A day in the life of a trainee at the NJ More Field Guide College.Waterberg

I attended the Trails Guide module of the course.
In order to get hours in (each trainee needs 50 hours)
there are two walks a day.
The morning walks start very early and can last up to four hours.
The afternoon walks are shorter

Massimo Rubazzi, one of the NJMFGC guides sets the guidelines for the walk

In the hands of a competent guide,
a rifle is merely a tool.
But a necessary one if you are walking in an area
that has dangerous game

I could find my way back to camp by keeping the mountains on my left.
YEA, RIGHT!

A Black Backed Jackal spoor.

If the dung is THIS fresh,
can an elephant be far away?

and the answer is NO…
We found him feeding not too far away.
As the wind was in our favour, he showed no signs of
knowing we were there.
It is humbling to watch one of these giants going about his business
without disturbing him

This squirrel was making quite a racket,
at what we have no idea

Trails walking is not only about animals,
it gives guests a chance to see “things”
that they would miss if they were on a vehicle.

Left over Impala hair.
Possibly from a leopard kill, but Massi could not be certain.
The only thing that he was certain of was that predator and prey were involved.
And the prey lost…

The remnants of a millipede drying in the sun

Sunlight on foliage can make for an interesting image

Rifles have to be cleaned after every walk.
Guides do NOT want them to jam at a critical moment.

Night time…

Many thanks to Arun (India) who gave up his accommodation for me.
Much appreciated.