Kranskloof Hike - Mpumalanga

After putting in tons of effort getting fit and well equipped for the Fish River, we decided we should try to do a weekend hike at least every 6 weeks. The long weekend in September, due to Heritage Day, was too good an opportunity to miss, so I put out that call and got 6 others to join Renalda and I. This was the first time I'd really tested my leg after the operation, so we looked for an easy one.

Kranskloof is about 250km from Pretoria, we left early on Saturday, meeting at the Sasol petrol station on the N4 to Nelspruit. We decided to skip the more expensive toll road and traveled down to Carolina via Hendrina. That must be one of the bleakest roads in the country. Coal mines on either side, coal trucks and dust everywhere. I despaired that the hike was too close to this area and that it would be a waste of time...we were pleasantly surprised.

The trail is in a private nature reserve and there is a gravel road to get to the base camp. The condition of the road is ok, but the Toyota Run-X we were in bumped the ground on a number of occasions. If we had been in my car, I think it would have been worse. When we got to the parking lot, a very friendly chap named Richard came out to help us offload. And we needed lots of help!! The camp is not accessible by car and if we weren't doing an out and back hike we would have taken only what we could carry for a significant distance. That wasn't the case, so I planned a potjie for the first night and everyone brought tons of food.

The actual huts were basic, but well kitted out with a gas fridge and freezer, gas cooking, two hot showers with a donkey heater, flushing toilets, hot water for dishes. The huts sleep 24 people, but that would have been a squeeze, we spread out nicely between the three huts.

The hiking was good, but the trail on the first day was a bit confusing as we did an 8km hike as opposed to the promised 5km. I think we took a wrong turn, but otherwise it was very good. A decent variety of terrain, vegetation and views of the surrounding hills. Part of the second day's hike down to the lodge took us along the edge of a spectacular cliff, and then back below the same cliff. We stopped in at the lodge for a well deserved beer and headed back for a braai on night 2.

The huts cost R110 per person per night, but I think we all felt it was well worth it. Unfortunately I didn't take any photo's and don't feel comfortable publishing the pictures from the people who did.

Strength Training

I've been following the Primal Blueprint for most of this passed year with great success, but what I haven't been successful at is following the exercise routine. I exercise a lot and really enjoy it. but it's not regular and for that reason I don't think I've made as many gains physically as I'd like to. I did taper off working out before the Fish so that I could get hiking fit and strong. After the Fish was the op and eye trouble, so now I finally feel like getting back into it.

I'm going to do the Primal Blueprint Fitness Plan, which is available on Marksdailyapple. The "Lift Heavy Things", Primal Rule 3, section concentrates on 5  basic body weight movements, and allows you to progress from whatever condition you are currently in, up a ladder of movements to build your strength. I have done the self evaluation before and I wrote my results down, but can't remember the date. I'm mildly disappointed that I haven't progressed much!

These are the results:

• Pushups - 27 then 41 now
• Pullups - 3 then 4 now
• Squats - 61 then 71 now
• Dive Bombers - 8 then 9 now
• Plank - 60 seconds then 60 seconds now!!

So I'm going to try improve this significantly over the next few weeks.

Radio Frequency Catheter Ablation

I have arrhythmia, called atrial flutter, which can cause me to feel miserable and dictates that I take a rather nasty drug called cordarone/amiodarone. The drug potentially has numerous side effects including lung problems, eye trouble (not related to CSR), skin problems and digestive trouble. The catheter ablation was done to permanently repair my flutter, which would mean I could get off amiodarone, not to mention warfarin.

I've had the same procedure before, in about 2003 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. At that time it was unsuccessful as the electrical wiring of my heart was very very messy, and the doctor who did the procedure, Prof Okgreglicki who unfortunately passed away recently, doubted any further surgery would be any more successful. However the electro-physiologist I saw in Pretoria recently, convinced me that the technology had moved on significantly and considering my age, it was definitely worth a try.

So I went along on September 3rd and had the operation, no sweat. So what do they actually do? They make some incisions in your groin to gain access to your femoral artery, which supplies the most direct route to your heart. It is the same procedure they do for an angiogram. They then push a catheter up the artery into the heart, all the while viewing what's going on using radioactive dyes and a mobile Xray machine, which rotates around your chest. But I didn't see any of that this time as I was under general anaesthetic.
Then once they have an idea of what's going on in the heart, by doing stuff like giving you little shocks to pace your heart externally, they then burn the faulty neural pathways so that the spurious beats don't happen. One that was done I woke up talking nonsense to the doctors and nurses.

What the doctor said was that my wiring was still very bad, he said, electrically degenerate...heehee...crocodile clips anyone?Aand that while he knows he has fixed my rhythm at the moment, he thinks the chances are good the arrhythmia will return. Also he said that I have previously unreported calcification of my pericardium, the heart sack. This is usually indicative of a past infection of of TB. I don't remember having a previous infection, but perhaps my university days count. The doctor said that this problem is for the plumbers, he called himself an electrician, and that I should speak to my regular cardiologist in this regard, I have an appointment when someone else cancels, or else next year.

