ExpAfrica: Trek #2 – options

May 8, 2013 AdventureLisa Expedition Africa, Featured 5

This second 56-kilometre trekking leg is not going to be a walk in the park. Again the teams will be climbing from the transition at the old arm base adjacent to the Dragon’s Peak campsite. They want to get up-up-up to start grabbing CPs.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE – see below

If you click on the below maps you’ll be able to view them bigger.

Just to give you an idea, this is a topographical map showing the transition (T4) and the location of CP25 and CP26. The teams also have hiking maps for the mountains. Not all roads/paths indicated are correct…

There shouldn’t be much in the way of issues between the start and CP25 and then CP26. The options come in for going FROM CP26 TO CP27.

This map gives you an idea of where CP27 is located. My green line highlights the Contour Path from the Blind Man’s Corner area (popular day-walker spot – well defined) and pointing in the direction of CP27. The Contour Path is significant and clear.

Let’s zoom in on what is happening in the CP26 (Keith’s Bush Camp) area. I’ve put the same section of topographic map (left) next to the hiking map (right) part of this same area.

These are the main options (they come in to CP26 on the green dashed route from CP25):

  • Pink dashed route: Not really an option. My friend who dropped the marshals up top at Keith’s Camp said he bashed for about 150m along the ‘trail’ from Keith’s – bushes and grass – and there was no track to be found. The ‘hiking trail’ marked on the hiking map – up and to the East of Monk’s Cowl – isn’t there.
  • Blue dashed route: Longer, for sure, but also very distinct. The Contour Path is easy to follow and to run; if they’re up for running.
  • Yellow line: This is the more direct route. The same friend who dropped the marshals was out here hiking in the past two weeks. He says that although you have to slog uphill on no real track – following drainage re-entrants, once you’re over the Sterkhorn-Cathkin saddle there’s a clear trail leading down to the Contour Path. Not easy in th day; harder – for sure – at night.
I’m at T4 (midway camp) tonight. Before I headed through to get Wi-Fi I saw Olympus, Powerbar, Castle Lite and Black Diamond (maybe Raidlight too) at T4 in various stages of eating, showering, preparing to sleep as well as planning and organising their maps for this next section (56km hike and 163km cycle all the way to Sterkfontein Dam). Warriors arrived just as I was going out. This is a six-hour compulsory stop.
On the whole, the racers actually looking really good coming in to halfway. I was commenting to Soren (photographer for Merrell Denmark – we’re travelling together) earlier that this is a nice, clean race. Because the racers took so many swims on the river (Merrell Denmark says they swam at least 10 times between the rapids and starting Spionkop Dam!) they aren’t as grubby as usual – so they look and smell fresher and are safe to hug when they come in.
The racers are also really appreciating the meal provided here, with salad and a roll and dessert. Hot showers and beds / mattresses add to making this a restorative stop that will see them starting the hike as refreshed as possible. By midway they’ve covered around 270 kilometres.
I’m staying at T4 tonight – need some sleep – so we’ll connect again tomorrow.
CP26 (HIKE) HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE COURSE
The first team to be on this modified course is WCAD. Thereafter all teams will skip CP26. Looking at my maps above this simplifies AND speeds up issues as they’ll bomb down the contour path from CP25 to CP27.
There have also been a number of CPs removed from the 163km cycle leg to shorten it a bit too. It will still be long (around 140km vs 160km) but hopefully a little more swift.
The primary reason for this course amendment is TIME. Teams are slowing down and on each leg they’re going an hour or more slower than anticipated. This adds up overall so Stephan has modified the route to keep teams on race schedule.

4 Comments

  1. Any indication of exactly which CPs removed on the cycle? makes it a bit tricky to follow on the GPS if you don’t know where they are actually aiming for.

  2. hehe, I was hoping, before the race, that the route would go up Grey’s Pass and down Ship’s Prow. Done that one and it is MEAN, esp the descent. Kilometres of boulder-hopping.

    Oh well, can’t have everything, and it would have been kinda sadistic.

    😀

Comments are closed.