Day 19: PA – Gamkaskloof
Another pre-dawn exit into the cold and dark. I managed to get away a little before the other riders that had stayed the night in Prince Albert. We’d all had a great night around the warmth of the log fire, great dinner and warm welcome from Ria, Lindsey and Johann. In any other circumstances I would have loved to stay an extra night in the luxury of Dennehof, but thats the nature of the Freedom Challenge, always moving on into the cold and dark.
Thirty minutes into the climb up the Zwartberg I saw the headlights of the other riders coming around the first bend below me. It didn’t take long until Derrick and Kevin had caught me, we pushed on together to the turn off just before the top of the pass. After a brief second breakfast together they disappeared into the distance as usual. Johnny and Estelle were still just hints of light bellow on the climb.
For some reason it made sense to me that after a two hour climb up the pass that the road would be flat or downhill. It was, for the first 300m anyway…
It wasn’t long before I was cursing myself for not looking at the map properly during my preparation. Just because the road goes down to “The Hell” (interesting history), it doesn’t mean its actually down hill all the way.
Though the scenery was stunning my knee’s were once again complaining and I just felt tired, during a coffee break I checked out my day planner. I was hoping to do the double to Rouxpos then the next day to Anysberg, looking at the numbers it didn’t make sense to double up to Rouxpos (which just about everyone does), if you do a double the next day the total elevation gain is almost 1000m more civilised and the end result after two days the same.
- PA-Gamkaskloof 1800m: 60km
- Gamkaskloof-Rouxpos 1700m : 65km
- Rouxpos-Anysberg 900m : 55km
I felt a plan hatching but waited to see how I felt on my arrival in “Die Hell”(Gamkaskloof). A lumpy descent into the valley then a warm welcome and lunch. The kids scurried around looking for my box, they were loving fetching boxes for riders, it looked a little like Christmas as they hoped to help open the boxes, eager to see what surprises were inside. There was mild panic and excuses that they couldn’t find my box. I told them to relax as I hadn’t planned to stay here for more than lunch so hadn’t planned a box. I continued with my bacon and eggs looking at a nice spot on the lawn in the sun that had my name on it. Derrick and Kevin left, it just didn’t make sense to do the double, so I didn’t. It was 1230 and I was just about to start another afternoon off in the sun. It almost felt like being on holiday.
Just as I finished lunch Estelle arrived and soon after Johnny, Estelle was looking tired but eager to push on, she really wanted to get the infamous “Ladder” done, for some reason she wasn’t looking forward to it. I moved to a warm spot in the sun (in the shade was quite chilly. I explained my logic about not doing a double to Johnny and asked if he wanted a beer too. He was initially undecided but after lunch caved in, the start of a great partnership.
Staying the night in Gamkaskloof was certainly one of the more special moments of the trip, the place is dripping with history and speculation. We stayed the night in “Oompietse huis” a nice little cottage with some solar powered led lights, hot water and a old fashion kitchen stove (which proved a little complicated for us city boys). We were joined later in the afternoon by other riders (Andy, Shaun, Gary, Alex) and had a great evening catching up on FC talk, all four are FC veterans. Considering the location lunch, dinner and breakfast were excellent, the home made bread with cold sausages and boiled eggs a perfect breakfast. Ironically the now infamous Willowmore early breakfast was mentioned by everyone.
—————————————————————————-
Day 20 : Gamkaskloof – Rouxpos – Anysberg
The kloof must have been a miserable place to live in days of old, bloody hot in the summer and bloody cold in the winter, only seeing the sun over the hills a couple of hours each afternoon.
We were all complaining about the cold until we hit the first climb, riding in such a big group was strange, it was nice to be lazy and just let the veterans do the nav. Just as well, otherwise I may have taken the wrong path out of the kloof.
Though the ladder was quite a slog it certainly isn’t as tough as its cracked up to be. Though Estelle and Gary would probably disagree. I would later hear that Estelle had walked it twice as she can’t carry her bike up the larger bolders/steps (hip something something if I remember rightly), so she carried her wheels up first, climbed back down then carried her frame (that would explain why she wasn’t looking forward to it?). The fact that people of her age finish this ride inspire me to push myself harder. Likewise Gary, who is missing his left fingers and toes from a childhood accident, so can’t carry his bike. When he arrived at the top of the ladder looking knackered and sweaty, I said “It’s you’re own fault that climb is so tough, you should fucking know better than to come and do this, you’ve done this before.” He chuckled and looked content to have once again done it and only have a couple of days before finishing FC again. I take my sweat stained hat off to you both.
Again you would be forgiven for thinking the climbing is over after finishing the Ladder, sadly the track continues up for a while along a crappy track until it hits the road. Then the road goes up as much as it does down. I was getting slower and slower, Andy, Shaun, Gary, and Alex were long gone, though Johnny and I were reasonably matched in speed (probably because of his 2.75″ tractor tires).
We arrived in Rouxpos a little too late so planned a quick lunch stop. Andy + Shaun were just leaving…”bugger they should be more than an hour ahead of us, I guess lunch is good. So much for the quick lunch.”
The lunch in Rouxpos is infamous and by the time I’d finished my second plate of bobotie I was stuffed and considering staying, to leave after 2pm would mean a dark entry into Anysberg. Then the dessert arrived….
Johnny was eager to push on so we unpacked our boxes and pushed on (another two box day meant another double whiskey/love letter evening, Johnny also left his bottle of sherry behind which I was happy to carry for us).
What should of been a tricky nav section was a piece of cake thanks to all the bike tracks. Johnny kept disappearing ahead, his tractor tires floating over the sandy river beds, while I wobbled or had to walk. We arrived a few hours later after a bumpy ride through the Anysberg park just after dark, the double done, another 14 hour day in the pocket.
The cottage was too small for all the riders who wanted to stay the night, luckily Shaun and Andy had found someone from the park staff and organised a second cottage. The main cottage was a complete mess, food wrappers and packaging overflowing out of the bin, half empty raided boxes all over the place from riders dashing through the last couple of days and a hint of some beds under all the bedding. The gents had kindly made a big pan of mush for dinner, which hit the spot nicely. The deal was of course that the cleaning up was up to us. An excellent deal in my books. The others left and we cleaned the place up and made it a little more habitable for our brief stay, also having a little more time to hear of Estelle’s Ladder adventure and her night sleeping out(she was looking tired and sore). Though the dot watchers were worried or thought it strange that she slept out a few times during the FC, it was obvious when talking to her at Anysberg and later at the end that these are the moments she most cherished during the whole trip and probably should have done more often.
I slept like a baby, the last days had taken their toll on my body (or was it the double ration of whiskey +sherry? or Johnny’s Christmas cake? who knows….). But, the hard work was over, I was now on target for my 24 day plan and the only serious challenge left would be the last day in Stettynskloof. I’d pushed hard for almost three weeks now but felt I was still missing something, though I love suffering on holiday, it really was time for a holiday. Johnny and I made a plan to just ride a stage a day until the end and relax more. For the first time I started wondering if it would be possible to finish last. How cool would that be, first out last in and staying within the cut off.
Seriously enjoying your stories and writing style. Can see it all unfolding.
Thanks Fiona 🙂 Shame I’m just about to run out of story….Its always nice to re-live a trip through writing, its amazing how much you forget until you think about it.