If I was only allowed four words to sum up our recent foray into the Oorlogskloof they would be: Cricket meets Tomb Raider. Let me expand a bit as otherwise you will be left wondering. It was a 5 day affair, it was a test, there was a first team (11) and a second team (4), rain delayed play, there were pitch invasions, some players retired hurt but, above all, it was a team event with an emphasis on the individual. Those are the cricket elements which I am sure many members will be only too familiar with.
The Tomb Raider elements will be more familiar to the younger generation of members. Especially those who spent too much time chasing Lara Croft through the Underworld whilst balancing upon beams above raging torrents, swinging on chains attached precariously to cliffs, climbing up towering rock chimneys, dodging beneath waterfalls and soaking up
whatever obstacle lay in their path.
Unfortunately, there was no “customary” team photo of the 15 strong squad as the group was never united. The best that could be achieved is below and shows the two teams taken at different points. The first team had set out after a slight rain delay on the Friday afternoon and had made their way without too much difficulty to the first hut, Brakwater. The second
team of four were to follow the next day.
The first team assembled on Day 3 above the Oorlogskloof river near Kameel se Gat hut.
L-R: Jacolise Joubert, Sonja Wend, Christoffel Smallberger, Mimi Kay-Shuttleworth, Gillian Forbes, Sanet van Meersbergen, Carine Cagiano, Johan Huisamen, Ed Kay-Shuttleworth (Leader), Greg and Cheryl Devine.
The second team – the “after party”!
L-R: Stephen and Gaye Hosking, Zeta Michau and Werner Illenberger
The first night was, for a large part, spent dwelling on the second days first obstacle which entailed the crossing of the Oorlogskloof river now in full spate due to the previous days rain. This was achieved with a certain measure of anxiety by means of two poles about 15 meters in length.
Day Two – Obstacle One – crossing the Oorlogskloof river
With the first major obstacle safely under our collective belt we then followed the Oorlogskloof river rim in a Southerly direction and we began to understand what we were letting ourselves in for over the coming days.
The Rock Pigeon trail which we were to follow was one of two designed and “crafted” about twenty years ago by the late Wessel Pretorius in the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve. The region gets its name from a “war” that took place in 1739 between the Khoi inhabitants, the San bushmen and the Dutch colonist farmers. After five days in the Oorlogskloof several members
of the South Cape Section felt like they had been through their own personal Oorlogskloof war! Day two whilst a relatively short 10kms was, we were all agreed, the toughest day of the five. Seven hours of merciless clambering up and down boulder strewn canyons culminated in the “piece-de-resistance” – a ten metre crawl through a narrow rock passage beneath a full flowing waterfall!
Heading under the waterfall at the end of Day 2 near Kameel Se Gat hut
After navigating a passage beneath the waterfall, we descended to the bottom of the kloof and our hut for the night at Kameel Se Gat. As with all the huts this was in good condition although it was hit and miss with the water and the solar electricity. Fortunately, water was plentiful, and we rarely had far to go for re-supply.
Flower carpeted valley floor at Kameel Se Gat hut
Day three dawned with two obstacles in quick succession. The first, another crossing of the Oorlogskloof river over a 20-metre wooden bridge which was mercifully in one piece. Then a sharp 250 metre climb up to the Western rim of the kloof at the top of which was a 15-metre natural rock “chimney” which one had to crawl up, backpack and all with the help of a couple of chains. Unfortunately, one of our team had sustained an injury just minutes out of the hut that morning and decided to retire hurt by means of an “escape” route the following day.
Up the “chimney” to the plateau aboveat the start of Day 3
This trail was specifically scheduled to coincide with the West Coast flower season and the benefits of this were a joy to behold as every corner revealed another of Natures surprises. The downside was the overnight temperatures which hovered around freezing and fell well below on the third night at Doltuin.
And so, it was a slightly slow and frozen start to Day four which was our longest day at 17.5kms and whilst not the most challenging was mainly a test of our endurance. Some relief was availed just after the mid-way point where we were able to drop our packs on the trail and spend a couple of hours roaming the plateau and exploring the very precipitous edge at
Arrie se punt where we overlooked some 500-600 metres down onto the veld below.
Weary from the long walk we were all relieved when the hut for that night, Pramkoppie came into view and by we were able to relax a little longer on the stoep that night thanks to slightly warmer temperatures. Having had little or no phone signal since day one we were unaware of a major change in the weather and were surprised to wake up on the fifth and final day with a very steady drizzle and a complete “white-out”.
Now we were to find out what it was like to clamber over the rocks which, whilst challenging when dry, were a different ball game when wet. Fortunately, although progress was a bit more hesitant, the nature of these sandstone rocks afforded superb grip and no accidents were forthcoming.
We pushed on back to the end of the trail at Groot Tuin with heads down and waterproofs on. With little prospect of a hot shower ( solar powered geysers ) and no prospect of a relaxing braai we all decided to head for our respective homes and in that respect the adventure came to a sudden end. Except for the three who will remain nameless who missed the turn off and
decided to start day one all over again! Or perhaps they just enjoyed it so much they wanted to do it all again?
And so there you have it – a contest by a team of individuals who pitted their strength against the terrain and the elements of the Northern Cape. This trail is not suited for the unsuspecting general public but for hardened adventurers with the spirit of Lara Croft and her tomb raider colleagues. Seasoned protagonists, game for a serious challenge. Fortunes waxed and waned
through the course of the trail but at the end I think it would be fair to say that honours were even between the players on the one hand and the cleverly crafted trail on the other. Somewhere it’s designer, Wessel Pretorious, must be looking down, enjoying his craft and guile with a wry smile on his face.
Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve
The Rock Pigeon
Trail – 5 Days/4 nights;
Total Distance 54.5 Kms
For those of you with 7 ½ minutes to spare I have prepared a short video which hopefully conveys what the trail is like in a way that perhaps words fall short.
Meet Leader ~ Ed-Kay Shuttleworth