Lockdown pondering from Quest Kaba

By Sheila Musto

You know the quote which goes, ‘The only thing that stays the same is that nothing stays the same?’ Well, a few months ago, I was lulled into that false sense of security that descends when life has been going along predictably well for some time, and distinctly remember sighing to myself, (without smugness but perhaps with some trepidation and that inner longing for a better world), ‘Another year - and all is going well. When will something change?’ 

Dangerous words! Something happened in a place I’d never heard of – Wuhan, China, and everything changed quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. Five months later we have a new world with effects rippling even into the far-flung valleys and hills of the Kaba. Every day I’m aware of subtle changes taking place here. I want to write them down because there’s more chance of ‘capturing’ them before they fly away as quickly as they came. What are these changes?

We are already isolated and fairly remote at the end of the long and winding Kaba road. But now it feels as if we are seriously far away. Under lockdown, people rarely pop in. Just farm-related vets, cattle buyers and Eskom technicians. No visitors or Sunday outings or touch rugby and pizzas in Kenton. No trips to Grahamstown to sample the delights of The Rat and Parrot. Not one occasion prompting a Leo Sorensen De-tox  - yet! (not until the homemade pineapple brew matures) No away-trips to the Wild Coast or Hogsback. We are a small settlement who know that all our requirements for now, must be satisfied here. So the first noticeable change is that a contented, cheerful and patient atmosphere has settled over a typically restless, hasty, grass-is-greener-over-there generation. That’s a huge plus in my book. 

Talking of books, that’s another thing. Guys are reading again. Books have become a key part of life for many. I keep getting another request for the next good book. Then there’s often a game of chess, cards or Monopoly being played on the veranda. Journaling (The Daily) has become an important feature every morning, with strains of Mozart and Braveheart piping thru the Quest centre and welcome wafts of breakfast, cheering guys onwards. This time to pause, ponder and record daily life has made the young men more grateful, thoughtful and conscious of making their days count.  There’s a tangible striving to pursue character qualities that will stand them in good stead. Great conversations about the big questions of life have flowed from this time. 

So our manic, adrenalin-driven lives, normally packed with travel, plans and exciting options, have become quiet. But with quietness, there’s more peace, and with peace there seems to be more capacity for squeezing the juice out of life and enjoying the small things. Funny how less is more, the very thing we learnt from simple, carefree childhoods. The happiest days were often those days made of inexpensive, make-it-up-yourself pleasures. Limitations and peace seem to suit us well and increase our happiness. So counter-intuitive.  

I also see in the young men a greater awareness of life’s hardships, our human vulnerability and inability to control life. Deeper appreciation of the preciousness of family and how blessed we have been. I see a wistful homesickness in some eyes and a weariness in all, but that is to be expected. 

I notice the Quest men are becoming more stoical and brave, less demanding and entitled.If one has bad news from home, everyone feels it deeply. Compassion has grown while competition and cliques have simmered down. Everyone has a place. Everyone is important. There’s no hurry to prove anything. I know I risk being idealistic and overly optimistic;  I know we as humans are utterly flawed to the core, and it’s in our nature to fall short, but having said that, there is a strong core of outstanding young men who are growing like happy, grateful oak trees at the side of a river. 

We are often dogged by many infrastructural hassles on the farm; wi-fi ranges from slow, to intermittent to absent; on-going water problems, caused by porcupine digging up water pipes or the heavy levels of iron oxide and carbonates, result in many occasions of discomfort and frustration; Eskom does its usual thing, often resulting in cold water or no water, and yet I am impressed with the patience and gratitude that seems to prevail for the most part. Perhaps the complaining takes place out of earshot but I can’t help being incredibly fond of this emerging, unspoilt, resilient tribe of men. (Spoiling people doesn’t ever help them become happier, although when they are unspoilt, one can’t resist a little spoiling.) 

A Quest guy wrote ‘Day 100’ above his Journal entry the other day and I reflected that this long, unbroken thread of time has made us realise that for the foreseeable future, we are all we have, and so people are making the most of friendships. Massive laughter frequently erupts and humour bubbles just under the surface. This is good to see. So perhaps we are better able to be better with everyday friendships without distractions and hedonistic pursuits. 

