iME trip report - Guy Boardman

ECOTRACS - TRIP REPORT

Date

From

15 June 2005

19 June 2005

Venue

iMfolozi Game Reser= ve

PRINCIPAL REPORT COMPILED BY

Guy Boardman

Purpose

Following on the su= ccess of the HME (Hluhluwe Mapping Experience), Ecotracs was invited by Craig R= 30; of NCS to assist in the GPS mapping of the Imfolozi Game Reserve. Their exiting maps of the park were outdated and required the compilation of ne= w and accurate, road and management tracks.

Participants

Vehicle

From

Route & Distance Traveled

1. Keith Richardson=

Land Cruiser GX 100=

<= /o:p>

Randburg=

2. Mike Lauterbach<= o:p>

<= /o:p>

Land Rover Defender=

<= /o:p>

Greytown=

Wartburg, Tongaat, = Nyalazi Gate

3. Roland & Mar= ie Bosse

<= /o:p>

Range Rover <= /o:p>

Kloof

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

4. Guy& Elsa &a= mp; Irmarie Boardman=

<= /o:p>

Land Cruiser FJ43

<= /o:p>

New Germany

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

5. Peter & Gare= th Tiedt & Adelle Malan

Land Rover 110 SW

Pinetown=

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

6. Donald & Cha= rlotte Pittendrigh & Veronica & Alexander

<= /o:p>

Land Cruiser <= /o:p>

<= /o:p>

Richards Bay

<= /o:p>

7. Anton & Elda Van Es & Tristan

<= /o:p>

Mazda

Richards Bay

<= /o:p>

8. Chard & Beat= rice Black

<= /o:p>

Land Rover

<= /o:p>

Umhlanga=

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

9. Hein & Elna<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Van Zweel & Regard

Land Cruiser

Amanzimtoti

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate – 272k= ms to Masinda camp

<= /o:p>

10. Ricard Cerone

<= /o:p>

Willys Jeep

<= /o:p>

Durban<= /o:p>

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

11.Dave & Margot Raulstone

Colt

Kloof

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

12. CJ & Andra<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Kid 1 Kid <= /o:p>

Land Rover 90<= /o:p>

<= /o:p>

Richards Bay

<= /o:p>

13. Willem De Waal = +

Friend

<= /o:p>

Mazda

Richards Bay

<= /o:p>

14. Andre & Ger= da Tesselaar

<= /o:p>

Land Cruiser

Durban North

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

15. Peter & Jan= ine Zagel

<= /o:p>

Land Cruiser

<= /o:p>

Kloof

Durban, R-Bay, Matubatuba, Nyalazi Gate

<= /o:p>

Prior arrangements, accommodation bookings and contact info

1. Following on the= success of HME DP contacted Craig …… (Manager iMfolozi) and made the necessary arrangements for accommodation at the .. camp=

Tel Number

E-Mail

WWW

DO= CUMENTATION REQUIRED

Passport

X<= o:p>

3^rd Party

X<= o:p>

Drivers License

√

Letter from Bank (HP)

X<= o:p>

Proof of Insurance

X<= o:p>

Vehicle Log book

X<= o:p>

Letter of invitation

X<= o:p>

VE= HICLE REQUIRMENTS

Warning Triangles

√

Towing Chevron

X<= o:p>

Yellow Hazard Tape

X<= o:p>

Recovery Gear

Tourist roads can be traveled in cars. Management tracks require recovery equipment. River bea= ds are treacherous two vehicles got stuck and had to be winched out. Take ca= re when proceeding across river beds.

Accommodation 1

Ablution

Separate Ladies and= Gents, bath shower and toilets, hot water but not always on tap

Bungalows

3 Bungalows availab= le. Staff utilize 1 of the bungalows

Camping

Campsite under shad= ed trees. Many sites are not level.

Other

A equipped communal= kitchen is available Thatched lapa viewpoint on water reservoir. Magnificent for sundowners.

GPS Co-Ords

Water

Clean water on tap.=

Fuel

Petrol available at= Mpila Camp. No Diesel available. Diesel at Matubatuba

Cost

Nil. Mutual back sc= ratching exercise.

Recommend / Warning

Camp is not fenced.= Lions were heard and Elephants came within 25 meters of the camp fire. Elephants also pierced the plastic water tanks in search of water. Be careful with = food known to attract wild animals. Take precautions at night.

