Like a kid I was fighting the sleep, I wanted more time to experience the present and not miss out. Even though I was lying in my sleeping-bag, my surroundings, my situation, it was all just too precious to drift-off and fall asleep. My body had other plans, living at altitude for the past six days and averaging around 7+ hours of running each day for the last week, I started to drift into the best sleep I had since arriving in Lesotho seven days prior. The last thing I recalled was pondering over the words from a quote in Sterling Hayden’s autobiography written in 1963 “which shall it be, bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”
The following day we arrived at our final destination, Malealea Lodge, it was Friday afternoon around 13:30, we just finished running the last 40km of our 250-odd km mission through the central part of Lesotho. For the first time since entering Lesotho we did more than just the obligatory ‘I am still alive’ messages to loved ones, we read the news… Covid-19 has gripped the world, stock-markets worldwide on the brink of crashing and some fires created havoc in and around Cape Town where I stay.
Here we sat, it felt like we were on a different planet, four friends enjoying some well-deserved cold beer on an ‘ordinary’ Friday afternoon, we just ran 252km across the central part of Lesotho. I was feeling pretty content about the adventure we just experienced, however I could not shake the uneasy feeling that this might well be the last trip like this for a while, this adventure came at just the right time…
“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it. What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” and in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.” – Sterling Hayden.
This adventure started 4 years earlier when I got a random phone call from Christiaan Greyling. He and his wife, Landie had a dream to run across the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, to establish a route that will traverse the entire kingdom on foot. Some months prior to the call I completed a multi-sport traverse of Lesotho and Christiaan wanted to get some info about Lesotho. I bought into the idea with the first mention of Lesotho. A real no brainer if you ask me. Wiesman Nel, endurance horse rider and farmer had the same desire, to establish a route across Lesotho in order to provide experienced horse-riders with the adventure of a lifetime. The perfect match in these mountains, man and horse, 6 days to traverse some spectacular mountains, cross unexplored valleys, crystal clear rivers and experience breath-taking waterfalls. To essentially immerse ourselves into the mountain life, the simple life…
“What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.” – Sterling Hayden.
Each day we woke up with a sheer expectation of exploring the unknown. Each night we fell asleep content and inspired. Seven days we lived the ultimate simple life, a world away from our normal routine, our normal complex lives with everything fighting for our attention. Our only real need being clean water, some calories, direction to run in and a place to lay our sleeping-bags at night.
‘Mountain Kingdom in the Sky’- It is only when you stand at 3000+m above sea level with mountains surrounding you from horizon to horizon that one truly grasps this notion. Lesotho, in humble opinion (with agreed consensus from my running partners, Dirk, Landie and Christiaan) has the ultimate free-running setup. No fences, local herd trails for picking the best lines and super friendly locals. Not to mention the abundance of the sweetest tasting- crystal clear- high mountain- water (which obviously translates into some spectacular local beer).
The addition of horses gave a mystical, a somewhat romantic flavour to this adventure. Running alongside these magnificent beasts somehow felt spiritual. Seeing them in their primal element, working hard on the climbs, seeing them run wild on the flats. Looking at their mesmerizing eyes I got the sense that they experienced the same sense of emotions I was; both fatigued and sweating while working hard, both looking forward to the next cold water stream for some respite, yet invigorated by the mountains, driven by running free and experiencing raw adventure.
“the years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.” – Sterling Hayden.
Here is the thing about adventure. More often than not, adventure is uncomfortable, a proper adventure will always take you out of you comfort zone, it will cost you time, it will most likely cost you money and it takes physical commitment. Siting in ‘lock-down’ while I am writing this, surrounded by everything I need and almost everything I own. I reminisce about the simple life, I reminisce about adventures I have been privileged to experience, like this one. I am haunted by adventure…
Where then, lies the answer?
In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?