I think the most uncomfortable bit of my time in hospital was lying in bed without moving my legs. It was terrible.I kept the operation quiet, having lots of people coming to visit me in hospital is not my idea of fun, so only my family and Renalda knew I was there. She had to be kicked out by the night nurse :P The next worse thing was that I couldn't sleep, it was a mixed ward and on of the ladies was a HUGE snorer! I only got some rest after 4am when they started waking people up again!

I'd driven myself there stupidly, not remembering that even after a night in hospital, I would not be able to drive. So Renalda's folks kindly came to fetch me and drove me and my car home.

I'd been rather slack about keeping track of my INR and it was 1.2 when I had the operation. They were worried about clotting so I had to take some Clexane. I found out how much of a woes I am and how hardcore Renalda is. I held the injection to my belly for hours, but couldn't do it!! I'm not scared of needles, I just can't put one into my own skin. Renalda had to come do it for me.

It's taken me most of the month to recover fully. There was significant internal bleeding in my right leg and I still have a bruise. But I'm fine now, I went for a hike two weekends ago and played volleyball last Wednesday. Follow up appointment with the electrician later this month. 

Fish River Day 6, some ramblings and the trip home

We took it slow again on day 6, but we didn't have far to go, we had a lazy breakfast, although I think ours was nuts and some weak tea, and then strolled slowly towards the end. Probably having some bitter sweet emotions. The Fish was something I've always wanted to do, a Bucket List item, and before 2012, or perhaps late 2011 I really had never thought it would be safe for me to do it.

My physical condition this year has really been fantastic, even when you consider the eye and the operation I've had subsequent to the hike...wait for the post....I really have felt unbelievably strong and fit, and I attribute it to the Primal Blueprint mostly. Losing 14kg must have helped, hell my backpack was only 3kgs more than that! But the point is, it's a remote hike and if anything had gone wrong I would have put myself and other members of the hike in danger, and before this year I really wasn't prepared to do that.
So having minimal drama was something of a wonderful anticlimax. I had prepared well enough, was pretty fit by my standards, and didn't struggle at all. I had said I wanted to be fit enough to enjoy the scenery, and I did!
What is also interesting is that we actually had a perfect hike, the weather was perfect, there was tons of water, we had great company, with only a minimum of tension between the people wanting to finish earlier and us lazy ones. There is a dam just outside Ais-Ais, literally 200m from the camp site/hotel and as we crossed the dam wall, the wind picked up. There was sand blowing in our faces and as we drove home there was rain and the weather really started to come in. It was as if the weather was waiting for us to finish. As I said, a perfect hike.

The 6 slackers

We then had to get back to Upington that evening, to be in Pretoria late Sunday evening to go to work on Monday. So we had time for a nice soak in the hot baths and a beer with the peeps to say bye and to promise to hook up in Cape Town and to hike again. And then it was 90km on dirt road back towards the Namibian border at Ariamsvlei and then to find a backpackers to stay the night in Upington. The place we wanted to stay in was full, but they referred us to another place, where we slept and were up early for the long slog back, with some more stamps in the passport. Next mission? Otter trail! Who's in?

Fish River Day 5

On day 5 we woke up to more wonderful reflections and a beautiful sunrise over the much lower sides of the canyon. As I said we slept on the road and it was probably the best night's sleep we had, except perhaps for the next night. I think we were tired by the end of day 4 but I can't remember feeling any real stess about it. We knew the rest of the hike was going to be a doddle. So we took our time.

Sunrise over the Fish River

Four Fingers upstream from the road

Renalda's boots... there is proof :P

Absorbing the wonder of the place 

The group split up on day 5, it emerged that 4 people wanted to finish the hike that day. We wanted to leave relatively early on Saturday, but thought it pointless camping at the campsite when we could camp in the river and stroll out early the next morning. So the 4 people proceeded quicker than us. We stopped regularly to swim and make the most of the last full day in the canyon.
Truth be told it turned out to be a relatively easy hike...we weren't pushing to finish quickly, what would the point be? We'd driven more than 1000km to get to the cayon, why hurry to get out? Truth be told I think I only realised that on day 3 or 4.

More wild horses

Just before the end of the day we saw a herd of wild horses. The previous times we had seen them they were in two's. This herd had 5 or 6 horses, and there were 1 or 2 foals among them.
We camped within what we thought was about 1.5km of the end of the hike, in the middle or the river, on hard sand. We gathered tons of wood which I thought would never burn, but it did!

Bonfire

The last night's dinner for the cooks was rump steak with avo and... I can't remember what else, but it smelled delicious. We decided to try a fritata with our left over eggs and various rehydrated veggies. It worked quite well, but I think perhaps the eggs don't have the same sticking power as fresh ones. I wish I was there again tonight...