MOUNTAIN ZEBRA PARK
IMPOFU HIKING TRAIL
SATURDAY 11 JULY TO MONDAY 13TH JULY 2009.
On this hike:
Peter, Barbara and Ally (11) Giddy
Hannes, Jacqui, Calvyn (16)and Jordan (14) Zeelie
Stuart Laing (16)
Gerald and Pat Scheepers
Fred Kohler.
The hike had been planned for some time to start on Saturday 27th as this was the first day after school term ended. However the Zeelies were not able to make this weekend due to paddling committments in Plett and this is how it came about that we changed the dates. It was just as well as the original weekend was one of the coldest and wettest weekends that we have had in ages.
Maryna Baard (Susan Burri's friend) was due to hike with us. On the Thursday before the hike a couple of us (Maryna, Susan, Gerald, Adrienne and I) were running through Hallack Drive in the early morning and Maryna tripped and fell. She went down hard and fractured a bone in her arm and was unable to be with us.
Adrienne was leaving later this afternoon for Rome where she would be judging international diving. Her two children, Danielle and Matthew would be traveling to England where they would meet up with elder sister, Jennifer who is a Springbok Hockey player. Jennifer has paid for them to fly over. After the Diving they are all meeting to go hiking in the Alps and this is why Adrienne has been dedicated to her running in recent weeks.
The people administering the hike and the people at reception were most obliging and helpful. Jeannie helped me when we had to change dates, Robin phoned to make certain that the arrangements were correct, Jali assisted us at the reception and there was the man who gave us a talk about the hike and safety aspects. They were all incredibly friendly and helpful.
This would be the third time that Barbara and I would do this hike. The first time we completed the hike and it must have been around summer as the days were very hot and long. We did it with our children when they were still young and at school. The second attempt we completed the first day and then on the second day we climbed the first hill before I realised that I had a Kidney Stone and was in agony. I decided to turn back and the rest of the group did the same. So our second day was a really relaxed day as we hiked along the road to the second hut.
Stuart had not hiked a trail of this nature before. He remembered us from Rhodes where his dad, Andrew, had run the Rhodes marathon with us and we had all stayed at "Die Pastorie". Ally also remembered Stuart. They had played ping pong together. This was July 2005 when Andrew had received his permanent number at Rhodes. Andrew was up at Rhodes while we were on the hike. See Blog of July 2005: Rhodes Marathon.
Ally and her friends had been at the Walmer Methodist Holiday Club the whole week. Calvyn, Jordan and Stuart had been leaders at the Holiday club. From reports, this had been a most successful week of fun and teaching. Amber was not able to come on this hike as she had Ballet Classes which cannot be missed. She kindly wrote Ally a letter, telling her how much she wished that she could have been there.
Hannes and family left on Friday night and stayed over at his sister who lives in Cradock. Gerald left about a half hour before us. Fred followed me and we left at about 5.45am on Saturday morning. We filled up with petrol at Colchester. I had set my GPS and the distance from our house to the main gate of the Park was 255kays. We took a gentle drive averaging around 100kph. It was extremely relaxing. We stopped to look at some Buck that we saw about 50kays this side of Cradock. They looked like Impala but were darker (almost Black) with a white flash on the bridge of the nose. They are not listed in our game guide.
Our next stop was at the Daggaboer Farm stall. Fred purchased a pair of Mohair Boot socks. Barbara bought herself some biltong and a filter coffee. The drive to the main gate of the Park took us about 3 hours. As we drove the 12kays to the Camp area we saw Oribi, Zebra, Springbok, Eland and Kudu. This park has more than it's full of game to see.
At the main camp we met up with the rest of the group and registered for the hike. We were given a fairly comprehensive talk on safety as we were in the open where it is entirely possible to encounter wild animals including buffalo and Rhinosourus. Hannes later commented that the talk had been devised at some head office as they advised climbing a tree or running uphill. With a loaded backpack? Up Doring Boom? Yeah Right! Another interesting fact is that, as we were readying ourselves, Andy and Bev Bolton (with daughter and friend) drove into camp. They planned to spend the weekend doing some game viewing.
Impofu is the Xhosa name for Eland. The Xhosa word used for Zebra is Ikwagga (Zulu is Idube). The Kwagga or Quagga became extinct in 1878. The mountain zebra was almost extinct when, in 1913, there were just 27 animals left. The Mountain Zebra park was established in 1937 with 5 stallions and a mare. The park was originally 1700 hectares. In 1998 a series of paintings were auctioned on the TV program 50/50. This enabled the park to be rapidly expanded from 6500 hectares to its present size of 28 000 hectares as surrounding farms were bought up.
We started to hike at about 09.30 and walked along a jeep track. We were hardly about 1kay into the hike when Barbara tripped and fell on her knee. It was a hard fall with her full backpack weighing her down. From there on she was in pain. And to add to this she had a few more falls on the trail which resulted in her twisting her ankle as well. We hiked up the road to the Big Rock. This rock slid down the side of mountain in 1974 and the thunder of the slide could be heard 20kays away in Cradock.
We stopped here for a snack before tackling the first of the hills. As we climbed this hill we were able to see a small herd of three adult and one foal Mountain Zebra. We also saw some Kudu on the Western hillside. As was the case throughout this hike; the boys went on ahead. The rest of us regrouped at the neck and then began our descent. It was not long before we realised that we were lost. The boys were ahead of us and I was prepared to follow them. Fred had also gone on ahead and realised that he was not on the correct trail. There are so many game trails that it is easy to think that you are on the hiking trail, but if you do not see the trail markings of Feet or an Arrow, then you have lost the pathway.
Finally Fred put down his pack and walked back to the rock where we had lost the trail and put us back on track. It was a fairly steep descent on tough terrain before we reached a Jeep Track. At the bottom we crossed the only stream that we saw throughout the three days of the hike. The water was not drinkable except maybe in extreme case of need.
Here the uphill began to take it's toll on Barbara's knee. She was in a lot of trouble and I helped her up the hill. Barbara had discovered that the soles of her hiking boots were coming loose and this compounded her discomfort. As we ascended this hill I looked up to see Fred on his way down. At that stage I left Barbara's backpack and gratefully let Fred take over.
It was only about 500 meters to the start of the final descent to the Olien Hut. The wind was blowing and it became quite chilly. Fred had left his pack at the crossing and Hannes took over and carried it down to the Hut. This must have been a mammoth task as the descent was extremely tough and carrying a second bag would have made the descent almost impossible. Hannes had said he wanted to use the hike as a fitness exercise but this was taking it to the limit.
