"we sat around a campFire, drank
rooibos tea with rum and planned
the next day … before sleeping
under a starry sky”
and riding skills before meandering down
the mountain ridge. As we descended, the
trail became faster and faster with plenty
of treacherous sharp rocks hidden in the
grass. Rolling out onto the valley floor with
smiles as wide as our handlebars, we took
a detour to the red wall cave. It would have
been such a mystical place to sleep that
we regretted not having brought along our
sleeping bags. We returned via the lower
part of the Skeleton Pass, and spotted a
human skull lying directly next to the trail,
causing a little shiver to run down our
spines. Originally this pass and the other
remote trails were used by slave traders,
and are still frequented by smugglers and
illegal gold panners. Unfortunately, some
of them are not prepared for the harsh
conditions and sudden weather changes.
That night we sat around the cosy camp fire
again, feeling blessed to be there.
The following day we returned to the
park headquarters via the significantly
longer yet less steep Banana Grove Trail,
named after the wild banana trees. While
the track was not particularly technical to
ride, there were many hidden rock traps.
Further down, entering the forest, our bike
skills were fully required, as the trail wound
bucket list busting | MTB | 133