Quantum Leap: Unfinished business

Team First Ascent PlacementPartner.com has unfinished business with Quantum Leap… “Word on the street was that the inaugral Quantum Leap unsupported, expedition-style 250km adventure race presented by Ugene Nel, an old dog with traditional ideas about what an adventure race entails, would be tough”, says Ronald Jessop. 

Our team for the event was cobbled together like so: my old friend and accomplice Kobus ‘Steady’ Steenekamp, Christine ‘Grizelda’ Woods, a famous multisport athlete lured into the murky underworld of AR after the misfortune of a chance encounter with me; and Murray ‘Hurry’ Crichton, Dusi and Fish River paddler, who inexplicably jumped at the chance to compete in his first multiday AR under the inexperienced captaincy of yours truly, Ronald ‘King Faf’ Jessop, presumably to learn what not to do. Besides having two newbies on the team, it would be Kobus and my first race in a mixed team of four, as opposed to pairs, which is why we chose a soft and easy event like this one to test the formula.

After a broken night’s sleep we set off at 05h30 for a jog with 58 other headlights up a hill in search of CP’s (checkpoints) located at a bushman painting in a cave and an earthen dam wall. The field spread surprisingly quickly and soon we were alone in the pre-dawn glow. The red earth felt good underfoot, the smell of sheep and sweet karoo bush drifted in the air and we enjoyed our 15km run to the much anticipated Doring River for some 25km of exciting white water rafting.

With Murray’s expertise, he and Christine shot the first rapid in fine style, while Kobus and I lasted about 30 seconds before exiting the vessel and enjoying the round rocks of the rapid from top to bottom. With that out of the way we could enjoy the fast flowing river as it alternated between large rapids, small rapids and long pools of relative tranquility, flanked either side by perfectly unspoilt and uninhabited river banks. In places steep and rocky, elsewhere sandy and grass-covered, bird life abounded and strange rock formations were everywhere, something which would be a trademark of the area.

The transition appeared and we switched to bikes for a hot slog up ‘Brand se Berg Pad’ to the plateau. Blue skies and sunshine accompanied us as our route turned to thick sand, ideal for pushing bikes along. A few checkpoints, 50 clicks and too many hours later, we rolled into transition 3.

After boxing our bikes and loading up with lights and provisions, we set off into the dusk for what was described as a navigationally challenging hike of 25km, including a river crossing. This hike took us way longer than it should have. As the man clutching compass, maps and altimeter, I was guilty as charged and we were sentenced to arrive shortly after sunrise at transition 4.

Here we unpacked bikes again and set off on a very enjoyable 40km bike ride. Again, sand was kindly provided by the organiser to cushion our falls and we guessed that navigation during the night must have been tricky for the leading teams. As for us, we had fresh spoor to follow and could simply concentrate on staying on the bike. It was one of those rides where one wished you were wearing gaiters. Nevertheless, the team had fun and we made short work of it, arriving at transition 5 in high spirits, if a little sleepy.

We had been going 36 hours non-stop and had now disappointingly missed the abseil cut-off. We endeavoured to make use of the daylight we had left by walking to an escape-route entrance to Oorlogskloof, cunningly marked on our maps as a red herring by Ugene, without considering the alternatives properly. Not that we were in any mood to consider much of anything. Arriving at the way point, we slept 2 hours before bundu-bashing our way down the kloof in the dark, taking care not to break anything. These rocks looked expensive.

It was a rather ominous descent, particularly once the moon had set and a cold wind started howling down the valley. The stars were obscured by cloud cover and on our arrival at the river, the sound of bushes and reeds blowing in the wind and fast-flowing water painted a rather unwelcoming picture that our eyes couldn’t see.

After proceeding down the wrong side of the valley for a while, crossing over, discovering that this would be a wet and difficult walk and then regrouping at our original position, we decided to sleep the few hours until first light and attack the project with vigour. At least, that’s what I was thinking at the time.

During the night, a storm rolled over, under and through us that changed our perspective. By dawn we had learned about hypothermia. Grateful as we were for all the compulsory kit we had dragged down the mountain, we still came up short in one or two departments, not least of which food for what promised to be a ‘longer than advertised’ stage. Our packs were now heavy with muddy rain-soaked clothes and equipment as we stuffed our things into them in the rain. I was amused to discover a decent sized basin of warm water in my hip recess on the groundsheet. Our sleeping bags had been thoroughly ‘performance tested’ on their maiden voyage, our dry bags now served to keep our goodies wet and it looked as though the sun would not be out today. Worst of all, my biltong was damp.

The decision to withdraw left us with a hollow feeling and we glanced back into Mordor several times as we picked our way up the hill again. Several hours later, having been collected from a farm a 10km walk from the valley, we took in the bittersweet taste of a mission survived but not accomplished. The news at race HQ offered some consolation, 50% withdrawn with only the top two teams, SA’s best, completing the original course. We marvelled at the fighting spirit of the other chasing teams still out there, short-coursed but continuing nonetheless until one by one they all rolled through the finish during the course of the night. Congratulations and much respect. On the other hand, Team First Ascent PlacementPartner.com has unfinished business.

Thank you firstly to my team mates for trusting that you would not only get out of this in original condition, but enjoy yourselves, to some extent. We all looked after each other out there and it was a priviledge to spend a few days on the trail in such fine company worrying only about the simple things in life. And then to our sponsors, First Ascent for top quality gear you can trust to perform when the chips are down and PlacementPartner.com for financial support, this is not a cheap hobby by any means. And of course our long suffering families back home, who put up with our many days and peculiar hours away from home, training and racing; and household budget cuts to pay for race accessories and feeding our enormous appetites. Aniek, Craig, Renate andMurray’s secret admirer, you are as much a part of the team as us. Unfortunately for you.

Author: Ronald Jessop | Team First Ascent PlacementPartner.com | Quantum Leap, Namaqualand, 23-26 August 2012