The descent was very long. About a kay. It was technically difficult. I began to tire and felt shaky with low blood sugar. For me this was probably the toughest part of the three days of hiking. I ate an enery bar and felt better but still felt myself tiring fast. Barbara, Ally and I reached the hut about 30 to 45 minutes after the rest of the group. Today's hike had taken us about 5.30 to 6 hours. We were all very happy to be at the hut. Soon after we arrived a bakkie with two rangers stopped to check that we were safe. Barbara explained that she was injured and would need a ride to the next hut. The driver agreed to be at the hut early the next morning.
Fred started the fire in the "donkey" to heat up the water for a shower. I needed the shower to recover and had a luke warm shower. From there everyone went one at a time and had a wonderful hot shower. We start the evening early with sundowners, snacks, chips, vegetables and dip. We had some bad luck as the steak that we had brought for the hike was "off" and not edible. But fortunately we did not go hungry as we had more than enough food on the hike.
We had bought Ally a new backpack and a new sleeping bag. She was quite comfortable with the backpack and slept well (as she always does) in her new down sleeping bag. The mattresses on this hike are covered with linen, while we are used to mattresses covered in a plastic. They were slightly softer and more comfortable that we expect in a hiking hut. The night was quite cold but not freezing. It rained in the night and Hannes took our provisions out of the fireplace as the rain was dripping on the plastic packets.
In the night Pat woke up worrying about the fire. It seems that she had seen flickering of the fire and realised that the wind was blowing and the fire had flared up and this was potentially dangerous as the fire could easily spread. Barbara and Pat got up to put the fire out. Just at this time I had a cramp attack in both legs and had to ask Barbara to give me a leg rub to ease the pain as I was unable to stretch the pain out of my legs. I find cramping quite exhausting and did not find the strength to help her and Pat put out the fire.
These huts consist of two bedrooms with six bunk beds in each room. The rooms are small but not unbearable. It just forces us to be a little tidier than we normally are on a hike. In the centre is a kitchen area with a fireplace which could be used if it was raining or the hut needed to be heated. Flush loos are provided and hot showers by means of the Donkey. A certain amount of cups, plates, cutlery, a kettle and parafin lamps (in the first hut only) are provided. A good fireplace for a braai and plenty of wood but what is lacking is an area to sit and chat. There are some logs but these are not placed around the fire and the setting is not condusive to a long evening of "Kuiering".
We were in bed early. I had started to read the book 'Fireproof' but I find that I can only read for a short while before my eyelids become so heavy that I cannot stay awake anymore. This night we must have been in bed for about 11 to 12 hours. It is impossible to sleep that long. I would wake up frequently and turn over or lay awake. My limbs were sore and stiff but the nights rest made me feel strong for the second day's hike.
Sunday 12th.
As Barbara had arranged to be collected, I decided that I was not going to carry a backpack. I carried a small packet with a waterproof top and a few snacks for the day plus two water bottles. Barbara and Ally were to wait for the Bakkie to collect them so we packed ready for them to be collected and Fred and I set off first. As we ascended we came across fresh droppings that looked like they were only hours old. We waited at the fork at the top of the ridge for the rest of the group to arrive. First up were the three boys who carried on up the pathway.
As they walked, Fred spotted a Zebra on the path that they would take. The Zebra heard them and was alert for some time before the boys spotted him. We watched as the boys approached and then as the Zebra began to descend the hill. The Zebra would run down for a short while and then stop in a place that completely camouflaged himself. He would silhouette himself agains a bush or tree that had the effect of making him invisible. It was quite interseting for Fred and myself to watch this from a distance.
The first part of the hike took us to the fork and then up along a jeep track. At the top we regrouped and I was able to help Gerald who was battling with his breathing in the thin air. At this stage I estimate that we were about 1500m above sea level. From here we could see the boys across the valley as they had already reached the Bankenberg. This is a Buttress that looks like a bench. They were running around, playing and generally enjoying themselves. As we stood here we could see the mist coming across the mountain tops and could feel the immediate drop in temperature. Fortunately we had brought warm clothing.
Fred had to be back in PE this evening as he had an important job to complete on Monday. He had arranged to be collected from the hut at about 15.30 and decided that he would be better off to press on ahead. The five of us consisted of Hannes and Jacqui, Gerald and Pat and myself. We continued down hill and then up to the Bankberg. At the top we could hear Ally shouting below. We could see the hut but not Ally or Barbara. We did not know what Ally was saying but realised that the Bakkie that was supposed to have fetched them had not turned up. When we later walked to the hut I felt quite upset to see that Ally had scratched the word "help" in the sand next to the hut.
There was nothing that we could do. Barbara had my phone and I could not phone anyone to let them know. Also we thought that they would surely be there at any time shortly. We pressed on and up to just below the highest point in the park know as the Bankenberg. At this point we were just under 2000 meters above sea level. This is a point that is clearly visible from far distances. The range of mountain is known as the Sneuberg. It appears that there had been snow there on the weekend that we were originally planned to be on this hike.
At the top we stopped alongside the old stone wall for a snack. The whole day had been one of clear sky and then cloud cover. The wind was blowing but it was not so cold that we were in distress. Now as we sat down sheltered from the wind, the sun shone on us and we felt as if this was where we should spend the rest of our lives. The warmth, tranquility and feeling of well being was overwhelming. We could see for probably 100kays in all directions.
Finally we decided to get going again. Shortly after we left this spot we had to search for the trail. Thus began a series of lost and found. From here we determined that if we did not see the trail marking of Feet or Arrows then we would stop, backtrack and reorientate ourselves. The trail is well marked but easily lost. There are so many game tracks that can be confused as hiking trails that the hiker has to be extremely careful otherwise you could find yourself on a completely wrong pathway alltogether.
We began a long descent. It was about here that I heard Jacqui telling the story of how Hannes had presented her with this amazing birthday present: a pair of Gaiters. "What are these?" she had demanded of Hannes. "Gaiters that you can use on the hike" answered a proud Hannes. Jacqui announced that she was going to buy Hannes a Sports Bra for his next birthday as it was now him that was wearing these Gaiters! I was reminded of the one and only time that I had tried to purchase Barbara an item of clothing but had "chickened out" when I was approached by a sales lady. Jacqui's advice: 'Phone a friend'.
The descent into the valley was long and technically challenging. This cannot be rushed as it would be very easy to trip and fall or to twist an ankle. There are a number of huge round rocks that we had to walk along, trusting our boots to not slip. During the descent we saw a herd of 6 Zebra across the valley. They remain motionless even at that distance. They are not "skittish" but careful and ready to move if neccessary.