Monday 6:27am: A look of confusion and shock was clear on Dirk’s face as he looked back towards me while hugging the up-side down kayak with his left hand and the paddle with his right, half way through the first rapid of the day. I suspect the confusion part is due to the fact that I told Dirk I have been down this stretch of river (with the same kayak) many times before and that I never had to take a swim. The shock part could be attributed to the cold dark muddy water as the sun has not yet reached into the canyon at that hour. We were about 4km into a 60km paddle, this was day three of the Led Lenser Wartrail Challenge.
@reblexphotography
My race partner (Dirk Immelmann) a formidable trail runner and a ‘no-fuss’ ‘hard-as-nails’ type of guy agreed a few months earlier to do the Wartrail Challenge with me in a team of two, since I am a firm believer that life is better in a team. This meant we had to finish each leg together.
For those of you who are familiar with the Witteberg Mountain range, Lady Grey or have done any of the ‘Pure Adventures’ events in this area will agree that the weather is always extreme come race day. I have ran in snow (in summer), in hail the size of golf balls, I’ve experienced sleet in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon and the 2018 edition of the K-way Skyrun was marked by extreme drought and heat.
Saturday: Toeing the famous 4am start in front of the Mountain View Country Inn, Dirk and I were ready for the day! A couple of days with good rain has cleared and we could see a starlit sky above. Knowing that we would only be running in the dark for around 2 hours I opted for my lightest headlight with some serious punch – the LED LENSER SE07R. Dirk, used his all-round favourite – the NEO10R.
Sunrise between Tower and Olympus
After reaching CP I (Tower) Dirk and I were just about leading the race, purely as a result of some navigation errors by other participants (you know who you are). Surely the best part of leading a race in these mountains is surprising unsuspecting mountain Reebuck (red and grey) on the high slopes as they awake from a cold night trying to get the first rays of crimson light on their bodies. Over the 57km course I counted around 35 Reebuck. A conservative approach saw us taking it easy the first half of the race “we will get some rhythm from Avoca” (the highest point at 2760m at approximately 40km) Dirk kept saying. I admit this made me a little nervous, Dirk’s strong suit is downhills and he only knows one speed and that is maxed-out. After reaching CP II (Olympus) we took some experimental lines that we contemplated before the race and managed to save some distance and more importantly elevation. We reached CP III (Snowden) to see the old dilapidated kraal empty. I suspect all the rain and mud made a brutal hike up even more treacherous for the marshals to reach it in time. This leg is known for an initial ‘fast’ (nothing is fast on this route) stretch and then the infamous climb to Avoca (aka. outer space according to a 2018 Skyrun race report). Like clockwork, I usually get a headache while approaching Avoca but this normally serves as motivation to decent as quickly as possible. We took a great line leading up to the peak and turned the corner to see the LED LENSER banner. I quirkily asked the marshals if we could help them set-up as they clearly did not expect any athletes at that time and I was feeling the best I have ever felt at that stage of the race. I took on some nutrition and said to myself ‘just stick’. I can’t really recall how we got to Balloch or Skidaw (CP IV) for that matter. All I know is we managed to do it in a time of 2h and 6min. I do however remember taking a hard tumble just before the Dragon’s Back. Picking myself up I saw Dirk descending even faster, oblivious to my fall. No time to feel sorry for myself, stick or get dropped. Descending into the picturesque Balloch valley is always special, this time was the most beautiful I have ever seen the valley. At 12:07 we were home, the running leg in the bag with a time of 08:07min.
Balloch valley in all it’s glory
Sunday 06:30am. I need to stretch the following, I’ve mentioned before that Dirk is a formidable trail runner (read, not a cyclist) I also mentioned he is tough as nails and this day proved me right in the last regard. Dirk brought along an old 26er Scott duel suspension MTB that he bought for the same price as a pair of trail running shoes. No really, I think the guy asked R3 500 and he ended up paying R2 750. To make things more interesting Dirk doesn’t believe in cleats – so he attempted a 120km self-navigation stage with 2 553m of elevation gain without cleats in his rather bulky road tekkies (which puzzled most of the runners the previous day) and broad pedals similar to those on your first bike. I wasn’t concerned, firstly because Dirk looks like he was chiselled out of Rhodesian Teak, secondly because I’ve come to know that when his personality fades due to fatigue his character takes over and thirdly because I myself have only spent a hand-full of times on a bike in the last 4 months.
