I woke up feeling sticky. Sleeping last night was difficult because the desert sand beneath my tent stayed warm all night. The only way I can think to describe it is like an electric blanket.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m sticky, I’m uncomfortable. And there’s only one cure for that when wild camping – baby wipes (or wipeys as my wife calls them).
I slowly sit up in my one-man tent groaning like an old man. It’s a little cramped inside. I reach for the baby wipes and have a “wipey shower”. Four baby wipes later and I feel almost as if I’ve had a real shower.
I crawl out of my tent and make coffee for Jan Lucas and I. Marc’s a tea guy.
Today is our big dune day. We’ve been waiting for this day the whole trip, because none of us have ever been across the Hartmannberge and into the dunes beyond.
We’ve put so much planning into having enough petrol, food, water, safety, sat phone – all for this one day.
Why?
Because is the most remote we’re going to be on the entire trip. I doubt we’ll see anyone once we enter the dunes. If something happens, we need to be prepared – and I feel that we are.
Except, after I fill my two 3-liter hydration bags, we notice that we’re running low on water.
“Why don’t I ride back to Ben’s shop and see if I can buy water?
They guys look at me as if I’m crazy to volunteer to ride back the way we came, but unanimously agree that it’s a good idea.
I just want to ride more sand. I mean, how often am I going to get the opportunity to be here – and not only here, but here post lockdown after nobody has been here for almost a year. This is once-in-a-lifetime stuff.
I blast off to the shop. The air is crisp and I open up my bike, straying from yesterdays tracks to enjoy the virgin sand.
Topic: Virgin Sand In Kaokoland (a post lockdown adventure) (Read 20592 times)