Finally we reached the saddle where we had a short ascent before the final 500m to the hut. Here we discovered that the boys were lighting the fire for the Donkey but no Barbara and Ally. The boys explained that they had arrived about 40 minutes ago and that Fred had been there when they arrived. He had walked out and would be on his way to the Rest Camp.
Hannes and I grabbed a water bottle (and not warm top as it was sunny a the time) and started the walk along the road back to the hut where Barbara and Ally would be waiting. Along the road it was an easy walk and took us about 45 minutes. Just as we approached the hut we could hear Baboons barking. At the hut Barbara told us that they had just brought all the bags and kit into the hut as the Baboons had approached them and sounded very threatening. And not five minutes later the Ranger Tom arrived in the Bakkie to fetch them. We loaded everything into the bakkie and drove back to the Karee Hut where the rest of the group were waiting.
Back at the Karee Hut we settled in for the evening. It was only about 4pm. We all enjoyed a warm shower and started the fire. Out came the sundowners and snacks. It was a little before sundown but in the words of Bill Corkhill: "On the hike there is latitude when it comes to deciding when sundowners may begin". The Donkey was fired up and everyone was able to enjoy a hot shower. Cleaned, tired but refreshed is how we now felt. Now that we were all together we were able to reflect on the day's hike.
The day had been one of the best possible day's for hiking this trail. In Summer you would cook. The weather had been very kind to us. There was a little cloud cover but not so much as to chill us to the bone. The warm rays of sun had been just enough to warm us up but not so much that we had battled with heat. In the final descent the breeze had dropped and we had excellent hiking conditions all round. This was a reasonably tough day but for me was really enjoyable with a light pack and I was feeling fit and strong. At no time did my knees bother me. Hannes had brought some sweets and I used these to 'refuel'. I must remember to takes sweets when ever I am on a hike.
The warmth of the fire, the day's hiking and early evening sundowners combined to put me into a relaxed frame of mind. This evening I was first in bed and reading my book. But as usual the book had a soothing effect and I was soon fast asleep. While I did not have a troubled sleep, I did have a fitful sleep, waking and turning often to ease an ache or stiffness.
When I went outside in the middle of the night, the moon shining so brightly it seemed like dawn. A bright moon like that seems to reflect on the soil. The stars were in full presentation and had it not been so cold it would have been an ideal opportunity for an outdoors sleep.
Monday morning I decided to make some hot chocolate and tried to be as quiet as possible but my movements soon woke the rest of the group (except Ally who has been known to sleep through an Atom Bomb). We prepared our morning drinks and eats, washed and packed ready for 08.00am when Tom the Ranger was due to collect us. And at exactly 08.00am we saw the Bakkie round the corner. It was Goodman, not Tom but that did not matter. Some of us loaded our packs onto the Bakkie, Barbara and Ally jumped on and we all set off for our final walk out.
Barbara and Ally froze on the back. There was nothing that they could do. The short trip seemed to take forever. But Finally they were back at camp where they had a wash and a proper breakfast of eggs and bacon and went for a short game drive.
Meanwhile we walked along the path, losing the trail constantly and regrouping once we found it again. It is not as though you can lose yourself alltogether. The road is always just to the left of the hiker. But it is good to know that you are on the correct hiking trail. We startled a number of buck including Kudu and Fallow Deer or bushbuck.
This morning's walk took us just over 2 hours and we were back in camp with Barbara and Ally waiting for us. Stuart and Calvyn had worn sleevless vests and must ahve been freezing cold in the morning before the sun came out to warm us up. Hannes took his group for a shower. Ally had to be back in PE as early as possible for Drama Practice and we left immediately.
As we drove out, we again spotted a variety of game, including a Black Backed Jackal as he loped alongside the road. At the main gate we saw a pair of secretary birds walking and hunting for snakes and rodents in the long grass. The drive home was a sleepy affair. I drove for a while and then let Barbara take over while I slept. Ally slept for most of the drive and was still half asleep when we dropped her off at Clarendon for Drama Practice.
That evening Fred phoned to let me know how it had gone for him. He had left us at the top of the Bankberg Butress and had walked at a brisk pace. He too had become "lost" on a number of occasions having to backtrack to find the trail. He had waited at the hut for the boys to make sure that they had found their way and then had walked out along the road. Just as he approached the Rest Camp, the bakkie met him and gave him a lift for the final Kay. He then tried to explain to Jali about the arrangement to collect Barbara and Ally. Jali was not aware of the arrangement but promptly sent the bakkie off to collect them and that is how it came about that we met them at the Olien Hut on Sunday evening.
Lessons that I learned on this hike:
While winter may not be ideal for hiking, it is certainly better than the heat of summer.
Water (one litre in winter is the minimum and two in summer) has to be carried as there is absolutely no water on the trail.
Slackpacking is possible on this hike. The rangers are most helpful and accommodating.
Stay in groups as the trail is confusing and one can become lost easily. Always look for the painted feet and arrows. If you lose sight for any time at all then you are probably off the trail.
The hike is physically demanding but if taken slowly with plenty of stops and rest breaks it is not too difficult.
The distances do not seem to be long but the nature of the trail and the terrain makes it a tough hike.
Take it slow: you can spot game while hiking, but not if you are walking to beat a time demand.
Weather descends upon you at the top of the mountain. Be prepared for the very coldest and wettest even when you start off in clear skies.
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Dawn commented as follows:
"Remember Mountain Zebra well, did it twice, both times, I think, with you guys. Remember Jacqui, head down on a hill, almost walking into a kudu and Michael in an uncontrolled down hill sprint with Jacqui on his back. Also Peter in pain on the hill tops - what was it again? Kidney stone? or something! Never been an uneventful hike and it sounds as if this one remained true to the tradition!"
Michael commented as follows:
Dad.
Sounds like you really had an adventure. I completely understand how those leg cramps can wear you out.
I also believe that if mom is going to do hiking from a bakkie - I might be quite interested to join next time.
Mike
Hi Peter
How was the Mountain zebra trail? My heart ached more than the fractured arm… Some pic’s? Haven’t blogged before ! Have done the Otter 2 years ago & would love to do it again. Planning to do the Camino De Santiago next year June- July for 14 days & not sure of dates yet, but will have to finalise asap. Wouldn’t like to loose out again.
Stay well & blessed
Maryna
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Showing posts with label STUART LAING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label STUART LAING. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 17, 2005
KNYSNA AND RHODES MARATHONS JULY 2005.
KNYSNA AND RHODES 2005 17 July 2005.
