Gosh!!! I know I’ve been MIA for the last week or so but my goodness was it worth it!!!
I had the opportunity to join a fantastic hiking group to walk a 5-day route called The Erdvark Hike which is found, on the very large Rooiheuwel Farm in the Great Karoo desert. The Great or Groot Karoo, as we know it here in South Africa, crosses the boarder from the Western Cape Province to the Northern Cape Province it is a vast, arid, mostly flat, but sometimes surprisingly mountainous land that is harsh in every way. It almost gives you the feeling that everything there is out to kill you - heat, rocks, thorn bushes and spiders (and a whole lot more).
We arrived on Saturday evening after our first little adventure when we ALREADY got lost and had to back track to drop off our freezer goods at Rooiheuwel Farm. We had decided to take the Slackpacking option, so food was to be labelled per day and also whether it was for the fridge or the freezer, and then delivered to the correct hut before we arrived each afternoon.
Mistake 1 - missed the signage for Rooiheuwel farm. But not to worry, Marge the owner was absolutely lovely and managed to help us find the right place to keep all our goods. She also has sheep and a small herd of miniature horses that charmed us as they galloped into the farm as we were arriving.
Now we were ready to head back to Boplaas where we had realised our mistake. One of the benefits of making a 2 hour detour was that the sun had started dropping in the sky and made way for the most beautiful evening light.
We also managed to spot a few of the farms wildlife as we opened and closed gates separating different parts of the huge farm. The Farm is 40km by 40km in area and has slowly grown to that size from the original Rooiheuwel farm as the owners slowly purchased the surrounding farms.
Tonight’s accommodation was at Boplaas (or Higher Farm in English). Plaas = Farm. By the time we made our proper arrival (again) the rest of our group had already settled in with a drink and the fire going.
The day had been hot, but the evening had a little bit of a chill to it. We headed to bed happy and already packed for the next mornings hike.
Hike from Boplaas to Middelplaas (Take 1!)
We were up at 5.30am and ready to start hiking by 6.30am before the sun had risen from behind the mountain.
We set out on the dirt road with our daypacks full of snacks ready for a 12 kilometre hike. The weather was perfect as we tackled the flat path ahead. But was it supposed to be flat?
Our trusty Ardvark / Erdvark that we would follow for the next 5 days
The first couple of kilometres passed quite easily as the sun slowly rose and lit the grasses of the Karoo and gave them a golden hue.
Although the sun had managed to peak through as it rose, we were soon covered by mist that kept this notoriously hot and dry desert cool as we walked. This all seemed too easy 😳
We eventually stopped for breakfast at a crossroad in the path and plonked ourselves down in the veld. We had walked about 6 kilometres and Tea is important! So we put the gas cooker on and relaxed.
Feeling ready to hit the road again, we packed up and got going. Maggie found the remains of what looked like a small buck. This, we soon found out, was a regular sighting as the days went on. Followed by a lower leg and hoof, and to the side, a small pile of fur.
We were incredibly lucky to be in the Karoo at this time. The dessert had experienced 8 years of drought and this Summer was the first rains that broke the drought. Marge’s young grandkids had never seen rain in the Karoo until this Summer!!!
Usually the Karoo would be barren, but now we were seeing knee high grasses and swathes of green on the mountain sides.
Buck tracks
The dried mud showed how recently it had rained, only a few days before our arrival.
And then, before we even realised it, we were at the gates of Middelplaas. (Middle Farm) This is where Kobus, the Farm Manager, lives and is also our stop for the night.
Our guesthouse for the night
We arrived really early and Kobus immediately mentioned that no one ever walks it that fast (we had only been hiking for about 3 hours) so when he asked which way we went and we mentioned that it was quite flat and mostly Jeep track, he had a good laugh! We had missed the turn off to the actual hiking path and we had taken the very easy 4x4 route.
Oh boy!
That all seemed too good to be true….
Here’s a route map of WHAT NOT TO DO!!!!
Tomorrow I’ll post that ACTUAL VERY EPIC PLATEAU hike and the bumpy 4x4 ride back to the start.
This adventure was only just beginning and we had already messed up twice. But there is just so much to say about the Erdvark hike in the Karoo so stay tuned for a whole lot more as it unfolds over the next week.
[//]:# (!pinmapple -32.321442 lat 21.977698 long THE ERDVARK HIKE IN THE GROOT KAROO DESERT: Boplaas to Middelplaas (Take 1) d3scr)
