Suikerboschfontein Day Two: The Hike

Day two of the Boksburg Hiking Club weekend.

The night before, the group had boldly agreed on a 7:30 start.

Personally, I’d have started earlier.

But when you’re in a group, democracy prevails.

I woke up (well feeling… questionable.

Flu?

Allergies?

Lack of sleep?

"Rustic"-titis?

Hard to say.

But I laced up my boots and committed to nature like the resilient woodland creature I am.

The Trail

I’m not entirely sure which trail we did (details are for organized people), but it delivered.

Gorges.

Streams.

River crossings.

Waterfalls.

Scrambling.

Technical sections.

Forests.

Ladders.

Bridges.

Basically everything a proper hike requires - minus the soul-crushing inclines.

There were climbs, sure. But at a steady pace, they were the “mild inconvenience” kind.

The technical uphill scrambling? My favourite.

It's cardio disguised as strategy.

You pause, you “assess,” you breathe dramatically, and everyone assumes you’re being tactical.

It’s perfect.

There were streams everywhere, which meant river crossings. Which meant teamwork.

The gorge was spectacular - massive boulders wedged together like a rock playground .

Absolutely loved it.

Between the gorge sections and the beautiful forest stretches, the trail was surprisingly shaded.

On a hot day, that’s a blessing.

Now, if you don’t know this about me yet: I hate help.

Help implies weakness....defeat.

I got to one particular boulder that required getting up onto it.

My professional assessment (done in 0.7 seconds) concluded: physically impossible.

Normally, I would have scouted the perimeter like an independent mountain goat looking for an alternate route.

But there was a very helpful club member who had already climbed up and was offering a hand to everyone.

And somehow…

I took it.

Friends, I have replayed this moment several times.

Could I have done it alone?

Possibly.

Would it have taken 14 minutes and a self-directed YouTube tutorial?

Also possibly.

Did I accept assistance like a functioning adult?

Apparently.

Thank you, sir.

But also… I will be revisiting this emotionally for weeks.

The trail was around 8 km.

Or 7.1 km.

Or 9.2 km.

It depends entirely on whose technology you believe and how emotionally attached they are to their fitness watch.

Regardless, the pace makes you feel athletic, while allowing you to actually enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Frankly, I felt we deserved an honourable mention in "Sports Digest."

Or, at the very least, a participation medal.

We got neither.

The Sand Road Saga

After the hike, we drove from Rooikrans Camp to our next overnight stop: Oom Jappie.

I had confidently assumed it would be just past the horrendous sand road section leading to Rooikrans. Which meant Sunday morning would be smooth sailing home.

Theoretically, I was correct.

Reality, however, added another five kilometers of original sand road… followed by a fresh, bonus round of even more treacherous sand road.

My car made noises.

Deep, emotional noises.

At one point, I’m fairly certain it whispered, “Why are we like this?”

Sleeping Arrangements

The sleeping setup at Oom Jappie was described as “rustic.”

Which means: old stables.

There was a large communal sleeping area for six, plus a few smaller rooms that slept four.

I had already staked my claim in one of the smaller rooms when my poor roommates from the previous night accidentally chose the same one again.

I apologised in advance.

Preemptively.

Like someone who knows exactly what they're about to do.

They said they “didn’t mind sharing again.” (which is exactly what polite people say when they absolutely mind but were raised properly.)

To be fair, the ablutions were a massive upgrade from the previous camp.

An en-suite shower in the main block. An outdoor block with two toilets and one shower.

Practically a spa.

If your spa is outdoors and comes with frogs and the possibility of spiders.

Did I Sleep Well?

Fresh air.

Exercise.

Exhaustion.

Peaceful countryside.

All the ingredients for perfect sleep.

I slept terribly.

But this is simply the law of my existence: when conditions are ideal, I will be awake evaluating them.