GPS DETAILS

Ma= ke

Ex= ternal Antennae

Tr= ack Log

Co= mments

1. Keith Richardson=

GPSMAP76CS

Yes

Resolution: Auto + = most often

2. Mike Lauterbach<= o:p>

GPSMAP276C

Yes

Resolution + 2m

3. Roland Bosse

Etrex Vista

Yes – re-radi= ating

Auto + more often

4. Guy Boardman

Garmin GPS-V

RF Designs Ext=

Not kept=

Auto + medium<= /o:p>

5. Peter Tiedt=

Garmin GPS-V

RF Designs Ext=

Auto + medium<= /o:p>

6. Donald Pittendri= gh

GPSMAP276C

Yes

Distance + 10m=

7. Anton Van Es

GPSMAP276C

Yes

Resolution + 4m

8. Chard Black=

GPSMAP76=

Yes

Auto + Most Often

9. Hein Van Zweel <= o:p>

Magellan=

10. Ricard Cerone

GPSMAP76=

Auto + Most Often

11.Dave Raulstone

Yes

12. CJ <= /span>

StreetPilot III

Pre set<= /span>

13. Willem De Waal =

GPSMAP276C

Yes

Resolution + 2m

14. Andre Teselaar<= o:p>

GPSMAP76=

Yes

Auto + Most Often

15. Peter Zagel

GPSMAP276C

Yes

Resolution + 3m

COMMENTS

Since this was a co= mmunal exercise to log the iMfolozi tracks, all GPS data was collated by Mike Lauterbach = onto one track log. This was forwarded to T4A= for collation into the T4A map.

Individual quick comments

1. Keith Richardson=

2. Mike Lauterbach<= o:p>

Another great outin= g with this great group of friends! May there be many more successful outings like these.

3. Roland Bosse

4. Guy Boardman

Once again a great = trip. Mike is to be congratulated for his excellent organization of the allocat= ion of routes to be mapped.

5. Peter Tiedt=

6. Donald Pittendri= gh

7. Anton Van Es

8. Chard Black=

9. Hein Van Zweel <= o:p>

Okay, Okay. "D= it was fffflippen lekker" amper se ek "foken lekker". I pay beers= for a trip report with my name at the bottom...Any takers?<= /p>

10. Ricard Cerone

11.Dave Raulstone

12. CJ <= /span>

13. Willem De Waal =

14. Andre Teselaar<= o:p>

15. Peter Zagel

DA= Y 1 – Wednesday 15 June

MAPPING: Sometime after arrival a meeting was called and Mike allocated route schedules and= we were divided into teams for the mapping drive for the following day. Each route included a section of the normal public roads but also included a management road to test articulation.

Guy: Hein, Roland, Mike and I met at Stanger - Sell Ultra City at about 14:= 30 and drove in convoy to Nyalazi Gate. Road conditions were fine, with tarred r= oads all the way. We arrived just before dark and proceeded to set up camp. Bo= th Hein and I had brought our big tents and all our regular camping paraphernalia along for which we were teased by the minimalists, however after 2 hours of work, we had two prime camp sites set up with a view too= die for, street lights and some mock and tease which lead to the establishmen= t of segregated areas. Hein and I settled the argument and named our area of t= he camp Upper iMfolozi being clearly indicative of our achieved status in life as oppos= ed to those who resided in their “Bobbejaan Boudoirs” or slept on the ground. Following the meeting a communal fire was lit and there was imbibing of chemical substance, but purely for medicinal purposes.

One or two of the l= adies were restless, hearing sounds in the bush. Obviously they were just heari= ng things or had been overdosed by their other halves. Approximately a kilom= eter away we heard lion roaring. They had made a kill there a day or two earli= er. The ladies persisted in hearing this thing in the bus, until someone went= and fetched a hand held spotlight. There was nothing wrong with the girls ear= s, since the spotlight lit up an elephant bull that was moving along where t= he cleared grass meets the unfenced bush, some 30 meters from the campsite. = To quote Oom Schalk Lourens of Herman Charles Bosman fame, there was just one kind of running that was done and that was the fastest kind. The proximit= y of the Elephant kind of dampened further visitation around the fire and ever= yone retired to their tents. Sometime later the upper iMfolozi residents heard some rather strange sounds coming from the area behind the lookout tower.= The following morning Conservation Services repair crew arrived to fix the wa= ter tanks. Our elephant had pierced the plastic water tanks with his tusks to= get water, since the river was probably just too far away for this lazy bugge= r. Their intention was to electrify a fence surrounding the tanks.