The past two weeks have been quite eventful. Firstly the Tour De France started at the beginning of July with all kinds of exciting days including Lance Armstrong taking an early lead in the team time trial. This year he is riding with Discovery Channel Team as opposed to the US Postal team that we have become used to. This was due to be his final attempt at TDF as he had won a record 6 times and this was his seventh attempt at winning. He continues to dominate the race, both in time trials and in the mountains. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2006. Also a good friend, Keith, from Johannesburg, SMS’d me to say that he had reached the top of the mountain that he had climbed in Russia. Keith had been with us on Kilimanjaro and he said that this latest climb was ten times more difficult. Then our daughter, Jacqui who lives in London, let us know that she will be having her first child in March 2006. This will be our 7th grandchild as Michael’s wife, Lene is pregnant and so is Nicci who also lives in London.
Graham Richards was in town on Sunday the first of July and we had a good training run around the Moffet circuit. I had been having a good run in sales at work. Stuart, Rianna, Suzanne and Tim had been at our home for supper on the Friday evening and I managed to persuade Stuart to go to Knysna with me, as I needed some company. Michael and Lene were going off to Kariega Park for the weekend having won a weekend for two at the luxury lodge including game drives etc. And Barbara and Cathy planned an “extreme makeover” of their home while they were away.
So it turned out that Stuart, Tim and I drove down to Knysna on the Friday afternoon the 8th July and after registration we dropped Tim off with his family and Stuart & I stayed with my mother who made us a delicious pasta supper. The next morning we collected Tim at 05.00 and drove through to Knysna with Stuart still not sure if he would run the half or the full. We found ourselves a perfect parking spot just a few hundred meters from the Loerie stadium. We walked up to where the taxis depart and were soon in a Venture taxi owned by a local driver. He collected a voucher at the start of his route and when he had dropped us off. For each trip he was to be paid R70 and he hoped to do as many as four trips. Stuart told us later that the taxi that he was in had an incident as they came across a feuding couple. They stopped to assist the woman who was being severely beaten up. Stuart separated the two much to the indignation of the husband who explained to Stuart that she was “my vrou” and that seemed to him to give him the right to give his wife a beating.
Once Tim and I got to the top where the race starts we came across Kosima from Achilles and then a number of other of the PE people as well as Graham. The 42 started on time at 07.00. At the start there were the traditional fires, soup, coffee and tea and plenty of noise from the announcer. It seemed that there were more entrants this year with nearly 950 marathoners and about 5 to 6 thousand 21’ers. This run starts with a long climb to about the 11kay mark, there is then a sharp descent of a few hundred meters after which there is more climbing to about the 15 kay marker. Tim was up front with Neil and Viv and I also saw Eckart and others who I decided to let go. I was running with Nicky from MPRG, Graham, Doc Louis and Tremaine. I also met up with Andy Weddal who now lives in Cape Town, Bennie Bezuidenhout (Grahamstown) and a variety of other nice people. Nicky joined up with Mary-Anne from Cape Town Villagers and left us with about 11 kays to go.
I made the mistake of charging down the steep descent and paid for it with sore legs for the rest of the run as well as after the event. Graham reminded me of the story of the young bull who is in the field with older and wiser bull. The Young bull says to the older bull “Look down there at those young heifers. Lets charge down there and “do” a couple of them”. The Older bull says in his wise voice “I suggest that we rather walk down slowly and “do” the whole lot of them”. Wise words but too late for myself who had already made the mistake that the young bull wanted to. Tim and others had gone ahead and we would not see them until we arrived at the finish.
The weather was perfect for running, there were all kinds of great and chatty people on the run and we had a lot of fun: Until the downhill after the Gouna Pump station. The Pump station hits the runner at the 14kay to go marker and thereafter there is a 3kay uphill to where the marathon meets the half. After a short while the long (very long) steep descent begins. This descent has now been paved with all the golfing estate development and continues for about 3kays to the bottom of the valley. A long downhill can be very taxing on tired legs and destroys joints, such as knees and hips, of the older generation such as myself. Then at the 8kay to go mark the road evens out and runners are able to steady themselves for an even pace to the finish.
Graham and I were running together at this stage and we trundled (Graham’s terminology) on to the N2 and then I seemed to get a bit of a second wind but by now we knew that we were in for one of our longest Knysna’s ever. The previous year we had managed well under 4.15 but now anticipated a 4.40. With about 2kay to go we had our photo taken together again but this year is was brightened by a 20year old girl from Bloemfontien, Udeliah, who is studying sports science. At this time I went on ahead for no other reason except to get the day over. This year there was no Paulette to beat at the finish. She had finished about an hour earlier so I saved myself the price of a chocolate.
At the end Stuart, who had wisely decided to do the 21kay, was waiting for us. He had fetched the tog bags out of the car. I had a shower and then we met Kobus and family in the tent to watch the Springboks get beaten by the Australians in the Mandela Cup something like 32 to 9. I left before the final whistle to join the Achillean tent for a cold drink. Bruce had done his normal, but well appreciated thing, of bringing the tent, the drinks and chairs. Once the match was over and we had recovered to some extent, I bought myself a Calamari lunch and we packed up for home. Stuart & I dropped Tim off in Plett again and then headed home.
During the following week I did no running at all and tried to recover from the aching muscles that the down hills of the Knysna had served up. But the TDF was in full swing and the mountain stages had begun so each evening was filled with anticipation for the day’s summary and final two hours of the stage. It was with a good deal of apprehension that I left for Rhodes the following Friday morning. Pat and Gerald had picked up Tim and Suzanne and then came to our house where we left at about 05.30 for Rhodes. We took the route past Grahamstown, Fort Beaufort, Queenstown, Elliot and Barklay East and then the final 70 kay of dirt road to Rhodes. This way is about 600kays and it took us about 9 hours including stops. On the way to Rhodes we stopped at my Cousin Dennis and Melanie Giddy who farm at Kelvin Grove. Here we enjoyed some traditional farming hospitality. An interesting thing that Dennis told us is how the farm labourers are able to herd cattle for up to 45 kays in a day, and all on foot. He says that the cattle walk at a pace of about 5kays an hour.
We arrived at “Die Pastorie” at about 14.30. We did a bit of walking and going to shops before registering for the event. The registration is quite a slow process as each entrant has to produce an identity document before being handed the race number and a “Buff”. A buff is a kind of scarf and bandanna that some of the runners use but Tim in particular uses frequently and looks quite dapper when wearing it. In the house this year were: Craig on his own as Sharon had been unable to accompany him, Mark with his son and friend Russell with his son as well. Then there was Andrew with girl friend Janice and his son Greg, there was Duane and Annetjie. Robin, Martin and Kommiene, Tim and Suzanne and finally our family. This made a total of 18 people. Quite a festive house. Gerald and Pat were in a house a little further down together with Doortjie and her family.
