PS.Hawkstone at Double Moon

Start 05:00, Friday 11/03 We started at Babersbaai campsite just outside Bethlehem.

Leg 1: Hike 14km –2h33
Started strong, doing some good jogging. We were with Assitport male pair the whole way. Had a bit of trouble with CP2 – the windmill – where we lost a bit of time. Bumped into Uncharted at a trig beacon, they were going strong and finished 32 mins ahead of us on this first leg. Finished 4th mixed team at the end of this leg.

Lessons learnt: Although technically illegal you can save time by one team member going to get a checkpoint while the others wait a little way away. Distance is misleading in the dark you tend to overestimate the distance you have travelled.

Leg 2: Paddle 5km – 41min
Quick and easy paddle collecting Optional points pread around the dam with a short portage. – we were the fastest mixed team, but only by 1min

Leg 3: Cycle 64km – 4h30
Bad start to the leg, as we forgot to take our passport and race punch on check out. Lost time here as Alligators passed us while went back to collect them. It was a consistent ride, with Amy consistently the slowest – towed by all at some stage. Cokes at little spaza shop were wonderful. Lessons learnt: Take lots of money and don’t be shy to stop for drinks and real food – it does the world of good. Do not under estimate the heat of the day, slow down and take it easy when it is hot, we should not have tried to push that hard and tow Amy we should have gone at her comfortable pace.

Leg 4: Hike 18km (+ at least 8km) – 10h08
Alec started to feel bad just after the Kloofing section – nausea and vomiting. It was just after this that we made the mistake of following another team over a very steep mountain. When we got to the top, they were out of sight and we thought that we saw other teams in the valley below. The checkpoint we were heading to was a willow tree at a dam wall. We saw this combination in the valley below and decided that this must be it. It turned out to be the wrong valley – took us at least an hour to get down the mountain, where we met up with ‘Do It Now ‘who had made the same mistake. After spotting an overturned tractor in a river bed, we visited a farmer who seemed confused about where we needed to go and then made our way around the foot of the mountain into the next valley.

By this time, Alec was feeling awful and couldn’t keep anything down. We met up again with’ Do It Now’ at the correct checkpoint – they needed us to navigate as they had left the relevant map for the next checkpoint behind. Greg, the youngest member of the team and consistently the strongest, shouldered Alec’s pack on top of his own and kept going strong. We made slow progress to the next CP at an abandoned guesthouse in a valley – spotting a lazy puffadder on the way – arriving just as the light was fading. We considered resting there a bit for Alec to recover, but decided to push on as it would have been near-impossible to get out of the valley in the pitch dark. ‘Do It Now ‘left us soon after we got out of the valley. It then took us 3 hours to get back to the kloof and find the abseil, stopping every 30 mins or so for a lie down. We made slow progress – Alec still feeling sick, Greg sleepwalking and Amy feeling dizzy.

The abseil was exciting in the dark – Amy took it slowly. Back at the camp we encountered a group of bikers (of the motorised, beer-bellied sort) who fed us coke and braai meat – most welcome! We elected to sleep for 4 hours at the transition before setting out on the next leg, which was a good idea as we all felt better for it and could do the technical mountain pass in the daylight.

Lessons learnt: Don’t follow other teams! Be careful of finding matching checkpoint descriptions in the wrong place. If unsure where we are on the map, try and make 100% sure before heading off the high ground again. Take the most efficient route, not energy-sapping climbing to get onto high ground. If you are Brocken – Rest is good, sooner than later even if only 10 – 15 mins at a time, Rehydrate and shade work wonders. Don’t skimp on comfort items – clean underwear, T-shirts, toothbrush, toothpaste, and wet wipes can be kept in race boxes. Proper, warm sleeping bags are a must if you want to get some sleep.

Leg 5: Cycle 67km – 8h57
After leaving transition shortly before 05:00, the ride went well – although Amy was falling asleep on her bike – until just before the mountain pass, when Rob started cramping. We stopped for a power nap and filled up with water, where Lickety Split passed us.
The pass was 90% unrideable – although not for Greg, who tried to ride as much as he could. The going was slow, with us all walking and Rob battling to do even that. When he got a puncture, Alec and Rob lay down under the trees, while Amy and Greg fixed the puncture.

We must have all slept for at least 15mins. Luckily Tony and Chris came past and woke us up. We all felt better after that, and struggled on to the top of the mountain pass. We came across Do It Now again, who had not taken the right turnoff on the way up, and wasted hours in the process.

After a brief rest at the top, we were rewarded with some exciting, steep and technical jeep track down the other side. Greg enjoyed jumping over rocky sections and dicing Senseless, while Amy made her way more demurely down the pass.

Lessons learnt: If a team member is feeling awful, stop for a significant rest sooner rather than later. While you will lose time, it is worth it in the long run. Plastic bags for dirty clothes in race boxes.

Leg 6: Hike 6km – 2h49
We stopped for lunch and icecreams in Clarens before heading up the mountain – wow, what a good idea. Although we were passed by Lickety Split and Senseless while we were eating, it was so worth it.

Lessons learnt: Contouring is not always a faster option.

Leg 7: Cycle 35km – 2h21
We all felt good on this cycle, and caught Senseless and Lickety Split just before the paddle. Got into a good rhythm and riding slip worked well.

Leg 8: Paddle approx. 12km – 02h02
While we were the strongest mixed team on this paddle, we were all tired and uncomfortable, with a lot of sleep-paddling going on by moonlight.

Lessons learnt: Take the time to put on warm clothes. Do CP’s in correct order.

Leg 9: Cycle 18km – 1h33
We all felt relatively good on this cycle, although the road was pretty rough – leading to a crash in the soft sand.

Lessons learnt: Good bike lights are imperative and help to keep the speed up.

Finish 23:14, Saturday 12/03 at Babersbaai campsite

Total: 42h14mins 4th Mixed team.

Author: Alec Aviernos | Team PS. Hawsktone | Kinetic Double Moon, 11-13 March 2011