Mike: Chard and I pitched our RRTs, (Pent-houses, also called “Leopard Lairs” by PeterT, and “Bobbejaan Boudoirs” by those envious, with bread vans, and without a head for heights) in “lower iMfolozi”. Street lights were not necessary= by the tough inhabitants of this suburb, who were content with being close to nature. PeterT, the unusual= ly quiet one, took it one step further, and pitched his tent virtually in the bush. Somehow we did think = that it was not to be closer to the lions and elephants, but to be more seclud= ed from the rest of us. The ca= ndle lit table was testament to this.

<= /o:p>

DA= Y 2 – Thursday 16 June

MAPPING: According to the excellent route maps produced by Mike, Hein and Keith, g= roups departed from about 08:00 to map the various areas allocated. He idea was that with more than one vehicle doing a route, we would be able to produc= e a confirmed track, by presenting two tracks for downloading to Mikes PC, wh= ich would ultimately be incorporated into one consolidated map.

After consolidating= the maps a short meeting was held. It materialized that within one day we had covered almost all the tracks that we were required to do. Some tracks ne= eded a second trip to confirm them and here and there, short sections had been missed out or seemed to be non-existent. Mike gave details and routes were allocated for the following morning.

Guy: Peter T and I set out for the north eastern section of the park. This proved to= be relatively easy but as the day continued, we realized that we had not budgeted sufficient time to complete the whole exercise. We agreed to spl= it up and divide the route so that we at least covered all the tracks. The d= ay was made worthwhile when we spotted a leopard crossing the road. We retur= ned to camp at about 16:00 with most of the other groups arriving shortly afterwards. Whilst braaing, Elna again heard noises in the bush. It turned out to be our lazy elephant, which had come back for more water. It seeme= d as if the elephant was aware of electrified fences, since he did not attempt= to pierce the tanks with his tusks this time.

Peter T: The day was an excellent outing, and an opportunity to suss out the lodge accommodation. Most lodges = were idyllically situated on the banks of the iMfolozi, with excellent facilities. The NE section = of the park was very dry. Excellent birding. Met up with Guy ag= ain towards the end of the day and traveled back in convoy.=

<= /o:p>

Da= y 3 – Friday 17 June

MAPPING: Teams set out for their different destinations, re-covering tracks and routes to ensure accuracy of the mapping detail. Upon finally collating all the rou= tes that evening. Mike announced that we had completed the exercise, since the Thoboti river track was deemed impassable by a local ranger. All other roads had been mapped = and confirmed. He had sufficient data to draw up the maps for T4A and NCS.

Guy: The southern boundary of the park seemed to be the route that presented the highest demand on articulation and everyone was keen to try this area. Ch= ard, Mike, Ricard, Keith, Peter Z and Guy set out with San-Marie Ras the local section ranger to map this area. Probably the longest route, but also the most scenic and … demanding. San-Marie was a mine of information and her presence added tremendously to the days pleasure. We stopped for lunc= h on the banks of the iMfolozi river after which we attempted to cross. As Mike attempted to cross the river it was noticed that he had flat front tyre. = The tyre was pumped and changed after the crossing, which was not difficult. However, Ricard in typical jeep-drivers-fashion chose an alternative route and got stuck on the rocks. Keith managed to snatch Ricard out, but since= he had stopped in the water flow found himself bogged down in the soft river sand. Ricard now tried to snatch Keith out but he Jeep was too light and = he was eventually stuck chassis on the sand. Peter Z saved the day and first winched out Ricard and then Keith. Keith unfortunately had to cut his sna= tch strap since it could not be removed. With both vehicles on their chassis,= the snatch strap had stretched between him and Ricard to the extent that the shackles cold not be undone. Upon returning to camp, the group joined for sundowners at the lookout point a= bove the water reservoir. Guy and Mike set about repairing the tyre using Guy’s bead-breaker in anger for the first time. The elephant did not return that evening, or if he did we were unaware of him.