We had a lead of around 1h30m heading into the cycle stage. We started out of a cool misty Ballcoh valley straight onto our first climb. I quickly realised on the down hills why the mountain biking community has done away with 26ers. This did not dampen Dirk’s resolve. On the up-hills he and his road tekkies put in the hard work and managed to stick. However, we were dropped by the lead group before CP 1. I told Dirk let’s just stick to our race, we will make-up some time when the going gets tough. This is exactly what happened as soon as we started with the dreaded (obviously not by us) 4km hike-a-bike section. Dirk with his 26er on his back literally starting running downhill past many of the other participants. Once again I found myself with one goal in mind, ‘just stick’ this time however with a bike on my back – through rivers and up mountains. Half way up the mountain, with sweat pouring from our faces, Dirk made a strange laughing sound and he said, “now THIS is adventure”.
Ironically, at the next CP we lost some time when my one cleats got stuck to my pedal and we had to fix it before we set off for the next stage. Dirk and I soldiered-on as we slowly creeped up the rankings and started reeling in some participants. It was only on the last climb (Jouberts Pass at 2240m) when Dirk said ‘Joh, hierdie fietsry ding is anders’ that I knew Dirk’s is now getting tired. By this time, only his front brake was working – no problem we only had a steep 10km decent into Lady Grey to the finish. We came in at 08h07m, 50min behind the bike winner. Grateful that we would not be using our legs for the final stage we had an amazing supper, a couple of beers and a bottle of 2007 Shiraz before retiring to bed.
My advice for Dirk on rapid number two was pretty much “lean a bit forward and paddle hard”! This seemed to help a bit until it did not – as an oversized boilly at the tail-end of the rapid caught us both off-guard and for the second time in as many rapids as we did the ‘dismount’ and ‘mount’ thing! I could see Dirk was now more confused, I suspect he questioned my paddle ability as I told him we will be fine after swim number one. Honestly, I questioned it myself at that stage even though the Orange River was flowing at 260 cubic’s per second. I Knew our boat was slower than a K1 and K2, however I told Dirk if we kept at it hard and kept the momentum up we might not lose too much time on the faster boats. Our recent swims were not helping our cause as our overall 47min lead heading into day three was starting to dwindle.
We somehow found our rhythm just about the time the canyon opened up. Game plan was to sus-out the best lines and keep our heads down and focus on solid form. Dirk might not be an expert paddler (yet) however for the next 30km’s Dirk’s knowledge of water flow was inspiring, as he kept guiding my steering towards the best flow-lines and we somehow managed to just about stick with the K1’ and K’2 leading the race. The thing is, Dirk, if he is not running his friends stupid in the mountains, he spends his time as one of South Arica’s foremost fly fishers. In order to present the perfect dry fly to entice a trout – he understands water flow and rivers probably better than most paddlers. 4 Hours and 2 minutes after we set-off we arrived in Aliwal North. Our reception, a small party of likeminded people on the banks of the Orange River, congratulations all around, this is how I like to spend my Mondays, I remember telling myself as we climbed out of the dark muddy water! Full heart, tried bodies and absolutely content. 20 Hours 29 minutes total racing time, the fastest overall time for the 2019 event, with the river flow assisting considerably, I suspect this might be the FKT on the course?
Dream givers: To Led Lenser, my sponsor and also the title sponsor of this spectacular event. I can’t imagine doing an event like this without the amazing Led Lenser products. From lightweight robust lights for running, cycling and an amazing LED lantern (ML6) that doubles-up as a charging device for my navigation systems and phone. It is such an absolute privilege to be associated with this brand. Thank you and what a perfect fit for this event. Products used:
To Adrian and Mike and the entire Pure Adventures team. You guys are the real dreamers arousing a sense ofadventure into all of us by providing the opportunity to express ourselves andexperience this epic event.
