Wednesday, 06 June 2007

RUDE AWAKENINGS AND CONCEALED BLESSINGS:

JACK & ABRAHAM: Two very kind gentlemen who got us some fresh water. Their bosses Phillip and Idah didn't want to have their pictures taken (I wonder why)





Contrary to the perfect day I had yesterday, my night wasn’t as peaceful. I don’t know whether it was because I’ve been sleeping too comfortably in the last week, or what, but I woke up in agony, every 30mins after 11pm.
My back was killing me, but it was all worth it, to lay there, with the sound of the rain lulling me right back to sleep. I could hear the baboons close by and made a conscious decision not to get scared, but to rather conceive them as our protectors, watching over us as we sleep. Think not, but could very well be, right?
We woke up early, but it was raining and misty outside, so I went back to sleeping. Maria was wondering around, but came back swiftly when she noticed that we were still surrounded by our friends, the baboons. Funny really.
At around 10am we heard a vehicle pull up into the driveway, and were ecstatic, because we still haven’t found any water, and were down to the last drop. Aren’t we silly girls, with all that water pouring down from the heavens above, and we never thought to collect any of that? Anyways, it was guys working in the Nature Reserve, and they were here to fix the electricity which was faulty at the camp site.
The one guy Jack was quite a character, and he was happy to help out with water. He sends Abraham, one of the guys that were with him, to fetch us some water from their offices, or somewhere. He suggested we stay put, because the weather had not cleared, and it was pretty cold out.
We were keen to move ahead as soon as possible, as the next camp site wasn’t too far, so if we ran into trouble with the weather, we’d be fine. Plans changed though, because Jack’s boss, Phillip came by, and he wasn’t a pleased man at all. He was fuming, because we had our dogs accompany us. Still a strange phenomenon to me, how all animals could be in a nature reserve, except dogs? It’s a pity that they’re kept from their natural habitat, just because we humans decided that they should be our pets.
Dante and Katryn are used to the wilderness, and have quite an amazing way with the rest of the animal kingdom. Usually, everything goes, except rats, those they have an insane desire to eliminate. In general however, they’re good dogs, and come when we call them, and are very well behaved. It’s like they understand what’s expected of them, and when.
Try and tell that to this ranger. He was adamant that we vacate the premises, and the Park. We packed up our bags, and escorted him back to their offices, where we spoke with the manager, Idah Mathe. She said that without permission, we weren’t allowed in the park with our dogs, and that we had to phone her on Monday, to start proceedings.
They were kind enough to give us a lift to the gate of the Park, where my brother fetched us, and brought us back home. Now we have to figure out where or how we are going to continue. We are a bit taken aback by what has happened, but we can always come back once we’ve reached our end destination, to complete our hike, provided we get permission of course.
It’s too late now to do much about anything, so we’re back to the drawing board, and will thus commence tomorrow. Never think you’ve got it all covered hey? Seems there’s always something you forgot to do. In our case, most definitely so.

I must say, sitting here, right now, with the wind howling around the house, I'm kinda glad we're not out there. It might've been nasty.
Good day, till tomorrow

Tuesday, 05 June 2007

AVON MORE CAMP SITE:

This was the first glimpse we had of the campsite. I was expecting to see Tink once we got there
A view from the top
A lovely spot to get lost in thought

EN-ROUTE TO AVON MORE CAMP SITE

A canon we found at the lookout point

She seemed to be working fine, but I still don't know where all that water goes, certainly not here
WOW, aren't they cute! Stood there looking at us for a long time.

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES AND DISCOVERY:

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES AND DISCOVERY:

Today was a day for beautiful surprises, and of the most spectacular scenery anyone can ask for. According to the weather forecast, we’re supposed to expect rain, and very cold conditions, but thus far, it’s been gorgeous.
We hiked from Hunters Rest Hotel today, and it was very reasonable, as we hiked along a paved road most of the way to the top. There was a lookout halfway up, and we sat there for a while, energizing and enjoying the sights. We hiked along, and found some road workers, busy renovating a little bridge. We had about 2lt water left, and they pointed us in the general direction of the next fountain.
We hiked along, and I found myself thinking a couple of times, what a magnificent day! It was almost magical, and so many wild animals everywhere. We hiked for a little longer, when we stumbled across the most exquisite camping huts. Were it not for a parking sign we saw at the side of road, we would have never found it.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale. These two huts were nestled underneath a canopy of trees, and each had the shape of a tortoise. There were wooden steps leading up towards these huts, and a sheltered dining area, a boma in which to make fire, firewood, shower and the traditional outhouse. The doors to the huts were open, and inside there was only 6 mattresses. We put our bags down and walked around for a bit. It was so mystical, made me feel like I was 6 all over again. The dogs were in awe of our find, and they were obviously taken in by the amazing energy that surrounded us.
This place was called the Avon More Camp, and there was a sign that said Explorer Camp, heading in a different direction. We also found a plaque that said Rustenburg Nature Reserve on it, and so, we had an idea of where we were. The clouds were drawing closer, but still, the day remained glorious. Just as it was about to get dark, a troop of baboons came down to the stream to drink water. At first I thought we were trespassing on their territory, as you could see all sorts of evidence that they played here not so long ago. They seemed curious, and instead of leaving, they made a semi-circle around the camp site. I think they sat there all through the night, because you could hear them close by.
We were a bit scared but saw that they didn’t mean any harm, maybe they also just needed shelter from the storm that was about to rage. We went inside anyhow, closed the door and unpacked, had a light supper, and I got stuck in my thoughts, scribbled down some notes, and listened to music as I drifted off to sleep. I could hear the thunder even though the music was loud, and the lightning danced all around, quite spectacular I might say.
Sweet, sweet dreams…

OVERLOOKING THE OLIFANTSNEK DAM

This is why I do what I do. Is this not absolutely beautiful!

Monday, 04 June 2007

OLIFANTSNEK, AND THE NATURE RESERVE

We will probably hike along those ridges tomorrow, heading towards the Nature Reserve



















Olifantsnek




























Another glimpse of the Olifantsnek
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BAD WEATHER, DELAYS AND INTERACTION

Since we came down off the mountain, on the 21st, so much had happened that resulted in a sad occasion, as we had to postpone our event on the 26th, thus having more admin than we dreamed possible.
One good thing was that I got to see my brother Jac, who was visiting from Wales. Fantastic, because for the first time in a long while, our family was complete, everyone safe and sound, and home!
We got to do almost all that was needed, and had some time to interact with friends, family, and new acquaintances. It was all good, but I must admit, getting back to the task at hand, like finally completing our hike, was becoming a pressing factor. We had a few obligations which needed our attention though, and some personal matters that needed resolving, so we had to bite the bullet, and wait.
Now we are back on track, and way behind schedule, so we’re going to try and do the last bit in good time, without missing a thing of course. The next stretch is about 150kms in distance, but we measured the distance on Google Earth, which only measures in a straight line, so give or take 150kms.
It is the most beautiful stretch however, and should be pretty exciting. We will try our best to update our blogs every day, all depending on how often we get to recharge batteries, etc.
We will announce the new date for the launch of Go 4 Good, in the next couple of days, and should you wish to learn more, visit http://rtbgo4good.blogspot.com for the latest updates.