MOUNTAIN - Cape Province Mountain Club

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Richtersveld – Augrabies Fall Expedition 2 – 10 july 2009 After the Fish River some hikers left as early as 07h30 while the last left by 12h00 after leisurely packing while the following 11 hikers had planned to tour the Richtersveld: Benny, Desireé, André, Mike, Karen, Amy, Lauren, Marvin, Avril, Sydney and Tony. Mortimor and family had indicated they would also join, but at that stage we were uncertain as they had left earlier. At Noordoever we met Hugh and Susan who unfortunately could not do the hike as intended due to the fact that the flu had got the better of them three days before the hike. By now they had recovered fully and we also met up with Morty who was experiencing vehicle problems. We finally reached the border at 16h30 after Morty needed to replace a tyre and attend to overheating problems. From here we moved to Koetzeshoop where we purchased groceries at the local shop. Without realising we needed to change plans as we wanted to spend the night at Eksteenfontein which was about 40km from here, but required about three hours of driving because of the off-road terrain. The locals advised us to camp at Oeverbos rest camp which we thoroughly enjoyed. Tranquility . . . This camp site situated on the Orange River bank is where we spent the next two nights. The facilities are of a high standard while the prices reasonable. If you wanted to you could buy farm pizza’s which some of us did on the second night, very delicious. A fresh cabbage from the neighbouring farm converted a simple potjiekos into a scrumptious delight. the great trek into the Richtersveld Saturday 4 July is when the great trek into the Richtersveld began with Morty’s family deciding to rather move on to Springbok and newsletter of cape province mountain club / november 2009 have the Microbus seen to by a professional motor technician. In hindsight this was the most sensible decision as the terrain for the next 60km proved extremely demanding on any vehicle. En-route we were surprised by the natural beauty this part of the world has to offer, such as extra-ordinary mountain formation, live stock giving birth, San rock art (petroglyphs), Halfmens and Kokerboom trees and one surprising section which looked like a cairn cemetery. All we needed to do was place some more stones on them. One part of this road was so treacherous that the Musso which was towing a loaded trailer needed to be assisted with a tow rope by the Pajero up one steep section after stalling and overheating. Day time temperature at the time was 35°C, still winter. Before we ventured on this part of the expedition some hikers who had seen a small section of this area asked us, “why do you want to go and see nothing”. Well our response was “we want to see the nothing for ourselves” and we were quite pleased that we did exactly that. the road to Khuboes The most interesting part of getting to Eksteenfontein, which was our intended stop over, was the ability of our vehicles over this terrain. After about four hours of travelling and only covering 40km we arrived at Eksteenfontein only to be told that no accommodation was available. We were advised to move on to Khuboes which I discovered is spelt many different ways. The road to Khuboes meanders across the Annis river with off-road sections which had us really worried about the little fibre-glass Riksha trailer I was towing. We finally reached Khuboes at about 19h00 and found a camp site “<strong>Mountain</strong> Resort” under construction. The only facilities available here were four two sleeper chalets and a dry river bed. We managed to camp outside using one unit as an ablution facility. After supper we managed to sit around the fire sharing the day’s experiences and discussing our future plans. What I found interesting about this leg of our expedition was that there was no set itinerary. We would collectively make decisions, on impulse, as the journey progressed. By midnight we were all in bed with some rising as early as 06h00. While enjoying an early coffee chat one of the local herders passed our camp and shared some of his experiences. He later moved to his camp up in the mountain which he told us was not too far. About an hour later Mike, Marvin and I were interested in finding some goat meat and ventured up into the mountain with the Musso.
treacherous terrain After lengthy negotiations with the treacherous terrain we finally arrived at Johannes’ kraal were he shared his experiences. It was one of the things I really wanted to do whilst on this excursion and I was pleased I did. Later that Sunday morning after driving through the town and speaking to the locals we were on our way to Sendilingsdrift which is the entrance to the Richtersveld National Park and the Pont border post. One thing we learnt which we did not expect, the further you enter the Richtersveld, the towns become smaller and supplies become more expensive and scarce, vehicles become larger and you find less of what you are used to. Here they told us fresh bread arrives once every five years, so resort to making your own. It was a good thing we had purchased yeast and flour in Eksteenfontein because the last place we bought bread was at Khuboes. “Wondergat” and “Nama kraal” Well the main attraction before reaching the park was the “Wondergat” and the other “Nama kraal”. Later that afternoon, after we had paid for our entry into the National Park, we headed for “Potjiespram” camp site. Unfortunately the Pajero cut out 6km before the destination and had to be towed to the camp site by the Nissan. This camp really proved to be what the Richtersveld was all about. The pictures taken tell you everything that cannot be noted in this brief report. Unfortunately it is sad to note that many people refuse to take their rubble with them and the monkeys really mess up the trash left behind. Well we managed to set up a kraal camp and enjoyed a moonlit evening with the hope of getting the Pajero sorted in the morning. We managed to enjoy left over braai with freshly baked pot bread, the only one for the trip. We’re still waiting for someone to bake another loaf as promised. We will not divulge the identity of this individual through the media. This person owes us a large pot bread. Interacting with the herdsman. technical assistance needed The next morning after a lengthy diagnostic session carried out by André and Mike it was decided that the rest of the National Park leg be abandoned and that we tow the Pajero closer to Alexander Bay for technical assistance. We finally reached Sendilingsdrift by 15h30 and I decided to move on to Alexander Bay for fresh produce whilst the towing party proceeded to Brandkaros. On arrival at Brandkaros we decided to spend the night in rondawels which had lovely hot showers, something we hadn’t experience for a few days. The evening’s braai was enjoyed under a restio lapa with good company and snacks. the other alternative By now we had decided to spend two nights at this pleasant resort but were told that the rondawels needed to be evacuated as it had been booked for the next night. The other alternative was to move into the trailers which we did while André progressed with the diagnostic testing session. By 14h00 our professional motor technician had the Pajero’s engine running again. The fuel pump was taken off, something done to it and put back. André was looking forward to his bottle of Johnnie Walker. Later that afternoon we all drove to Alexander Bay for fresh produce, explored the diamond dump town, a visit to the Orange River mouth, touching the sea water on the black sandy beach and taking lots of photo’s. On Wednesday 8 July at 09h00 we left Brandkaros for Augrabies, some 580km apart. Port Nolloth provided some interesting historical information but because time did not permit we moved on fast past this town. Thanks to Sharon Desai who facilitated our booking, we arrived at Augrabies shortly after 5pm. Make a point of going there sometime What an awesome destination. Indescribable as the pictures will tell. If you haven’t done any of the above, plan well and make a point of going there sometime. The time spent here will remain in my memory for as long as I live. If given the opportunity I will spend more time at all the places above. It is my intention to arrange another excursion of this sort with people who have not done it before, but this time better prepared. But then again the question of how well prepared can one be will remain unanswered. the long journey home The long return journey (some 800km) home commenced at 14h30 Thursday 9 July, throughout the night passing Kakamas, Keimoes, Kenhardt, Brandvlei, Calvinia, Niewoudtville and Vanrhynsdorp, Clanwilliam, Citrusdal, Piketberg and finally arriving in <strong>Cape</strong> Town at 06h30 on Friday 10 July 2009 totally exhausted. Will I do this again? Yes! For sure. Benny Pietersen november 2009 / newsletter of cape province mountain club
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MOUNTAIN - Cape Province Mountain Club

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