Preparations were made firstly for supper and then for the race the next morning. Suzanne had made a Macaroni cheese that lasted for only a few minutes. I think that Tim was shocked to see how much was consumed by so few so quickly. Stuart phoned in to wish us a good run. The sky was clear but snow was still expected in the village. Most of the house was asleep reasonably early. I was woken at about 10.00pm with a call from work to say that I had won a sales competition and would be starting the run considerably richer than I had anticipated. The next morning we began our bathroom preparations at about 06.00 and were ready for the compulsory photo shoot before walking the 2 mins walk to the start. The race started promptly at 07.00 with a comparatively warm temperature of minus 6 degrees. I had two long sleeved shirts, gloves and a beanie. My mouth and nose were freezing for the first few kays of the run but this does not last for long as the body adapts.
I think that it is at about the 8 kay mark after some long tiring hills (and plenty of walking) that we take a left turn in to the valley. This is always a very colourful event as the contrast between the brightly dressed runners is highlighted against the backdrop of the brown veld. We pass a number of farms including one belonging to Gerhard. He always has a massive fire going. The local farmers and their families are wonderful in the way they assist in seconding. At this stage we still had Doortjie with us and had also met up with the Old Selbournians from East London including young Andrea who used to train with the MPRG. Marietjie from Queenstown Harriers also passed us. Peter, who lives near Boston was there to do his 8th Rhodes. He tells me that he canoes 20 miles across a lake to work in Boston each day. I can believe this having experienced his company on our Kilimanjaro climb a few years ago. Once we got the start of the Kloof at 15kays they all left us and it was Gerald, Tim and I who were together for the next 5 kays to Mavis Bank.
During the Kloof stage I took off one layer and the beanie and gloves as the sun was becoming quite hot. I was feeling quite nauseous with the cold and thin air. I heard later that this was a common ailment over the first half of the run. Experience told me that this nausea would go once we began the descent from the highest point. The seconding table organised by the boys and girls from Priory was a welcome relief. I think that it is about an hour to an hour and a half from here to the top of Mavis. The final climb up Mavis Bank took us the normal half hour that we have come to expect. This includes five sit down stops to catch our breath (I could have said to admire the view). It was here that we first encountered snow this year. Finally we made it to the top of Mavis Bank in just over 3.30 hours. This is the 21kay mark and we now have 31 kays to go. I have found that if we can make the top by 10.30am we should be able to get to the finish in a little over 7.30hours.
Once at the top I made a few snowballs to throw at various people including Tim. Unfortunately I had picked up a half handful of dirt and so his snowball blackened his running vest. He retaliated a little later with a frosty one on my neck. At the top of Mavis Bank we had our traditional soup, Tea, Coffee, Potato and sandwiches. After a 10 min break we pressed on only to find Russell, Janice and children including Ally ready to take photos of the runners. They had driven up in Mark’s Landrover. This was a great surprise especially for myself as I was delighted to see Ally having such a great experience in the snow. Thank you Russell for including her. She had a great day. Here we were able to shed our excess clothing. A running vest was all that was necessary as the sun was hot and the reflection off the snow made for perfect weather.
We pressed on with a lot of walking at this stage. I know that Tim wanted to do more running as he seems to love the ups but I am not able to run up and only just manage a shuffle type run on the downs. Gerald was just behind us at this stage. This was his third Rhodes marathon and his Permanent Number Run so we decided to finish together. We got to the half way of the run at about 4.30 hours knowing that the front runners would be in the showers by now. But that did little to dampen our spirits as we met up with Bev from Fish Hoek and Karl from Hillcrest and were able to swap stories. Actually if the truth be told I did most of the talking. At last we came to the highest point where we again met Chris Sephton who is a distant relation of mine and who is there every year in the green Landrover bakkie to greet the runners and tell stories of the area. He pointed out the Lesotho border and where a landing strip was planned for the Tiffendel ski resort. Tim had stopped for a flapjack and we were soon on our way to the T-Junction of the road to Tiffendel. This is about the 28 kay mark and we had a good 24 to go. Gerald had by now accepted his fate that we would coax him to the finish.
It was about here that there was a man in front of me who threw away a cup on the side of the road. To me this was simply not on and I mentioned my disappointment to him. But this is a message that goes to all of us runners: We DO NOT have a licence to throw running rubbish (cups, sachets, corn syrup packets etc) onto the side of the road. Either we use the rubbish bins provided or we carry the offending item to the next watering station. Just think of the image that we give to others when they see the mess we leave behind us. And, no! it is not up to the seconders to pick up after us. Almost everyone who assists at races are volunteers. This is valid for all runs but especially for country runs where we are there to enjoy (not destroy) the wonder of nature.
We were helping ourselves to plenty of oranges, coke and water at every table. The day was a perfect one with little on no wind, bright sunshine but very dry air and I found myself becoming quite parched between tables. Later on we realised that we had become sunburned. Soon after this we had group photos taken again and now started “the walk to a point, run to a point” way of running. This seems to work for me anyway. And soon the Kay markers began to fall away at a reasonable rate. I seemed to suffer a “runny nose” throughout the run, Tim had another body misfunction that persisted. I will leave that to him to describe. I had to stop to empty my shoes and socks of dirt and sand as the soil had penetrated everything and was chaffing my feet. I saw others doing the same. This may have been due to the muddy road after the melting snow.
Finally we reached the steep descent part of the run. We took it fairly carefully on the downhill to the 41kay mark. From here we still had a number of hills to do but nothing as tough as we had already done. We saw Jessie Gush and were surprised that David Goldberg was not there but Jessie told us that he was injured and could not run this year. We heard later that Craig had fallen on the steep downhill section and I can imagine that such a fall could be quite nasty. By now I lost all of the nausea that I had been feeling. We were able to run fairly substantial sections of the route with short walks to catch our breath. And the kays kept on falling away.