Peter T: Best challenge of the day was the fenceline track running northwards from the Cengeni Gate. This was a steep climb (over 300= m), with many deep ruts and loose rock. Low range first gear with diff-lock was required to ascend some of= the steeper sections. Adel (fir= st time taking the Landy on such terrain) acquitted herself admirably on this section, (up) and I took over for the descent. Back to camp late after some bir= ding at the hides.

Mike: Before Ricard chose the unfortun= ate line through the rocks, he entertained us with some “swallow dives” in the cold, shallow river water. After this, someone declared him= to be our “club mascot”.

<= /o:p>

DA= Y 4 – Saturday 18 June

MAPPING: All tasks having been completed, this day was open ended with each person traveling any route that they wanted too. GPS data was downloaded again t= hat evening by Mike to once again confirm routes previously driven. Keith found the one remaining mi= ssing track, the Thoboti river track. He was prevented by completing it by a donga in the NW, and a fall= en tree in the SE, but these two obstacles were close enough to compile the track. Now we were happy th= at every track and road was properly mapped.

Guy: Hein, Ricard and I drove the North eastern route. Along the way we stopped at w= hat seemed to be a NCS game capture sight. There were some lovely “bok-drolle” and an impromptu “bok-drol-ver-spoeg” competition ensued in which Ricard excelled. It was decided to collect mo= re “bok-drolle” and extend this competition to the rest of the g= roup that afternoon. It however did not take off. Since the majority were aver= se to putting a dry “bok-drol” in their mouth. Shame on them. Th= is could have become part of Ecotracs culture and history. Supper consisted mainly of “potjies” which by arrangement most of the group had agreed to make.

Peter T: Adel and I spent the d= ay birding, sitting spots near the river, and also some grassland birds near a game capture boma. Rest of the d= ay was spent at the mPapha Hide. Returned early to prepare the beef curry potjie.=

Mike: <= /span>After a lazy morning, packing our camping gear, PeterT, PeterZ, Chard and I set off home in convoy. Just past Matubatuba, my double patched tube disintegrated, forcing us to fit the spare tyre. Of course interesting comments w= here made about Guy’s Bead Breaker and none about faulty applied patches= or bad patching techniques. Th= e rest of the journey was incident free, and brought another fine weekend to a close.

<= /o:p>

Da= y 5 Sunday – 19 June

The mapping exercis= e being completed everyone spent Sunday morning packing and following their greetings, made their individual ways home.

Guy: The journey home was not without incident. Driving home with Hein and Donald = in convoy, just after Matubatuba, the Bruiser’s accelerator cable snap= ped. A “chocolate block” wire -connector produced by Hein soon resolved the problem and the two sections were linked. When stopping to refill at Ultra City, Hein notice= d fuel leaking from under the Bruiser. Luckily I had some spare fuel hose and a quick replacement job resulted in far better fuel consumption. This weekend like the previous weekend mapping Hluhluwe was great. Good spirit, good friends and good times.

Peter T: An easy ride home. Assisted Mi= ke with a puncture near Mtubatuba, otherwise trouble free. All equipment performed flawlessly. During the week= end I had the opportunity to try out the LeisureQuip 12v bush shower, and found= it to be a very nice piece of equipment.

<= /o:p>

&nbs= p;<= /o:p>

<= /o:p>

LE= SSONS LEARNT / COMMENTS

Don’t snatch someone if you there i= s a good possibility of you getting stuck as well. The resultant extende= d snatch strap will not be able to be removed from between the two vehicles without huge difficulty or ultimately having to cut the snatch strap= .
Check your fridge manual. I had problems with the fri= dge the whole weekend, only discovering after the weekend that the overr= ide switch was “On”, and this was causing everything to free= ze solid.
Mike - Tubed tyres in thorn bush country = are not ideal. I have since removed my tubes, and the punctured tyres did not need patching R= 11; it seems that thorns leave “self sealing holes”.
Mike – Ecotracs has become a “= ;well oiled machine” when it comes to mapping. Our results speak for thems= elves – we achieved our aim of mapping every required road, track and place, with amazing accuracy. We have most of the required equipment, and only need minor improvements (an antennae here and a Landy there…J.). There are also many hidden talents – the potjie meals were outstanding.=