalu futhi amasudi ethu amanzi agcwala amanzi abandayo.
“Ngiyayithanda,” kusho uTraub. Kodwa ngemva kwemizuzwana, washintsha umqondo. "Ngiyabonga!"
Sibuka ngokujulile umboniso obukhoma ovela komunye wabaqondisi ogibela eweni futhi esondela ngokulangazela emoyeni bese ephonseka echibini elineqhwa.
Ngicabanga ukuthi sengiyaqala ukuqonda: I-Canyoning isivivinyo somthetho wamandla adonsela phansi kanye nomthetho wesibindi.
Ngokuxubene nokulangazelela nokwesaba izivakashi ziyalandela, ziziphonsa eweni elingamamitha angu-15.
“Ngangithi 'oh, Nkulunkulu othandekayo,'” kusho uTraub ngemva kokuvela kwakhe. "Kuzomele ukwenze, ngoba uma uyeka ucabange ngakho, uzovele uqhanyelwe."
"Bengizama ukungacabangi ngakho kakhulu," kusho uKosmack. "Angizange ngibe novalo kwaze kwaba imizuzwana emihlanu yokugcina - ngaphambi nje kokuthi ngigxume."
Isifundo Sesibili: Ukukhohlisa
Ingxenye elandelayo ye-canyoning esiyifundayo ibizwa ngokuthi "i-tobogganing." Njengomdlalo kuma-Olimpiki Wasebusika. Okuxakayo, ngoba akukho toboggan lapha.
“Sinihlalisa emanzini amhlophe,” kusho uManghera njengoba esibonisa indlela esasiyoshelela ngayo, noma, i-toboggan, sehle emadwaleni abushelelezi emfucumfucu emifula engemuva kwethu. “Hamba ngezinyawo kuqala,” kusho yena, “futhi lapho uhamba, qaphela izindololwane zakho.”
Njengomkhaya wama-otter alalelayo, sishelela phansi ezimpophomeni, ngokulandelana.
Into eyodwa egijima ngokushesha kunamanzi i-adrenaline yethu.
"O, into enhle lena," kusho uJim Hungelmann ngenkathi emamatheka endlebeni. “Ngiyakuthanda ukuba semanzini? ukuhamba kulawa matshe. Kuyamangaza nje.”
Naphezu kokuba mdala kunabo bonke, ubuye abe nesibindi, ekhuphukela ukugxuma kathathu, kane, ngisho nakahlanu emaweni afanayo. Ezinye zazo zingamamitha angu-25 ukuphakama noma ngaphezulu.
“Mhlawumbe yingoba anginaso isikhathi esingaka esisele, uyazi?” esho ehleka.
Ngaphambi kokuba sigibele i-toboggan elandelayo, abaqondisi bahlola amatshe acijile phansi emfuleni, besitshela ukuthi sigcine izindololwane zethu zingene, izinyawo zethu zibheke phezulu futhi sivule amehlo.
“Kuyajaha — kuyamangalisa!” Kusho uTraub enyamalala emfuleni wamanzi amhlophe wabe esephonseka phezu kwempophoma engamamitha ayisishiyagalombili echibini elijulile elingezansi.
“Kuhle!” kusho uKosmack, mhlawumbe ethuke kancane ukuthi useze wafika le.
Njengoba sigxuma, siginqa futhi sishelela phansi emfuleni siyaqala ukuthola isithombe esiphelele se-canyoning. Uke wayizwa inkulumo ethi “phezulu emfuleni ngaphandle kokugwedla”? Hhayi-ke, i-canyoning izokwehla ngomfula, njenge-paddle.
Kungukubheja okuphephile ukuthi akukho lutho emapaki etimu ekhaya ngale ndlela.
U-Hungelmann ulandela iziqondiso ngaphezu kweyodwa yezimpophoma kuqala.
“Ngivele ngahlehla kulelo nqenqema lapho,” esho ehefuzela ekhomba ithonsi eliyizinyawo eziyishumi asanda kulizula. “Kwakuhle. ? Kube nje ukuwa kwamahhala bese kwehla.”
