Lesoba Base Camp Hike
8th to 10th October 2010
by Betsie Smit
Both days successfully hiked by:
Kevin Healey - Hike Leader; Alex Elshove; Dalene Süpra; Sergiy Petushkov and Lana Dyachuk; Erica Meyer; Lesley van Vuuren; Jane Allison; Betsie Smit.
 As a new member to the club and never having attended a base camp hike, I was very apprehensive and not sure whether I would be able to cope or worst nightmare, hold up the group. Most of the fears were eliminated, but later some more on this topic.
The guide line was that we had to bring own toilet paper, cutlery, plates, cups, glasses, etc. What a pleasant surprise: beautiful accommodation. Fully stocked kitchen with micro, freezer, fridge and all utensils needed. The ablution facilities were great: ladies had 2 toilets, 2 showers and 2 washbasins, very clean – showers were great after hikes. Even though I didn’t visit the male ablutions, I’m sure the same standards applied. The “older hikers” (meaning experienced!) had the main house which was very luxurious with great facilities. The “luxury” suite was available to all during social sessions.
Arrival
I drove through Clarens (beautiful scenery – so different from other parts of the country) and as we saw the Lesoba sign, we realized we didn’t buy ice, so drove past our turn off and proceeded on to the “big” city of Fouriesburg. The locals were friendly and I left with 2 bags of purified, mineral water ice. During the 10km back to Lesoba we saw even more beautiful scenery, but didn’t stop as it was close to 17h30 and we wanted to see where we were going to spend (or die) the next two days.
 The gravel road was as good as can be expected and as we drove in our Chairman was waiting for us to direct us to our base area.
The first evening we had a nice braai (Kevin is a mean fire builder!!) It took a while for the coals to be ready, but it gave everyone the opportunity to socialize and getting to know each other.
The scenery was magnificent and I was told that the (very high) beautiful mountain in front of us was our destination for the next morning! Being the good, responsible hikers we are, we had an early night! Arrangements were made to leave by latest 07h30 the next morning.
Saturday – 1st Day
Everyone was ready on time and we started hiking at 07h30.
The local dogs Cleo and Jakkals decided to joined us (apparently this is the norm and they don’t need any encouragement to join the hikers). They were actually leading the way and knew exactly where the trail was.
After the gradual climb, we came to a gorge in the mountain (hidden by formations) and the climb started! Once we got to the top the scenery was magnificent. Looking down at the base camp I couldn’t believe that we actually did it! What a great feeling! We had a rest, left our backpacks and walked over to a look-out point where we could see the border between SA and Lesotho, the Caledon River.
Winding our way down was very hot, but thank goodness for cold water. As the area suffered quite a few fires on the mountain, shady spots were very scarce so we pushed on for a proper rest and a bite to eat. Suddenly, there was a magnificent cave in front of us. The shade was much appreciated and we even saw some Bushmen paintings. Sergiy even found a little grass patch and proceeded to have a nice little lie-down with his back pack as a pillow.
The dogs had way more energy than us and found little pockets of water (on top of the mountain) to quench their thirst and then proceeded to have a lie-down in the water to cool off! I was very jealous …
 During the hike Kevin was in the front and Alex stayed at the back to make sure we were all okay which was very comforting. We arrived back in camp earlier than expected and everyone hit the showers to get rid of the black soot (from the fires, so sad). Arrived back at 13h00, climb 380m, elevation 1990, distance 12km
After that, what can I say, we had sundowners, fire was lit and we had a great evening. Teamwork kicked in and everyone shared their food with each other. Some of us had a bit later night than anticipated, but everyone was very well behaved! I went to bed apprehensive, but excited about the next day’s hike. I thought that surely it couldn’t be worse? Surprise !!
Sunday – 2nd and last Day
We all woke up early, ready and prepared for the day’s fun to begin. Once again, everyone was ready on time and we left the camp at 07h00. Cleo and Jakkals once again joined us, but this time they invited their other canine peer, Whiskey, with us. Day 2 proved a bit more of a challenge as the trail wasn’t marked clearly. After about 45 minutes of walking Kevin advised all of us to wait whilst he went running up and down the hills looking for signs of footprints. We eventually found our direction again and proceeded briskly to our second challenge.
The mountain looming in the distance looked quite ominous and I felt the doubts set in once again. The climb up was quite steep and it felt like it was never going to end! The leg muscles (actually the whole body) took some strain, but eventually we all reached the top. My first comment was that, thank goodness, we were at the top and couldn’t possibly go higher – no mountain incline left to climb!
The view was beautiful, but we had to stay well away from the edge as the wind was very strong. After a good rest, we started again and then the climb down started. Wasn’t easy, but once again, we all made it to level ground eventually.
Arrived back at 10h50, climb 410m, elevation 1950, distance 7.1km
After arrival we hit the showers, packed our cars and everyone left at their own leisure for the drive back to the Far East.
Conclusion
There was lots of joking around the rating that’s given to hiking events on programs given to us. It turns out that average or moderate is very ambiguous and is quite relative to your own attitude and perseverance levels. After all, if “newish” members see a strenuous rating, we will never attempt it and if experienced hikers see easy, they won’t bother to go! We had a mixture of lots and very limited experienced hikers, but (in my opinion anyway) we had a very rewarding weekend and well worth the effort. At some stages I was questioning my own sanity as to why I would want to put myself through this, but at the end of the day the feeling of accomplishment was amazing.
To anyone who has doubts: if I was able to participate and complete this hike (Saturday was my fourth) anyone who’s considering a weekend away, should give it a go. The “time out” and exercise was good for the body and soul! The company and atmosphere made me forget about the daily stressful life we all go through and was exactly what I need to get the “batteries” recharged. However, be prepared to push the body and to have lots of fun!!
Huge thanks to Kevin and Alex for their support during the hike, and also of course to my fellow hikers for their encouragement. The phone calls and e-mails from Gretta prior to the hike were much appreciated: making sure that we were all provided with relative information. Even more important - thanks for your concern and re-assurances.
It was truly a great experience and I’m looking forward to the next weekend-away hike!!>/td>
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