Richtersveld Mountain Trip - 20th to 24th March 2008 For those that have never been to the Richtersveld, it is an amazing place with very interesting history. The Richtersveld is a Mountain desert and has the largest variety of succulants of any place on earth and is home to the halfmens tree. I fell in love with the Richtersveld in 1998 and since then I have been back to explore and take interested people into the area 93 times. Where does the Richtersveld begin? I believe that the Richtersveld begins at the Steinkopf, Port Nolloth road and covers the area north, with the Orange River being the northern boundary. This assumption is the most logical as the Richtersveld was named after Dr Richter who was the Inspector of the Rhenish Mission Society of Berlin and their main mission station was established at Steinkopf in 1836. Details of Dr Richter's travels are sketchy but since he started visiting the area in 1830 one would assume that he traveled to the Orange River as well as to it's mouth. A few years later mission stations were established at Lekkersing and Kuboes and both towns are mentioned regularly in early prospectors journals and fall into the area described. The original inhabitants are thought to have been Khoi who moved north as soon as the settlers moved into the area. These people left numerous painting on cliffs and caves in the very southern part of Namibia. The Richtersveld as we know it started to develop when the first white settlers arrived around 1830. The settlers were either missionaries or prospectors and both groups were prolific cartographers with the first maps being made in 1885. Up until this day prospectors dreams have been shattered in the northern Cape with only very small deposits of copper, gold, asbestos, mica, diamonds and fluor spar being found. Prospectors like Solly Rupping, Dr Jack Otto, Hendrick Beetz and Fred Daniels all planned to get rich in the area and according to available information no substantial deposits have ever been found in the area. Stories of gold finds were never substantiated but if they were true the location of these sites was kept secret. The demographics of the area changed between 1949 and 1953 when the government of the day moved the white farmers out of the area and a group of people, 'the Boschluis' people were moved into the area from Kenhardt. These people settled around a town called Stinkfontein which was later renamed Eksteenfontein after Ds. Eksteen who was very involved with the community. Our trip started just outside Cape Town on the N1 with Hein, Corne and Chris joining the convoy, Jorg joined us in Klawer while Andy and Clive met us near Soebatsfontein. The official trip only started on Good Friday in Springbok but a group of us set out at dusk for Garies and Soebatsfontein. The Easter weekend traffic had not started yet and other than a small amount of traffic between Citrusdal and Clanwilliam the road was relatively quiet. After crossing the Olifants river bridge the road climbed towards Klawer with the regular flash of the cats eyes on the centre line keeping us company. Turning into the Klawer Engen we pulled over and had supper while watching the traffic pass. Every now and then there would be some banter on the radio from some passing offroaders and just as quickly as they appeared on the radio they disappeared as they passed over the following ridge. We joined the migration north and soon had passed Nuwerus and Bitterfontein and soon the lights of Garies blinked in the distance. The road zigzags north west and as we reach the crest we turned west towards Hondeklip Bay. Deflating tyres to smooth the ride we rode in the moonlight towards the Soebatsfontein turnoff. Luckily we only had one gate to open and soon met up with our second group who were already asleep and the promise of a big fire and coffee were drowned by the snores emanating from some tents. We pitched our tents hastily in the dark and slept until dawn. Our two groups departed in different directions, Russell's group to Springbok via the old prison ruins and Greg's group via the remnants of an old trail which has not seen regular use for many years. Descending the mountain pass we were met by local kids shouting 'easter eggs, easter eggs!' Arriving in Springbok we found the garages and streets littered with 4x4's and finally managed to get some fuel. Bruce called to say hello and while I walked across to say hello the over anxious pump attendant filled my Cruiser with diesel instead of petrol. Almost two hours later and with help from Hein, Morne and Andy and lots of moral support from Du Toit, Peter, Dave, Clive, Chris, Jorg and Corne, I had the tanks filled with petrol and we were on our way. Years ago I had met a lady who owned a mine in the area and the first stop was to say hello. The house was closed up and with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius in the shade I guess they had headed for the coast and so we continued into a dry river bed and to our first overnight spot. The full moon and the stars were a sight to behold and put the whole Easter season in perspective. The flames leapt into the sky casting shadows on the cliff wall and lighting up the folks sitting around the fire. Meat was being braai'd and stories were being told of previous trips and adventures and soon the sounds of tent zips replaced the laughter and as the moon rose overhead sleep carried the dreams of the day and the next four days into the twilight. Looking for a photo of the group Morne came across some dinosaur prints that had been etched into the rock. The prints the size of an extended human hand had three toes and had been left in mud which had been solidified in time and were now displayed on a piece of rock. We left for an abandoned mine which I have visited many times. The road to the mine has many halfmens trees watching over the road. The ancient peoples from the area believe that as they were chased from the area by other tribes those that looked back on the land were turned into halfmens trees, the story reminds one of the Bible story of Lot and his wife. The tree is also called the Noordkyker and the stem bends to the North. We leave the mine and slowly leave the valley as we ascend up a pass towards another abandoned mine. The Richtersveld has many old mines and most have been left slip back into the landscape. One always admires the dreams that inspired people to start a mine in the mountains, build roads and transport large equipment. Heavy rain during the last few years have left many tracks washed away and it is almost an art to follow one's nose and find the track which lies on higher ground. We reach our camp and get lullaby's by a very squeaky windpump. Easter Sunday is another beautiful day and after breakfast we follow a track high into the mountains. The views are breathtaking and I guess you can see for forty kilometres or more. We reached an abandoned herders kraal on the summit and stopped for lunch while absorbing the views. After yet another descent and ascent we descended a track with dongas eroded almost half a meter deep. The crossing proved a challenge and once back on the track we turned east and entered a river bed with large thorn trees which was to be our camp for the evening. The sun baked down on us and the air was still. The odd breeze was welcomed and as the sun moved to the West the shadows grew longer and the air cooled. The fire was once again the centre of the proceedings and many new friendships were forged while the smell of food permeated the air. This being my ninety third trip I once again felt priviledged to have spent so much time in the area logging the pectoglyphs, photographing the mines and chatting to the local herders. The Richtersveld is a very special place! Thanks to Andy and Janine, Clive and Linda, Morne and Alex, Corne and Erika, Peter and Barbara, Chris and Brenda, Du Toit and Anli, Jorg, Dave and Judy, Hein and Zelda who travelled with me and to Gloria, Brigitte and Aimee thanks for joining me on my adventures. Greg van der Reis Founder of the 4x4 Offroad Adventure Club