Brenden Pienaar, Lowveld Trails Co. Trails Guide, Mentor and Assessor achieves the highest tracking (Cybertracker) and Trails Guide (FGASA) qualifications.
Brenden chatted to the editor of Kruger2Canyon about his recent achievement.
I will never forget the words of our Head Lecturer in the first session of our Nature Conservation Diploma, “If you are here because you want to work with animals, you are probably in the wrong class. Nature Conservation is about working with people”.
At the time I thought “What rubbish”! Turn the clock forward 20 years and I could not agree with her more.
The fact that I am now one of only 10 who has attained this Scout qualification is still a bit of a surreal thought. One that I am extremely humbled by, especially if you read through the other nine names and their associated resumes on that list.
I feel a great sense of achievement considering the time (and failed attempts) it has taken me to meet the criteria, especially within the tracking component. Nevertheless, it has been such an enriching and valuable journey that I can highly recommend to all FGASA Field Guides. It genuinely transcends a qualification and flows into a set of skills, principles and values that will stand you in good stead no matter where you end up in life.
Although I feel a bit like a new Grade 8 student in High School, I must say that the structures and support are all in place and that the FGASA Scout qualification is completely achievable. It will however require some serious “dirt time”.
After completing the theory component (two years) of the Nature Conservation Diploma I was positioned in Skukuza (Kruger National Park) as part of our final experiential year. The exposure to conservation management practices I had during that year (and my adventures) was unmatched.
From early on in that year (2004), I knew that I wanted to stay. It would however prove to be a tough task to find work within the conservation sector of Kruger National Park, primarily due to my lack of experience.
By the end of that year, however, I had all my FGASA requirements in place to take up a Junior Field Guide position in Olifants Rest Camp. I mostly conducted guided walks and mountain bike trails from the camp in 2005 while continuing with BTech Nature Conservation and relevant FGASA qualifications.
Somehow, towards the end of that year, I managed to participate in an activity that changed the way I thought of Trails Guiding. It was on the last night of the Olifants River Backpack Trail recce that I set my sight on a career in multi-day Trails Guiding.
Kruger National Park launched the Olifants River Backpack Trail in April 2006 and I had since handed in my resignation as a permanent guide at the rest camp and I became a stable fixture on the Backpack Trail roster. Two more Backpack Trails would be added to the activity list and I made sure that my name was on the schedule as frequently as possible for a total of 13 years (2006 to 2019).
I continued working through my FGASA and Cybertracker qualifications at the same time and also completed my Master of Science (MSc Ecology) at Wits in 2015. It was at the end of that year that a friend and colleague (Wayne te Brake) and I started looking into a Trails Guide business venture together.
I completed the FGASA Specialist Knowledge and Skills: Dangerous Game (SKS: DG) qualification in 2018 and the Cybertracker Trailing component in 2020.
Wayne and I started Lowveld Trails Co. in January of 2016 and thankfully things are going better than ever before. We are a FGASA Specialist Training Provider that provides Trails Guide Training, Mentorship and Assessments. We also offer our own ‘Primitive Trails’ in Balule, Timbavati Private Nature Reserves and Makuya Nature Reserve (far northern Limpopo Province).
There’s no ‘typical’ when it comes to full-time Trails Guiding and managing a business. Every day brings a new challenge, but we like it that way. I like to remind myself of the following now and then. “No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams” – Maya Mendoza
This qualification is a combination of two disciplines – Trails Guiding and Tracking. I chose to follow the Cybertracker qualification for the tracking component, but it is also possible to become a FGASA Scout by achieving the equivalent Tracker Academy qualification. These are the two tracker qualifications that have been recognized by FGASA.
Oh, it’s achievable. It’s not an honorary designation in any way. The roadmap is clear and transparent. The major cost is time, the amount of time it will take to log the minimum required walking hours (and potentially dangerous game encounters) and the time it will take to master the art of tracking.
The highlights have been spending time out in the field with mentors and other like-minded people. There is a real sense of community within the Trails Guide and Tracker space that fuels the learning process. It’s clear that the mentors are extremely passionate about the industry and they share their skills and experience with enthusiasm.
Eish, the lowlights. I attempted and failed the Specialist Trailing component (one of the two tracking disciplines) multiple times. It was tough not to meet the standard that has been set, especially as the evaluations at this level do not take place regularly. It was challenging to find the motivation to get back out there and keep improving after such great disappointment. Anyway, I ended up meeting the standard eventually and learnt a lot about myself and life in the process.
Many of the other Scouts have been my mentors over the years and it would be remiss of me not to mention and thank them. In no particular order – Robert Bryden, Lee Gutteridge, Colin Patrick, Andreas Liebenberg, James Steyn, Juan Pinto, Adriaan Louw and my friend and colleague Wayne te Brake (he is the one that keeps me in check).
This achievement would have been impossible without family support, especially from my wife. Tamsyn must be the most patient person that I know. If I didn’t have her support, this would never have been a possibility.
Our industry has been extremely hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has lead to a loss of businesses and associated jobs. I suppose it has shown just how volatile an international market can be, which in turn has already created opportunities within the local market. We are therefore likely to see a more balanced market approach as we start rebuilding. Furthermore, I believe that a growing number of people will seek experience-based travel (especially Trails and Tracking) than in the past. Guides are therefore well-positioned to add greater value to this ‘new’ travel model and its associated opportunities, especially with such a wide range of qualifications within the FGASA framework.
We are likely to see more guides become entrepreneurs. Hopefully, we will also see employers give more recognition to their guides moving forward, which will allow them to share in the benefits of a more dynamic and resilient industry.
Given the levels of guiding currently, it would be fair to say that it can be seen as a profession that can support a family, rather than a gap-year activity. Guides are becoming more qualified and more professional. There is a serious movement among guides that deserves recognition and appropriate remuneration. Institutions that employ Apprentice Field Guides at disrespectful rates will continue to experience high turnover and will start feeling the pressure from other establishments that invest in their Guides’ development.
Guests don’t know that they have had an average Guide until they have had a good Guide. That is when and where the pressure will become apparent. With the higher standard and level of professionalism in the guiding industry and a reduced market, guides are likely to be valued to the point where they can support a family.
It’s not unrealistic at all. Many have done it already. As an example, I have managed to turn Trails Guiding into something that pays for a house and our children’s school fees. If I can do it, so too can others.
Is tracking a ‘super-power? It certainly is an exceptional skill. I remember seeing experienced trackers follow suggestions of tracks through the landscape only to connect with their quarry. It seemed like a type of superpower and something that you either have or you don’t. However, it can be achieved with some dedication and a serious amount of practical application.
One of the things I love most about tacking is that there are no shortcuts. In a modern world of instant gratification and quick fixes, tracking has remained uncorrupted and true. It takes honest ‘dirt time’ to develop this ancient skill. You can only develop this “superpower” over many years, David.
Do I have any words of advice for those who are close to this qualification, yet are not certain if they can tackle the final hurdles? If I can do it, so can you. It’s a long-term goal so don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t forget to have as much fun as possible along the way.
Contact Lowveld Trails Co.
Reservations@lowveldtrails.co.za
