Hogsback and the Hobbit Trail Run

In late April I found myself in the small, and I do mean small, town of Hogsback. Located in the Amatola Mountains in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa it really is a small place. In fact it’s so small that to call it a town might be somewhat misleading. Village would probably be a better description as it’s somewhat smaller than a town and I suspect that to describe it as a homestead would be a bit of an insult to its residents. Let’s put it this way. If you were driving through it and closed your eyes for sixty seconds you would have missed it. It reminded me of that town called Cicely in Alaska that featured in the hit 80’s TV sitcom Northern Exposure.

Hogsback wasn't nearly as difficult to get to as I had thought. I literally just flew to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town, rented a car and then drove up. The road was in good condition and well signposted. Hogsback itself is another story however. I don't think I have ever encountered so many potholes in one main street ever before. Potholes are a bit of a bugbear of mine. I mean they are not exactly difficult to fix and yet this just never seems to happen. I have a sneaky suspicion that the locals in Hogsback only drive in a straight line down the main street when they are drunk. Sober and even in a four by four you find yourself swerving left and right as you frantically try to avoid the potholes.

I spent Friday night at the Arminel Hotel in Hogsback. I really enjoyed my stay there. The staff were super efficient and friendly. The rooms were great, food awesome and they had a bar with a roaring fire in the evenings. I can imagine that it gets really cold here in the winters and this cozy bar with its roaring fire must be a welcome respite from those cold winter nights. I highly recommend the Arminel Hotel.

Hogsback is a magical world of mountains, swirling mists, forests and cascading waterfalls. It is situated high up in the Amathole mountains of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, and is surrounded by centuries-old indigenous Afro-montane forest. This amazing forest is one of only two grade- one indigenous forests in South Africa. The forest has some huge trees, such as Yellowwood, Iron Wood, Stink Wood and many, many others. Extremely rare species such as the Cape Parrot , Knysna Lourie and Samango Monkeys still flourish here.

There are species of butterflies which are only found in these mountains along with all sorts of fungi, mushrooms and delicate mosses. The Amatola Mountains are also home to more waterfalls per square km than anywhere else on earth. I also noticed what looks like fresh dog poo on the trail. Believe it or not this is digested soil from giant earthworms that can grow up to one meter in length.

The Amatola Forest in the Hogsback area is often claimed as JRR Tolkien's inspiration for The Lord of the Rings, in particular for his fictional forest of Mirkwood. I can see the similarity but I have to point out that JRR Tolkien was born in the Free State town of Bloemfontein. He went to England with his mother and brother when he was three years old, and never returned to South Africa. Thus, it is highly unlikely that Hogsback in fact inspired his fantastical trilogy, or any of his other writings for that matter. However it is a amazingly beautiful place and I can see why the connection between the two was made.

I was in Hogsback to take part in what is called The Merrell Hobbit Trail Run. In a nutshell it’s a two day trail run that covers the entire length of the six day Amathole Hiking Trail. The Amatola Trail (6 days, 100kms) is marketed as “The Toughest Hike in South Africa” and I think it lives up to the title. So to try and run it in just two days is quite a daunting prospect. Just thirty courageous, or crazy depending on your point of view, runners get to share in this experience once a year. You have to qualify to enter and I can now see why. The race organisers had warned us that this would be a “tough, gruelling, exhausting trail run” and we should be prepared to be out for “between seven to 15 hours per day” and that “chances are you might only complete each stage after nightfall.” The race organisers are very upfront about this and a quick perusal of the terms and conditions in the entry form confirm this. I don't want to bore you with excessive legal jargon but to give you a better idea I have copied some excerpts from the medical section below.

Medical

This Journey is a serious challenge even to a mountain goat. Due to the nature of the trail this event should be considered extreme.

EACH PARTICIPANT MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.

There will be emergency services with 4×4 vehicles on the course but be aware that they could take several hours to reach an injured runner – hence the compulsory equipment.

Helicopter evacuation, or any hospitalisation transport or hospitalisation, which will be at the athlete’s cost.

Should the race medic declare any participant unfit to continue, he or she must withdraw from the event.