At last we reached what Tim calls Govan Mbeki avenue (2 kays to go) where Barbara, Suzanne and Ally were waiting to greet us. I was in no mood for chitchat and pressed on to try to get this run over with. Ally joined us for the final kay and we finished together in 7.40. If I am correct this is about the same time as last year. I walked straight back to the house for a shower. But it took me quite a while before I could breathe normally and stopped shivering. I think that my lungs had taken a pounding. The soup that Mark offered was a great help and appreciated by all. Robin looked a bit like a Mongoose as his sunglasses had shaded his eyes from the sun and he had the appearance of a masked bandit. Later I realised that, while I was stiff and sore in my legs after Knysna, after Rhodes it was my tummy and solar plexus that was sore. I was hoarse for a while after the run. Craig, Robin & Duane had finished a long time ahead of us, Andrew followed soon after we got in and finally the hero of the day: Kommiene came in with Martin in 8.40. I think that she had had the toughest day of us all. Well done to her for completing her first Rhodes and only the second Achillean lady (after Heidi) to do so. I think that she is now motivated to be the first Achillean lady to get a permanent number.
The prize giving was at 17.45 and Duane, Andrew Laing and Gerald all received permanent numbers, having completed three of these events. Andrew was there with his son, Stuart. We next met up with Stuart in July 2009 when Andrew was again at Rhodes and we were hiking the Mountain Zebra trail. See Blog of 14.07.2009. Then came the warming up of the lasagna. Again the stove did not really work well, the fridge had frozen a number of items including the cucumber, lettuce and tomato but we finally were able to serve dinner and I think that we ate well. I was surprised, the next morning, to find that the third lasagna had not been touched during the night. During supper Graham phoned in to find out how the run had progressed. I gave him a brief run down and I think that he was quite envious and sorry that he was not there. I will not be surprised if he does not join us again in 2006.
It was not long after dinner that Barbara went off to bed with the excuse that she was “putting Ally down”. Some went for the swim and others stayed chatting in the lounge. I was trying to read the “Davinci Code” but battled to stay awake for more than a few minutes. The next morning we were packed and ready to go by 7.00am. Some of the group had left early in the morning before daylight. Gerald had a frozen windscreen and so had to defrost before he could leave. But we were all on our way by about 07.30. Ally of course gets prime spot in the car as she has a duvet, pillow and the whole of the back seat to sleep in.
On this trip we did a bit of mathematics as we tried to teach her the variation in temperature from Minus 6 degrees when we left Rhodes to 27 degrees when we got to PE. The Toyota has a temperature gauge on the dashboard. There was a berg wind blowing in PE this evening. Today we decided to go home (on advice from cousin Dennis) a different route and we took the road to Aliwal North (petrol and Pick’nPay), Steynsberg, Hofmeyer and Cradock (petrol and hamburgers) before heading home for the final (250kay) straight. Ally was in the back doing the navigations from the map that we had marked out. This route may seem a little longer, (about 650 kays I think) but cuts out the section between Grahamstown and Queenstown. Fortunately for us the roads were clear and, after a stop at Nanaga road stall, we arrived home at about 15.00 without incident.
A few thanks: To Evie Raubenheimer who puts in hours of personal time, cost and effort to organise this event. Evie, let it never be said that we take anything for granted. It is a thankless task that you have taken on but the runners who have ever organised an event, know what a sacrifice you make throughout the year. To Craig who set up the house and when I had a cash crisis in paying for the accommodation, was able to secure a loan for me at favourable rates. To Pat, Suzanne and Barbara and Ally who have supported us in our running the Rhodes marathon. And to our friends in the house as well as those we met on the road, who add so much to the whole atmosphere of the event.
Peter Giddy
17 July 2005.
The past two weeks have been quite eventful. Firstly the Tour De France started at the beginning of July with all kinds of exciting days including Lance Armstrong taking an early lead in the team time trial. This year he is riding with Discovery Channel Team as opposed to the US Postal team that we have become used to. This was due to be his final attempt at TDF as he had won a record 6 times and this was his seventh attempt at winning. He continues to dominate the race, both in time trials and in the mountains. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2006. Also a good friend, Keith, from Johannesburg, SMS’d me to say that he had reached the top of the mountain that he had climbed in Russia. Keith had been with us on Kilimanjaro and he said that this latest climb was ten times more difficult. Then our daughter, Jacqui who lives in London, let us know that she will be having her first child in March 2006. This will be our 7th grandchild as Michael’s wife, Lene is pregnant and so is Nicci who also lives in London.
Graham Richards was in town on Sunday the first of July and we had a good training run around the Moffet circuit. I had been having a good run in sales at work. Stuart, Rianna, Suzanne and Tim had been at our home for supper on the Friday evening and I managed to persuade Stuart to go to Knysna with me, as I needed some company. Michael and Lene were going off to Kariega Park for the weekend having won a weekend for two at the luxury lodge including game drives etc. And Barbara and Cathy planned an “extreme makeover” of their home while they were away.
So it turned out that Stuart, Tim and I drove down to Knysna on the Friday afternoon the 8th July and after registration we dropped Tim off with his family and Stuart & I stayed with my mother who made us a delicious pasta supper. The next morning we collected Tim at 05.00 and drove through to Knysna with Stuart still not sure if he would run the half or the full. We found ourselves a perfect parking spot just a few hundred meters from the Loerie stadium. We walked up to where the taxis depart and were soon in a Venture taxi owned by a local driver. He collected a voucher at the start of his route and when he had dropped us off. For each trip he was to be paid R70 and he hoped to do as many as four trips. Stuart told us later that the taxi that he was in had an incident as they came across a feuding couple. They stopped to assist the woman who was being severely beaten up. Stuart separated the two much to the indignation of the husband who explained to Stuart that she was “my vrou” and that seemed to him to give him the right to give his wife a beating.
Once Tim and I got to the top where the race starts we came across Kosima from Achilles and then a number of other of the PE people as well as Graham. The 42 started on time at 07.00. At the start there were the traditional fires, soup, coffee and tea and plenty of noise from the announcer. It seemed that there were more entrants this year with nearly 950 marathoners and about 5 to 6 thousand 21’ers. This run starts with a long climb to about the 11kay mark, there is then a sharp descent of a few hundred meters after which there is more climbing to about the 15 kay marker. Tim was up front with Neil and Viv and I also saw Eckart and others who I decided to let go. I was running with Nicky from MPRG, Graham, Doc Louis and Tremaine. I also met up with Andy Weddal who now lives in Cape Town, Bennie Bezuidenhout (Grahamstown) and a variety of other nice people. Nicky joined up with Mary-Anne from Cape Town Villagers and left us with about 11 kays to go.
I made the mistake of charging down the steep descent and paid for it with sore legs for the rest of the run as well as after the event. Graham reminded me of the story of the young bull who is in the field with older and wiser bull. The Young bull says to the older bull “Look down there at those young heifers. Lets charge down there and “do” a couple of them”. The Older bull says in his wise voice “I suggest that we rather walk down slowly and “do” the whole lot of them”. Wise words but too late for myself who had already made the mistake that the young bull wanted to. Tim and others had gone ahead and we would not see them until we arrived at the finish.