To Dirk, such an inspiration to spend 20+hours of racing with you. For sharing some cement-tea with me on acouple of occasions. They say, if you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far go together, going fast together is also possible it seems. Perhaps some cleats next time Dirk…?
And then, to my dearest Erika, my wife and hero, for the best seconding support I can ask for, for stuffing food in my month while attending to bike mechanics, to punching holes with a (rather big) needle into toenails and everything in between.
Curiosity – Sitting around the braaivleis fire on a lovely Cape Town summers evening, my brother and I started to discuss an adventure that was mulling in my head ever since I first visited the land locked monarchy of Lesotho some years ago.
Long story short, a month later, with limited info and almost no planning done I pitched the idea to a group of likeminded friends. The plan was simple, December 2015 would see us traversing the central part of the Lesotho Mountain Kingdom by means of trail running, kayaking, mountain biking and swimming. Perhaps out of sheer excitement and with a touch of ignorance (from my side) absolutely no convincing was required, we committed there and then to embark on this adventure. The idea was born and it had a name, it was called the ‘Kingdom Traverse’.
life is better in a team
Behind the scene – The detail planning started, everyone doing their part. The most important aspect being the route and if you are familiar with navigation in the outdoors, route planning and a proper scouting trip (or two) is crucial to the success of any adventure of this nature.
With some desktop planning done, consulting the best satellite images we could source, we had a rough idea how we would like the route to unfold. We would start at Maliba Lodge in the northern part of Lesotho, and ‘work’ our way towards Semonkong Lodge via the Katse dam via the Malibamatso- and Mantsonyane River gorge.
After our first recognisance (recce) trip, it was aptly decided that “nothing in Lesotho is far, it just takes long to get there” as we only got a third of our route planning done. In terms of logistics, the first and the last day’s accommodation was sorted, everything in between was still a mystery. Luckily, having visited Lesotho a number of times before, we knew that we could count on the friendliness of the locals. We made it our priority to find the local ‘Morena’ (Chief) of the area where we would like to camp and ask for permission. Finding the relevant Morena’s was an adventure in-itself, with limited Sesotho from my side and even less English or Afrikaans from the locals, we somehow managed to track them down. Without exception, the local Chief’s were more than happy to be our hosts and promised our safety under their watch. We did have (let’s say intended) some ‘gray-areas’ concerning some routes and at least one night’s accommodation was left for the traverse itself, lets play it by ‘beer’ were my brother’s words….
With ‘some knowledge’ of most of our routes and 99% of our accommodation sorted we eagerly awaited the coming December to start our adventure…
priceless recce moment.
Day 1: Baptism with fire – Waking up the first morning at the magnificent Maliba Lodge (located at around 2 000m above sea level) a healthy mixture of excitement and nervousness was tangible for what lay ahead. Seven days with friends, doing the things we love in a foreign country, what a privilege and what more can a one ask for?
6:00am Day one, a short ‘race briefing’ (don’t get lost…) and we were off. In typical fashion, the start line of the Kingdom Traverse, a skew line drawn in the sand marked the official start to the traverse. The first stage saw us running to an altitude of approximately 3 178m above sea level, staying on a ridge line with a south- eastern orientation and then dropping into a valley that leads to one of the Katse dam’s major inlets. The most ‘runnable’ route was approximately 32km in distance. Our seconding team had a 4 hour round trip by road and had clear instructions to have the Maluti’s (local lager) cold for our arrival. Having scouted the route myself 6 months earlier with the help of a local (Emond Lesethla) a couple of us had the GPS track on our watches. Little did we know that this day would be a harsh reminder of the importance to respect unfamiliar mountains. With the help of Edmond we managed to source t a young (fit) local to run with, since not all of us had the GPS track in case we split into two groups.