And so on it went. I am still not quite sure about the legality of using mountain goats in legal agreements. Perhaps the attorney who drafted this one is a nature lover of sorts. Seems a wee bit unfair to drag some poor mangy mountain goat into a legal agreement.

Depending on whether you get lost on route or not, the trail is 90km of mostly single track mountain paths. It passes through indigenous forest, plantations and mountain grasslands. Although the route follows the hiking trail maintained by the Department of Water it is not route marked for the race.

The adventure started at four o’clock on Saturday morning. You need to bear in mind that it’s pretty frigging cold in Hogsback and getting out of bed at four in the morning is not as easy as it sounds. We were then driven to Maden Dam which is a 100km drive from Hogsback. This is the starting point for the trail. From the very beginning I realised that this would be a tough trail run. Even the flat sections in the forest were difficult to run. Also bear in mind that you have to self navigate and find your own way along the course. As a result you have to be self sufficient and there's quite a lengthy list of compulsory equipment and clothing that you have to carry with you.

The distance of the trail is a bit of a topical issue. It's 90kms but just remember that it is self navigated and it's not unusual for people to get lost on route and add on another ten to fifteen kms. Runners tend to suffer from a bit of a sense of humour failure when this happens.

Day one took us from Maden Dam, through the enchanted indigenous forests and up the intriguing Amathole Mountains up to Cata mountain hut. The last few kms up to Cata mountain hut were incredibly tough. I finished just as the sun was setting.

You need to be made of strong stuff to deal with Cata hut. There is no hot water so forget about having a warm shower. You also share the hut with 30 other runners. The guy next to me, or at least I hope it was a guy, started snoring just minutes after I crawled into my sleeping bag. I eventually realised that I was never going to be able to get any sleep with him next to me so eventually settled on sleeping outside. This turned out to not be such a hot idea as the wind picked up in the early hours of the morning and I found myself heading back into the hut. OK so you need a bit of a sense of humour to deal with the overnight stop at Cata hut but looking back on it now it was pretty cool. There was a great sense of comradery shared by the runners. Note to self: next time heed the race organisers advice and take ear plugs.

The second day of 43km began at five in the morning. It’s not easy dragging your sore body out of your sleeping bag in the pitch dark and heading off up a mountain with nothing but a headlamp to help you find your way. Although we did have compasses and maps with us they are not easy to use in the pitch- dark and the howling wind. Day two starts with a three kilometer climb up a mountain before you start a very long descent down. Sadly at this point my ITB flared up in my left leg. It got progressively worse and worse until I was unable to go any further. Luckily I was able to get to a checkpoint with medics and seek assistance. Obviously I was upset not to have been able to finish day two but sometimes we have to make these hard decisions. The medics kindly gave me a lift back to the finish at Hogsback. A long hot shower and a nourishing meal made me feel slightly more human again.

If you happen to have a fancy for waterfalls then you will love the Amatola Mountains. You see so many amazing waterfalls that after a while you loose count. When I said earlier that the Amatola Mountains are home to more waterfalls per square km than anywhere else on earth I wasn't kidding. If you have a penchant for chasing waterfalls then this is the place for you.

What makes this trail run so special is the diversity. The forests, flora and fauna, mountains and endless cascading waterfalls all add up to make this trail run unique among trail runs in South Africa. This is a must do for an experienced trail runner. Looking back on it my only regret was doing it alone. With only 30 odd runners out on the route doing it alone can make for a lonely experience.

I think that the Hobbit Trail Run encapsulates the spirit of trail running. This is not a flashy race but rather an adventure with a family feel to it. If you are looking for a finishers medal then this is not the race for you. This is where you come to see things that you would not normally see, to be part of a small family of trail runners and to push yourself beyond what you thought you were capable of doing. In this regard I think that the race organisers have done a fantastic job. They have managed to find a way of offering you the adventure of a lifetime without over commercialising the experience. The sweeper Mike was also awesome and did a fantastic job. If you want to find out more about this adventure then this video is well worth watching. Alternatively you can check out the race organisers website for further information about some of their other epic trail runs.

And guess what? As tough and grueling as it was I will be back again next year to finish what I started.

Colin Chaplin, Cape Town.