Ribbok kop attempt (hiking and birding) Feb 2011

At 14:25 we left Middelburg and drove via Bethal to Standerton. This section of road was OK but on the way to Vrede, the surface got progressively worse and in all, 6 Stop/Go sections hindered us from making good time. We eventually arrived in Golden Gate around 19:30 and greeted all the "old "members and two "new" members, Petra and Sylvia. We quickly pitched my 3-man tent, had some dinner and stood around talking until about 9pm when we headed for bed.

Day 1 (12 Feb): At 5am my alarm went off and we lay dozing for a short while before getting up. We had a quick breakfast and by 6am, Brian gave us a lift down to the Stables. We immediately started walking towards the hut but at the very first stream we got damp toes crossing it. It was a nice easy walk through to the hut but in places even the jeep track was so overgrown that we had to shield our eyes as we walked through 3m tall grass. We reached the hut just before 07:30, had a quick break and then headed up the valley. Three river crossings in quick succession, coupled with heavy morning dew, soaked us all to the bone. The track disappeared completely after the fourth crossing and we bashed our way through a short section of thick grass and stunted Ouhout trees to reach the slope on the true left. Gordon and I decided that it would be easier for us to head for the top of the ridge running towards Snowhill, than trying to stick to the path in the valley. We stopped at a small side stream to fill our water bottles and off we went. Gordon soon took the lead but I started dragging behind, feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy. After climbing about 200m I started feeling worse and was barely able to make 10m at a time before needing a rest. Even after resting, drinking water and having a juicy plum, I kept on collapsing after 10-15m of climbing. This did not bode well. I then decided to rather abort my own attempt at Ribbok kop. I dropped my pack and tried to catch up to Gordon who was a long way ahead by now. At last I was able to get his attention and got him to come back towards me. I explained the situation and that Nicola and I will be returning to the hut but he can still have a go at  Ribbok kop if he wants. He agreed and dropped his pack on the spot. I took the two pieces of tent he was carrying and then walked back to where Nicola was waiting by my pack. We returned back to the hut where we rested and read the rest of the afternoon. I only started feeling better later that evening.

George was the first to arrive around 2pm and not long after the rest of our group also traipsed in. They were surprised to see us and explained they also had a tough and hot day’s walking behind them. Another two people arrived some time later – a father and young daughter; we opened up space in our room for them to sleep. Gordon showed up at 4pm looking tired but triumphant – he made it! He showed us some pics of the climb and explained how he went about it – it all made me really sad that I couldn’t do it this time but also more determined to return and get this one under my belt. Around 17:30 we started making dinner. Gordon forgot the packet of bacon he was supposed to bring but luckily we had some spare tuna which we added to the tomato/onion mix with pasta.

Day 2 (13 Feb): We were up early again. Gordon wanted to complete the second day’s hike but Nicola and I were now keen to go back and drive home since we had a much longer drive than everyone else. Since Gordon’s stuff was in our car back at Glen Reenen we would have to wait for him to finish. So Gordon set off early to try and get back as soon as possible. Nicola and I didn’t dawdle and by 06:30 we were hiking back to the Stables on our own. We got to the road and started the 4km walk back to Glen Reenen. We reached  the camp around 08:30, had a quick shower and then drove around to do some birding while we waited for Gordon. Just before 11am we were back at the campsite and had something to eat while reading. Heavy clouds had started building up in the south and a few spots of rain also fell – we were getting a bit worried when Gordon had not showed up by 11:30. We drove up the first loop road to see if we could see him coming down off the ridge from Generaals kop but couldn’t find him at all. Back at the camp again I walked up to the chalets to see if I can see him coming from the dam but again nothing. I then went to the bathroom and when I got out, saw Gordon just having a sit at the car with Nicola – it was just after noon. We passed all Gordon’s stuff to him and immediately headed back, eventually arriving home just before 18:00.

Although we got some exercise for the weekend, it was very disappointing for me not to achieve the summit of Ribbok kop like Gordon did. But we'll be back!