Kumakadebona emihosheni phakathi kwethu - abaqondisi - esikwenzayo kuwumdlalo wezingane. Zisenza sibambe ongezansi nokwesaba okukhulu njengoba zigudla amawa angamamitha angu-30 no-40 ukuphakama, zehlela emachibini amanzi abukeka emakhudlwana nje kunenkomishi yetiye.
Kubukeka kunesibindi futhi kuyingozi: Uma bengagxumi baphumele ngaphandle, bazophahlazeka eweni lapho behla.
Izingozi zeCanyoning
U-Alfonso Spoliansky, omunye wabaqondisi, uqala ukusho ukuthi i-canyoning ayiyona ingozi, kodwa uManghera uyaphazamisa.
“Yebo, kuyingozi,” echaza, echaza ukubaluleka kokubheka ama-rapids namachibi ukuze kubonakale izingozi ngemva kwemvula ngayinye. “Akuyona ingozi kangako uma ulandela imithetho.”
Uyavuma ukuthi inkampani yakhe, iPachamagua, ibe nezingozi ezimbili. Enye yayihilela isivakashi esashaya ikhanda nakuba sasigqoke isigqoko sokuzivikela. Ukulimala bekungekubi kakhulu. Enye yayihilela isivakashi esaphuka umlenze lapho sibanjwa phakathi kwamadwala amabili.
Kodwa lo mdlalo owedlulele usubone kubi kakhulu. Ngo-1999, kwafa abantu abasha abangu-21 engozini eyenzeka emfuleni eSwitzerland lapho izikhukhula zikhukhula umhosha ngemva kokuna kwemvula. Ngemva kweminyaka emibili kwagwetshwa abaphathi abayisithupha ngamacala okubulala budedengu.
Kukhona ubungozi obuningi lapha kunasemidlalweni eminingi futhi iziwula kuphela ezihlulekayo ukukubona lokho, kodwa uma ukwesaba kudlula emithanjeni yakho, lokhu akuwona umdlalo wakho.
“Kufanele ubathembe abaqondisi bakho,” kusho u-Hungelmann. "Lezi ziqondiso zinhle."
Kukhona ukukhetha kokugxuma ngaphambi kwesiphetho esihle. I-Manghera inikeza ukukhetha kokugxuma okungamamitha angu-25, ukugxuma okuncane noma ukugibela i-toboggan phezu kwempophoma engamamitha angu-15.
“Kuyesabeka lokhu,” kusho uTraub egqolozele ukugibela okunezinsimbi. “Ngicabanga ukuthi lokhu kuphakeme kancane kimi. Ngeke ngiqambe amanga, ingiphethe kabi le nto.”
Ugibela phezu kwezimpophoma, ngokungangabazeki uphetha ngokuthi amandla agcwele amanzi ngeke amnike isikhathi sokucabanga kancane.
Isifundo 3: Ukungalaleli
Ukugibela ibhanoyi ngasekupheleni kwe-adventure yethula abangakaqapheli ukuthi "ukuyekelela," igama elimnandi elisho "ukuxosha," okuyigama elimnandi elisho ukuwa njengetshe ngenkathi lixhunywe entanjeni.
Sonke sibopha amahhanisi ngokungafanele phezu kwamasudi ethu amanzi. I-Traub ihamba phambili. Njengoba ivikelekile entanjeni, ihamba ngekhanda phezu kohlangothi lwewa. Ingamafidi angu-100 phansi futhi amayadi nje ukusuka empophomeni embi kakhulu futhi emangalisa kakhulu yosuku.
Yeka umuzwa. Kufana nokulunguza ezweni eliyimfihlo njengoba amanzi efutha ebusweni bakho nezimila eziluhlaza zikugqolozele emehlweni.
Bese kuba khona okokugcina, ukugxuma okuphakeme kakhulu. U-Kosmack uyamemeza njengoba enza.
Ngokumangalisayo, mhlawumbe ngokuyisimangaliso, sonke sasinda. Sonke siyamamatheka.
Futhi sonke siyazi ukuthi i-canyoning imayelana nani.
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