Within the first 40 minutes is was clearl that we will split in two. The leading athletes was led by the young fit local up the initial 1 000m climb. It also became apparent that our ‘capetonian’ lungs were not used to this altitude. For some reason (perhaps altitude) I got sick twice in the first hour, my excitement quickly got replaced by a mind-set on ‘just finishing’ this stage. As the leading group passed over the ridge line of the first major climb, the two ladies in our group (sisters) were around 500m below them, and not more that 500m in front of us. Moving at a very slow pace, and extracting any bit of water we could muster from the mountain, it was only 3+hours later that we managed to get down the valley on the other side and started to take advantage of the flatter areas that leads to the 6km home straight along a clear mountain stream. To my absolute surprise we caught up to the athletes at the front. I was 100% convinced they were already sitting with their legs in the cold Katse waters, sipping on an even colder Muluti lager.
As it turns out, the fit young local had no clue where to run and just darted off with these foreigners on his heels. They ended up running an additional 8km before the group managed to get down the correct valley. Luckily the morale was still high, even though everyone was notably exhausted due to the heat and lack of water. Reunited, it took us about 10 seconds to figure out that the two ladies were missing! “where is Neelke and Hanmarie? They were in front of us, did they not run with you? No, they were behind us, we assumed they will run with you…”
Nine and a half hours after we set off, the ladies came running into camp. Tough as nails, their only request / complaint, where’s the cold beers? ‘Nothing in Lesotho is far, it just takes long to get there’.
First climb
Day 2: Pure bliss – Still feeling some of the effects from the previous day, we were keen to get onto the mountain bikes for a truly unique ‘multi-discipline’ stage. We set off on the Western side of the Katse dam, cycled across a pedestrian bridge, followed by a small, but lethal, ‘hike-a-bike’ section and then we were in mountain bike heaven! Pure bliss, a winding jeep track along the upper section of the eastern side of the Katse dam, with high cliffs, small villages, some nice descends and a couple of steep climbs. Life truly could not get any better.
This leg was not without its navigation errors though, as I was responsible for one solid additional climb. Due to the sudden interest in navigation since yesterday, I was quickly pointed to my mistake…
During the cycling leg I started to note, the local sheep, goats and donkeys probably have a betting game going on, either this, or they just like the thrill of waiting to the last minute before walking strait into our oncoming path, especially on the downhill’s. We had some close calls, a lot of them! By 11am we reached our first transition point. The next leg consisted of swimming across the width of the Katse dam. Due to the low water level, we decided to swim across and back again. The cold and clear mountain water was refreshing for our overheating bodies and was a welcome relief for our tired legs! Feeling refreshed, half of the athletes jumped on their mountain bikes and cycled the last few kilometres to our camping spot. The rest took to their kayaks and paddled the last leg of the day. Finishing day 2 around 15:00 we still had ample daylight left to chase the elusive Katse Yellow fish and Rainbow Trout with our fly rods.
Unfortunately this evening we had to medivac one of our athletes (and his wife) due to a worsening condition of pneumonia.
start of stage 2
Day 3: Zero elevation gain – Sleeping outside under a striking starlit sky we woke to a placid Katse, resembling a massive mirror in the middle of Lesotho. With some freshly brewed coffee and a quick breakfast we headed out onto the Katse for a full day of paddling. We spend the day navigating all the deceptive turns and inlets of this man-made lake, accompanied only by the odd fish eagle and fish breaching the surface, we were completely alone on this massive expanse of clear water. Even though this day did not see us climbing in elevation, the Katse dam reaches an impressive 2050m in elevation (when 100% full).
Approaching noon, we reached the impressive dam wall. We were granted permission to use Lesotho Highlands Trout’s jetty for our exit point. Our camping spot were 185m below, next to the Malibamatso River. Our seconding crew prepared a delicious traditional ‘Potjie’ which was just what our bodies needed. Like most nights, we intended to get an early nights rest, to no avail as we sat around the camp fire under the clear African sky reminicing about life.
katse crossing
Day 4: In Lesotho, what goes up, goes up further – Lesotho, the country with the highest lowest point of any other country on earth, we knew our climbing ability would be tested on the running and cycling stages.
