Day 9: Toekomst to Hadley, 130km/14h

Wow, what a tough day! Left Toekomst at 01h15 with Sean W and made our way slowly and cautiously around the tricky Darlington Dam section in the dark. By first light we were just about through the never-ending Gwaas Valley and Sean wasn't feeling good, so we pushed on while he stopped to rest.

The relentless wind picked up and blew into our faces all morning. Those skinny legs were spent by the time we stumbled into Bucklands and he was in two minds about going on.... Some soup and bread and a pep talk from hosts Hannes and Rinnie helped replenish the reserves and Skinny decided to go on as it was only midday. The next hour drained all the topped up reserves however and by the time we got past Tretyre Farm, we had slowed to a crawl.

So Skinny had popped and with the difficult Grootrivier section looming, things were looking a bit bleak! Physically, this was a definite lowpoint so far and the only real option was to stop and rest up.

So we pulled into Hadley Farm where Benni and Anina asked many questions over tea and food and offered Skinny a place to stay and the deal clincher, a hot bath! So he's recovering slowly (and relieved to be out of the wind) and I'm parked outside waiting to see what happens next...