My Klipspringer

People who are tired of the luxury of gamedrives - i.e. sitting inside your airconditioned-kick-ass-Landrover with the windows turned up - are often found at Augrabies because one of the main outdoor "eco-adventures" available at the park is a 3-day hiking trail named the Klipspringer Trail. The klipspringer itself is a cute little antilope and our park boasts the highest population of them in South Africa (together with Karoo NP), this fact combined with their unnerving ability to scale sheer cliffs made the decision of naming this trail very easy. What is not so easy on the other hand is the trail itself. It opens for an eager public at the end of March and I thought it would be a good idea (and good fun) to walk the 40km myself first to check if everything is in proper order. This to hopefully prevent some unprepared ass sueing the park because he got lost due to a lack of signs and was forced to eat his own leg. Or something. Anyway it felt like a good idea as I was sitting in my airconditioned office.

Prologue: Hazardous Materials

It is apparently not uncommon for people to request a pick-up from the park rangers after doing one or two days of the Klipspringer Trail. Perhaps it is due to the fact that those same people do not realize the vastness of Augrabies Falls National Park - and at over 550 square kilometers of arid wilderness it is not advised to get lost. Sure, it is tiny compared to say for instance the Kruger Park which is nearly the size of the Netherlands or the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which is in fact larger than the Netherlands, but still nothing to sneeze at I think. Obviously some ambitious would-be hikers think walking our trail believe it is just a brisk walk through some lovely scenery with a comfortable overnight hut and a cold beer waiting at the end of each day. And it was in this frame of mind that I set out on Friday morning, ready for a "brisk" walk through my back yard...

Being an avid reader of travel books detailing far-away places, humorous culture clashes and a healthy amount of adventure, I could never miss reading Bill Bryson's hilarious accounts of his journeys across the globe. Among my favourites is his book entitled "A Walk In The Woods" in which he describes his trials and tribulations whilst walking the (in)famous Apalachian Trail running from West-Virginia all the way to Maine throughout the eastern United States. Amazingly (for our Western society at least) this trail is not hindered by any towns or cities along its course so it is possible to travel the whole length without really encountering signs of modern civilization - over a 2000 mile (or 3500km) stretch that is impressive. And obviously does not compare to our tiny 40km excuse-for-a-trail, but it's all relative of course. Except for the difference in length the similarieties are striking: the terrain is usually rough and some boulder bashing will be required; overnight huts only have the bare-minimum i.e. a roof and a bed; you are pretty much alone and cellphone reception is unreliable; and finally nature can really whoop your behind if she so desires.

Bryson tends to describe the hazards of any journey he is about to attempt in much horrified detail - flesh-rending animals, carnivorous plants, trigger-happy rednecks and deadly diseases are all part of the deal if you are going to step outside your door according to him. So in honour of my favourite travel writer I will also describe briefly what could happen to you when walking through Augrabies Falls:

This park is not a "Big 5" area which is why having an unguided hiking trail in the park is possible in the first place. What a relief. No chance in the world of encountering a stampeding herd of buffalo or a rampaging bull elephant with bad breath. No chance indeed...but here be leopards instead...While it is an extremely rare event to see a leopard in the park and even rarer to see one while walking, there is a very small chance. Simply put: it will be the last thing you see. But rest assured, in the history of the park no hikers have had a "negative" encounter with one of the big cats.

Eland. Biggest antilope of southern Africa. Bulls can weigh over 800kg...that's heavier than any African buffalo. What's the catch? They are extremely shy and skittish, and will always choose flight over fight. Lucky us. Although an animal of that size can pretty much "flight" over anything it wants. Get it?

As with most outdoor experiences the little annoyances are usually the ones that are encountered most often. Hundreds of black flies hovering around your face, getting into your nose, ears and eyes, impossible to get rid of no matter how hard you try; ants taking over any source of food that is even remotely accessible to them; and bugs in all shapes and sizes making their way into your sleeping bag because it looks so darned cozy. Annoying sure, but hardly life threatening. However, in the same creepy-crawlie category are some of the most terrifying creatures Africa can throw at you: chief among which is the cape cobra. The venom of this snake is as poisonous as the better known (thanks Tarantino) black mamba, which occurs in eastern parts of the country, and if bitten by this snake it is advised to completely tie off the bloodflow with a tourniquet because unfortunately the choice is between losing a limb or losing a life. But as with the leopard it is a rare sight indeed so if you do happen to see one and you are out of harms way just enjoy it. If that was not enough for you, the park also has puff adders and black spitting cobras to cater for your poisonous snake needs. The fun does not end there though! The arid regions of southern Africa are a haven for scorpions as well and the best known of these is undoubtebly the Parabuthus genus which is home to the most venomous scorpion of the sub-continent, namely the P. granulatus. In case you are losing track, that is the most venomous snake and scorpion we have on our list so far. To make the hat-trick complete let us add the most dangerous spiders of the continent as well: the black-button (or black widow) spider and violin spider both occur in the region and together are responsible for the majority of deadly spider bites in South Africa. The violin spider is especially nasty as its bite can cause extensive tissue damage throughout the body, not just at the location of the bite.