The weather was perfect for running, there were all kinds of great and chatty people on the run and we had a lot of fun: Until the downhill after the Gouna Pump station. The Pump station hits the runner at the 14kay to go marker and thereafter there is a 3kay uphill to where the marathon meets the half. After a short while the long (very long) steep descent begins. This descent has now been paved with all the golfing estate development and continues for about 3kays to the bottom of the valley. A long downhill can be very taxing on tired legs and destroys joints, such as knees and hips, of the older generation such as myself. Then at the 8kay to go mark the road evens out and runners are able to steady themselves for an even pace to the finish.
Graham and I were running together at this stage and we trundled (Graham’s terminology) on to the N2 and then I seemed to get a bit of a second wind but by now we knew that we were in for one of our longest Knysna’s ever. The previous year we had managed well under 4.15 but now anticipated a 4.40. With about 2kay to go we had our photo taken together again but this year is was brightened by a 20year old girl from Bloemfontien, Udeliah, who is studying sports science. At this time I went on ahead for no other reason except to get the day over. This year there was no Paulette to beat at the finish. She had finished about an hour earlier so I saved myself the price of a chocolate.
At the end Stuart, who had wisely decided to do the 21kay, was waiting for us. He had fetched the tog bags out of the car. I had a shower and then we met Kobus and family in the tent to watch the Springboks get beaten by the Australians in the Mandela Cup something like 32 to 9. I left before the final whistle to join the Achillean tent for a cold drink. Bruce had done his normal, but well appreciated thing, of bringing the tent, the drinks and chairs. Once the match was over and we had recovered to some extent, I bought myself a Calamari lunch and we packed up for home. Stuart & I dropped Tim off in Plett again and then headed home.
During the following week I did no running at all and tried to recover from the aching muscles that the down hills of the Knysna had served up. But the TDF was in full swing and the mountain stages had begun so each evening was filled with anticipation for the day’s summary and final two hours of the stage. It was with a good deal of apprehension that I left for Rhodes the following Friday morning. Pat and Gerald had picked up Tim and Suzanne and then came to our house where we left at about 05.30 for Rhodes. We took the route past Grahamstown, Fort Beaufort, Queenstown, Elliot and Barklay East and then the final 70 kay of dirt road to Rhodes. This way is about 600kays and it took us about 9 hours including stops. On the way to Rhodes we stopped at my Cousin Dennis and Melanie Giddy who farm at Kelvin Grove. Here we enjoyed some traditional farming hospitality. An interesting thing that Dennis told us is how the farm labourers are able to herd cattle for up to 45 kays in a day, and all on foot. He says that the cattle walk at a pace of about 5kays an hour.
We arrived at “Die Pastorie” at about 14.30. We did a bit of walking and going to shops before registering for the event. The registration is quite a slow process as each entrant has to produce an identity document before being handed the race number and a “Buff”. A buff is a kind of scarf and bandanna that some of the runners use but Tim in particular uses frequently and looks quite dapper when wearing it. In the house this year were: Craig on his own as Sharon had been unable to accompany him, Mark with his son and friend Russell with his son as well. Then there was Andrew with girl friend Janice and his son Greg, there was Duane and Annetjie. Robin, Martin and Kommiene, Tim and Suzanne and finally our family. This made a total of 18 people. Quite a festive house. Gerald and Pat were in a house a little further down together with Doortjie and her family.
Preparations were made firstly for supper and then for the race the next morning. Suzanne had made a Macaroni cheese that lasted for only a few minutes. I think that Tim was shocked to see how much was consumed by so few so quickly. Stuart phoned in to wish us a good run. The sky was clear but snow was still expected in the village. Most of the house was asleep reasonably early. I was woken at about 10.00pm with a call from work to say that I had won a sales competition and would be starting the run considerably richer than I had anticipated. The next morning we began our bathroom preparations at about 06.00 and were ready for the compulsory photo shoot before walking the 2 mins walk to the start. The race started promptly at 07.00 with a comparatively warm temperature of minus 6 degrees. I had two long sleeved shirts, gloves and a beanie. My mouth and nose were freezing for the first few kays of the run but this does not last for long as the body adapts.
I think that it is at about the 8 kay mark after some long tiring hills (and plenty of walking) that we take a left turn in to the valley. This is always a very colourful event as the contrast between the brightly dressed runners is highlighted against the backdrop of the brown veld. We pass a number of farms including one belonging to Gerhard. He always has a massive fire going. The local farmers and their families are wonderful in the way they assist in seconding. At this stage we still had Doortjie with us and had also met up with the Old Selbournians from East London including young Andrea who used to train with the MPRG. Marietjie from Queenstown Harriers also passed us. Peter, who lives near Boston was there to do his 8th Rhodes. He tells me that he canoes 20 miles across a lake to work in Boston each day. I can believe this having experienced his company on our Kilimanjaro climb a few years ago. Once we got the start of the Kloof at 15kays they all left us and it was Gerald, Tim and I who were together for the next 5 kays to Mavis Bank.
During the Kloof stage I took off one layer and the beanie and gloves as the sun was becoming quite hot. I was feeling quite nauseous with the cold and thin air. I heard later that this was a common ailment over the first half of the run. Experience told me that this nausea would go once we began the descent from the highest point. The seconding table organised by the boys and girls from Priory was a welcome relief. I think that it is about an hour to an hour and a half from here to the top of Mavis. The final climb up Mavis Bank took us the normal half hour that we have come to expect. This includes five sit down stops to catch our breath (I could have said to admire the view). It was here that we first encountered snow this year. Finally we made it to the top of Mavis Bank in just over 3.30 hours. This is the 21kay mark and we now have 31 kays to go. I have found that if we can make the top by 10.30am we should be able to get to the finish in a little over 7.30hours.
Once at the top I made a few snowballs to throw at various people including Tim. Unfortunately I had picked up a half handful of dirt and so his snowball blackened his running vest. He retaliated a little later with a frosty one on my neck. At the top of Mavis Bank we had our traditional soup, Tea, Coffee, Potato and sandwiches. After a 10 min break we pressed on only to find Russell, Janice and children including Ally ready to take photos of the runners. They had driven up in Mark’s Landrover. This was a great surprise especially for myself as I was delighted to see Ally having such a great experience in the snow. Thank you Russell for including her. She had a great day. Here we were able to shed our excess clothing. A running vest was all that was necessary as the sun was hot and the reflection off the snow made for perfect weather.