start of day 4
Day 4, a full day of mountain biking with some serious climbs. The first 16km we meandered along Malibamatso River as we set off just below the Katse dam wall. We utilised the local heard paths with a couple of river crossings. I think it is safe to say that no man has cycled here before. No tracks only the odd ‘trail’ left by the local herd-boys and there flock. We made our way down the gorge with the terrain lending itself to a couple of nice ‘hike-a-bike’ sections. Once again we found ourselves completely and utterly secluded to society and civilization. There was no need to navigate as the only way out of this massive gorge was forward! A small jeep-track crossing the Malibamatso River allowed us a way out of this gorge. We started to climb and were quickly reminded why this country is called the Mountain Kingdom. As we made our way out of the gorge, we were informed by our seconding crew that some of the Kaste sluices were opened about an hour after we left camp. Close call, as the water level had risen about 1.5m in a matter of minutes.
Climbing and climbing it was not long before we again found ourselves around 2 800m and still climbing, luckily by now our haemoglobin levels have adjusted nicely and were used to less oxygen. Some of the athletes even had the energy the fight for the king-of–the-mountains as we finished with a brutal 4km climb straight into our camping spot for the night. Once again the sheep, goats and donkeys did not disappoint and kept the adrenaline pumping on more than one occasion.
Day 5: Sky Ride – Referring to the famous ‘Roof of Africa’ motor cycle rally held annually in Lesotho, if there ever was a road where you feel like you are riding on the roof of Africa, this probably would be it. This stage, like all the previous stages started with a couple of climbs. Up until the 14km mark, then everything changed, we started descending to everyone’s surprise (and relief). By know if a sheep, goat or donkey is spotted, even 100m in advance, we would immediately assume the worst and start to reduce speed. We reached our camping spot just after noon, with ample time to refuel and rest for the ultimate stage to follow…
roof of africa
Day 6: To ‘the place of smoke’ – Since planning the traverse, this stage had us thinking the most. To get to our final destination, Semonkong Lodge, we had to cross a massive valley, which even the seasoned Maluti Pony dreaded crossing. To put things into perspective, we only needed to navigate a 42km+ trail, the seconding crew however needed to complete a 8hour round trip by road – again nothing in Lesotho is far, it just take very long to get there!
Lesotho, being in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record we knew that water would be a concern on this stage as we planned to be on our feet for around 6+hours. With a mixture of nervousness, anticipation and excitement, at dawn the last stage of the traverse started.
start of the last day
The further we ran into the mountains and away from small villages, the more perplexed the odd local’s face became seeing us foreigners running dressed in strange attire with pipes coming out of our small back-packs. We had to stop twice and try our luck asking for metsi (water). On both occasions (after some concerning looks and couple of laughs) the locals were more than willing to share the little they have with us. They helped to fill our hydration packs with water kept in containers in their humble mountain huts. 26km since we left camp we were standing on the edge of the valley escarpment. What a breath-taking view, briefly we reflected how far we have come in 5 days and a sense of euphoria was evident in the group, a strange feeling as if nothing else in life matters.
We made our decent and cooled off in the refreshing waters of the Mantsonyane River, took on some much needed calories and then continued onto the massive climb and out of this valley to our final destination.
Six days after we set off from that skew line in the sand we reached our final destination, Semonkong aka ‘The Place of Smoke’ created by the haze as the water plummets with savage splendour 186m into a spectacular gorge below. The mighty Maletsunyane Falls, one of the highest single drop Falls in Africa, was the most fitting end to this adventure which is to be cherished, a sure source of inspiration for the next one…
maletsunyane falls
Nothing in Lesotho is far, it just takes long to get there.
The cause – This adventure also allowed us the privilege to make small difference in the lives of 71 orphans at the Semonkong Childers’s Village. We managed to raise enough funds to provide these awesome kids with an impressive Christmas box including; shoes, various clothing, stationary, sweets and basic sanitation requirements. In addition we raised awareness as well as some funds for our Cape Town based charity called KIN Culture (Kids in Need)! Please have a look at their website http://kinculture.org/ and get involved! Also have a look at the short film @ https://vimeo.com/206419775
Bankruptcy of Pocket or Bankruptcy of Soul? 