Well friends it has been a while since my last successful SOTA ascent. Been spending a lot of time on a little problem child called Bloukop. Just outside Somerset East, this little gem is about 700m vertical climb, about an 12km round trip and is overgrown. And yes it is a mere 4 points.
Unlike some of the easier summits (I think longingly of some of the GP summits where 4 points is a walk outside with negligible vertical distance – Suikerbosrandt for example). No I’m not complaining, I am just, well, ok I’m complaining just a little bit 😉
This gem is nearly 300Km away from PE so it calls for a trip, not an afternoon jaunt. After several attempts by myself and various other parties (I climbed once with my son, once with Hennie ZS2HC, and 3 times with Andrew and Mandy – ZS2G and ZS2AV. Andrew and Mandy also made at least 2 other attempts without me!) This beast needs to be tamed!
Mr Oliphant is the warden at the reserve. He showed us several ways, but Mandy’s contact was the one who put us on the right path. Yes, literally.
One can easily be tempted to take a short route, but there is no benefit. No way to the top, but the long way round! You enter the path from the gravel road (between the golf course and town, turning right as you face town). This is a nice, open cycle track. At this point you will think I’m a sissy for complaining. Walk on dude!
Following the cycle track leads you past a water reservoir, a braai/picknic spot and on to an old rusty gate. The path is still open and easy to follow, but after the gate it starts to be a little more taxing to spot the next marker. The number of markers has increased exponentially as the trips made us all more and more desperate to summit.
We followed the path past an old fence and one of the original hike route markers and then south into the valley and through to the clearing on the south-ish side of the mountain. You can see this clearing from the water reservoir, but it is further than it looks. Looking back from the clearing you can see the water reservoir and various other land marks and you begin to realize that you have covered some distance. The legs are still strong – you’ve only climbed about 100m.
Mark this spot! If you get back into the clearing and can’t find this path you will not get back!
Heading out the top of the clearing there is a good path – but it leads you into temptation, damnation and near death! Ok, I exaggerate a little, but it goes off in the wrong direction and you end up in brambles, burned proteas and deep, deep in regret. I know, Andrew and I spent several hours cutting our way through a few kilometers-and that in vain too!
Just after going under the fence (it is quite easy: I am not small and I’ve made it several times) we turned LEFT off the path and onto a secondary path which led us to another sort of clearing. Not grassy like the first one, but no trees and bushes. And most importantly, no brambles! We marked this point as well – for the way back.
It is steep. Don’t kid yourself you are going to make it to the top without a rest or 6! Very little vegetation to hold onto means you are working your legs. At first it is just great to be in the open, but it soon begins to tire – I promise.
Bearing a little to the right (north) we avoid a small cliff and get to the “ridge”. Andrew and I have been on this ridge no less that 3 times each! But it is not the top.
Hennie and I take a long break here. The view is awesome, but we needed the rest anyway 🙂 There is another of the original route markers at this point, but no sign of the route to the top.
Mr Oliphant suggested going around the back and ascending from the west – back towards the town. Andrew and I had cut a long way through the brambles towards the final ascent on a previous trip and I decided this was the way to go. The vegetation is the problem – not the terrain.
I was well worn out by this stage, but we were not at the top yet. I started to have a very strange feeling about cresting the summit. It just did not seem right without Andrew and Mandy – with whom I had blazed most of the path. Had they been with us, it would have been a different story.
I checked my GPS. I could see the top. SOTA rules say within 25m vertical of the summit is the activation zone and so we got ourselves well into this zone (1608m ALT – the stated height is 1623m) so I called it.
I have not yet conquered this beast entirely – but I have activated it. Andrew and Mandy (and I) will return and we shall summit together (the path is almost all the way now). Hennie, however, says he has no need to return to Bloukop.
Peter, ZS2ABF was following us on APRS until he lost us. He could see where we were going on one of our “short cut” missions (yesterday) and it gave us a real understanding of the difference in perspective from the armchair to the ground. We must have been within about 50m of the old gate when we turned around, but we would not have made it up in time. The summit took a lot out of us. We were walking before the sun came up, climbed through the midday sun and arrived back after dark. For 4 points. Yes, we are a little crazy, why do you ask?
Thank you to all who helped with us getting contacts from all over.
Hennie the night before activation – doing some”field work” from the car.
In Camo, we had to keep an eye on where the rock spider went – in case we could not find him when it was time to leave!
In Camo, we had to keep an eye on where the rock spider went – in case we could not find him when it was time to leave!
The view of the final ascent – as seen from the “ridge”
Our station needs some tidying up!
Part of the track we walked to get here!