We pressed on with a lot of walking at this stage. I know that Tim wanted to do more running as he seems to love the ups but I am not able to run up and only just manage a shuffle type run on the downs. Gerald was just behind us at this stage. This was his third Rhodes marathon and his Permanent Number Run so we decided to finish together. We got to the half way of the run at about 4.30 hours knowing that the front runners would be in the showers by now. But that did little to dampen our spirits as we met up with Bev from Fish Hoek and Karl from Hillcrest and were able to swap stories. Actually if the truth be told I did most of the talking. At last we came to the highest point where we again met Chris Sephton who is a distant relation of mine and who is there every year in the green Landrover bakkie to greet the runners and tell stories of the area. He pointed out the Lesotho border and where a landing strip was planned for the Tiffendel ski resort. Tim had stopped for a flapjack and we were soon on our way to the T-Junction of the road to Tiffendel. This is about the 28 kay mark and we had a good 24 to go. Gerald had by now accepted his fate that we would coax him to the finish.
It was about here that there was a man in front of me who threw away a cup on the side of the road. To me this was simply not on and I mentioned my disappointment to him. But this is a message that goes to all of us runners: We DO NOT have a licence to throw running rubbish (cups, sachets, corn syrup packets etc) onto the side of the road. Either we use the rubbish bins provided or we carry the offending item to the next watering station. Just think of the image that we give to others when they see the mess we leave behind us. And, no! it is not up to the seconders to pick up after us. Almost everyone who assists at races are volunteers. This is valid for all runs but especially for country runs where we are there to enjoy (not destroy) the wonder of nature.
We were helping ourselves to plenty of oranges, coke and water at every table. The day was a perfect one with little on no wind, bright sunshine but very dry air and I found myself becoming quite parched between tables. Later on we realised that we had become sunburned. Soon after this we had group photos taken again and now started “the walk to a point, run to a point” way of running. This seems to work for me anyway. And soon the Kay markers began to fall away at a reasonable rate. I seemed to suffer a “runny nose” throughout the run, Tim had another body misfunction that persisted. I will leave that to him to describe. I had to stop to empty my shoes and socks of dirt and sand as the soil had penetrated everything and was chaffing my feet. I saw others doing the same. This may have been due to the muddy road after the melting snow.
Finally we reached the steep descent part of the run. We took it fairly carefully on the downhill to the 41kay mark. From here we still had a number of hills to do but nothing as tough as we had already done. We saw Jessie Gush and were surprised that David Goldberg was not there but Jessie told us that he was injured and could not run this year. We heard later that Craig had fallen on the steep downhill section and I can imagine that such a fall could be quite nasty. By now I lost all of the nausea that I had been feeling. We were able to run fairly substantial sections of the route with short walks to catch our breath. And the kays kept on falling away.
At last we reached what Tim calls Govan Mbeki avenue (2 kays to go) where Barbara, Suzanne and Ally were waiting to greet us. I was in no mood for chitchat and pressed on to try to get this run over with. Ally joined us for the final kay and we finished together in 7.40. If I am correct this is about the same time as last year. I walked straight back to the house for a shower. But it took me quite a while before I could breathe normally and stopped shivering. I think that my lungs had taken a pounding. The soup that Mark offered was a great help and appreciated by all. Robin looked a bit like a Mongoose as his sunglasses had shaded his eyes from the sun and he had the appearance of a masked bandit. Later I realised that, while I was stiff and sore in my legs after Knysna, after Rhodes it was my tummy and solar plexus that was sore. I was hoarse for a while after the run. Craig, Robin & Duane had finished a long time ahead of us, Andrew followed soon after we got in and finally the hero of the day: Kommiene came in with Martin in 8.40. I think that she had had the toughest day of us all. Well done to her for completing her first Rhodes and only the second Achillean lady (after Heidi) to do so. I think that she is now motivated to be the first Achillean lady to get a permanent number.
The prize giving was at 17.45 and Duane, Andrew Laing and Gerald all received permanent numbers, having completed three of these events. Andrew was there with his son, Stuart. We next met up with Stuart in July 2009 when Andrew was again at Rhodes and we were hiking the Mountain Zebra trail. See Blog of 14.07.2009. Then came the warming up of the lasagna. Again the stove did not really work well, the fridge had frozen a number of items including the cucumber, lettuce and tomato but we finally were able to serve dinner and I think that we ate well. I was surprised, the next morning, to find that the third lasagna had not been touched during the night. During supper Graham phoned in to find out how the run had progressed. I gave him a brief run down and I think that he was quite envious and sorry that he was not there. I will not be surprised if he does not join us again in 2006.
It was not long after dinner that Barbara went off to bed with the excuse that she was “putting Ally down”. Some went for the swim and others stayed chatting in the lounge. I was trying to read the “Davinci Code” but battled to stay awake for more than a few minutes. The next morning we were packed and ready to go by 7.00am. Some of the group had left early in the morning before daylight. Gerald had a frozen windscreen and so had to defrost before he could leave. But we were all on our way by about 07.30. Ally of course gets prime spot in the car as she has a duvet, pillow and the whole of the back seat to sleep in.
On this trip we did a bit of mathematics as we tried to teach her the variation in temperature from Minus 6 degrees when we left Rhodes to 27 degrees when we got to PE. The Toyota has a temperature gauge on the dashboard. There was a berg wind blowing in PE this evening. Today we decided to go home (on advice from cousin Dennis) a different route and we took the road to Aliwal North (petrol and Pick’nPay), Steynsberg, Hofmeyer and Cradock (petrol and hamburgers) before heading home for the final (250kay) straight. Ally was in the back doing the navigations from the map that we had marked out. This route may seem a little longer, (about 650 kays I think) but cuts out the section between Grahamstown and Queenstown. Fortunately for us the roads were clear and, after a stop at Nanaga road stall, we arrived home at about 15.00 without incident.
A few thanks: To Evie Raubenheimer who puts in hours of personal time, cost and effort to organise this event. Evie, let it never be said that we take anything for granted. It is a thankless task that you have taken on but the runners who have ever organised an event, know what a sacrifice you make throughout the year. To Craig who set up the house and when I had a cash crisis in paying for the accommodation, was able to secure a loan for me at favourable rates. To Pat, Suzanne and Barbara and Ally who have supported us in our running the Rhodes marathon. And to our friends in the house as well as those we met on the road, who add so much to the whole atmosphere of the event.
Peter Giddy
17 July 2005.
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