Now before some worried conservationist starts screaming bloody murder over the above, let me point out that on average 20 people are killed by snakes in South Africa every year and about 4 by spiders. Those figures stand in sharp contrast with over 10,000 traffic related fatilities and even 200 death-by-lightning-strike. So although these animals have some impressive offensive capabilities it is unlikely you will even see one of them, let alone be hurt by one. But it is always exciting to read about all the possibilities right?

In the end if something bad did happen it would most likely be something "boring" such as blisters, fatigue or cuts and bruises. Things you should worry about whenever you go for a long walk in the bush in other words.

Day 1: A Walk In The Wilderness

After all that you may be wondering why I would be irresponsible enough to walk this trail all by myself. If that is the case you obviously do not know me at all. I am the kind of person who wears his seatbelt while the car is parked so the idea of doing this alone never even entered my mind. Accompanying me - and picking me up when necesarry - was one of the conservation students doing their practical year at Augrabies before graduating. Fortunately all the "younger" members of staff get along great together so this trip would feel more like a short holiday with a good friend than work. But it was with a purpose that the two of us were hiking the trail before the holiday season started: we were going to check if the path was well marked and accessible, note GPS coordinates at certain landmarks to make orientation easier, and finally give the overnight huts a review.

Feeling very confident in my hiking ability but aware that a decent meal was going to be hard to find in the coming days, I suggested we meet early at my house for a breakfast of champions: bacon and eggs, of course, before setting out on the path which starts right in front of my door. The previous day I had bought supplies for myself at the park shop which I thought would fit easily in the large backpack which I had brought with me to Africa, but combined with some essential items of clothing, first-aid kit, cups and plates and (I now regret) my mp3 player plus portable stereo it actually did not fit. So I was forced to take a small second backpack and carry that on my chest. My sleepingbag was hanging from my bigger bag, adding to the already considerable weight. The confidence I had felt earlier quickly ebbed away as I hoisted the backpack on, lost my balance, and realized that I would have to carry this weight around for 40km. I ate as much breakfast as I could before heading out and in the back of my mind a sneaking suspiscion was forming that this was going to be tough.

The start of the Klipspringer Trail follows the same path as the Dassie Trail, a very scenic 5km walk which can be completed in just 2 hours. But although the Dassie Trail is very nice and beautiful, there are some areas where a little rock climbing is required. Nothing too serious, but with two backpacks and very unstable sleeping bag this suddenly becomes quite a challenge. I managed it fine of course, but this again made me realize the difference when walking with a heavy pack. This was going to be very tough.

As we made our way towards the Moon Rock, one of the defining geological features of the park, we startled a herd of eland which were hiding in the dense bushes ahead of us. The morning silence was broken by a massive stampede as they scrambled to get out of our way, the ground shaking slightly by the passing of these huge animals. A herd of these antilopes is a magnificent sight any time, but seeing them so close while walking is truly breathtaking and humbling. I wonder why they are so afraid of us? Most likely they were hunted by the original inhabitants of this land, the bushmen, and somehow still hold the memories of those days. Anyway, we took this sighting as a positive sign, feeling more and more that we were well and truly alone in the wilderness.

The reason why the trail is closed from October till April is because it is summertime in the desert. For anybody unfamiliar with what that feels like it is hard to describe. I usually compare stepping outside around noon to walking into an oven which instantaneously sucks any fluid from your body leaving you with a nice wrinkly look. In fact, finding yourself outside during some of the hotter days could be considered a suicidal act and you may require professional assistance. As it is still two weeks before the trail opens to an eager public the weather is still very hot and average temperatures range from 35 to 40 degrees. So now I'm walking with a overweight backpack, over rocks, in the desert sun. These are trying times indeed...

I will admit the first day was hard. My shoulders were certainly not used to carrying such a burden around and they made their displeasure felt at the end of the day. The overnight hut was amongst the most appealing objects I've ever seen in my life - and I've lived in Paris. There wasn't much there, but some shade and a reasonably soft mattress was all I was looking for. We reached the hut around 13.00, the hottest time of day, and we did not get off our mattresses until the sun was in serious decline. The soreness of my feet and shoulders coupled with being utterly exhausted prevented me from having a good look at my surroundings for the night. The hut is in fact beautifully located at the foot of a rocky hill and the view is stunning; there is a primitive (and therefore appealling) fireplace for boiling water and cooking, some pots and pans and the two bedrooms can hold 12 people in bunkbeds.
Now the reason I brought my portable speakers along was because I had recently downloaded some animal sounds. Specifically a few leopard and lion roars. As you may have read in a previous post, the baboons in the park could potentially cause serious damage and perhaps if they heard the roar of their most feared enemy, the leopard, they might take to the trees and not bother us again. But that was not why I had brought it along on this occassion. Since I am almost obsessed with leopards I am doing my utmost to see at least one while I am living in the park. I know from track sightings that the leopards do not live close to the restcamp area (probably a good thing) but prefer to roam the dry riverbeds far from any roads or human interference. As we were now pretty much in leopard territory I was curious to see if anything would happen if I played my leopard roar from the hut. My companion was also very eager to try it out but the longer I played the fearsome roar the more uncomfortable we both got and after about five minutes we decided to hit the bunkbeds and securely lock the door by placing out backpacks in front of them...finally the weight came in handy.

Needless to say nothing interesting happened during the night and we were up again at first light to face what was going to be the most difficult of the three-day hike.