The value in the processes that give structure and meaning to these uninterrupted weeks is profound. The cycles and variety of daily physicals, the Daily journaling, life-coaching, workshop, maintenance, cooking, wood-cutting, vegetable gardening, compost making, butchery skills, carpentry, farm work and business acumen are deeply rewarding. I believe these times are creating an awareness of how much pleasure and skill is derived from these practical hands-on, productive human activities. Producing soup for the hungry, fixing a pump, setting up an irrigation system for the veg garden, chopping wood and arranging it into tidy stacks, transporting it to the township for winter fuel, getting stronger and fitter… these are the things that make for satisfaction, contentment and that happy tiredness at the end of each day. When guys have qualified in their various fields of expertise, and right into ripe old age, I am hoping that they will retain the pleasure of these skills and habits in a world that has lost touch with earth’s realities and basic human needs for structure, service, discipline and good sense.  

Lockdown has touched us all in different ways. While at Quest we have not felt the more common strains of isolation in a confined space, the claustrophobia or boredom, loneliness, anxiety or depression, and have been blessed with beauty, massive space and a community of people who are able to work, there is still the strain of a heaving, suffering world that will impact us all in the next years. 

One feels the burden of preparing the 2020 Questors for the toughest future since the Great Depression but we really believe that the best we can do for Quest men is to continue teaching character principles. In theory and in practice. Now more so than ever theymust experience how to live wisely. This means getting the right amount of sleep without obstructive and addictive social media or gaming habits, practicing the best early morning rituals, (i.e. good sleep, same time rising, 30-minute ‘pipe-opener’ exercise for release of happy hormones, shower, good hygiene, making one’s bed, cleaning up for oneself, spending time journaling) followed by a healthy breakfast. Respect for the body is fundamental. The men who had to leave us and go home admitted when they returned that they still have a way to go in establishing this daily wisdom. They are more determined than ever to get the basic structure right. 

They must experience the benefit of hard, satisfying work with the enjoyment of good rest and fun in between. They must know the satisfaction of being as self-sufficient as possible – growing one’s food, learning about soil, fixing the basics, servicing one’s car. They must learn how to get on with one another and build trust and character marked by integrity, perseverance, self-discipline, courage, and service. They are learning that love is more than just a nice feeling for a pretty girl, but rather is the practice of humility, down-to-earth patience, kindness, self-control, forgiveness etc. as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Most of all we want these men to search for truth with integrity. Men who will want to live for something bigger than their own plans and glory. If we can work toward these goals with God’s help, these special men will be well-equipped to face the challenges of our chastened and sober new world. 

Delivering soup to the local community to be distributed to those most affected by the lockdown.

Leo's First 100 Miler

Written by Leo Sorensen

So the idea all started through a good friend of mine Dylan Weyer. He mentioned that Ultra Trail Drakensberg were doing a lockdown version of their event. The lock down version went like this: your entry fee is a voluntary donation to the Wildlife ACT and Southern Lodestar Foundation. The original events (160km, 100km, 62km, 30km, and 21km) were still scheduled to happen, but at 10% of the original distances as people ran around their gardens or houses. .

At Quest, we are lucky to have a lot of space to run, even during lock down and I thought it would be a good challenge for the Quest boys. So I decided to challenge myself to run the furthest that I ever have run before. I had always dreamt of doing hundred miles (160km) at some point. I thought well let's just give it bash on home turf. No better place to complete 100 miles than the Kaba Valley where I have had the privilege of spending seven years of my life in this beautiful part of the world. I marked out a 16km trail which I would have to run ten times.

Sheila Musto had the idea of running for a cause - to raise funds for a charity. I thought is was a great idea - we could raise funds for the UTD charities, Wildlife ACT and Southern Lodestar Foundation, but we could also raise funds for our local community in Alexandria who are struggling due to lockdown. 

It all started at roughly 16:30pm on Friday the 24 of April. The goal was to run through the night and try complete the 160km's in 30hrs. The first 42kms were quite fast completing them in roughly 5hours and I thought to myself I better slow down, as it's uncharted territory. You never how you going to feel later on. The furthest I had run before was 65km (UTCT). Anyhow, I just kept ticking over. I had my loyal friend Gareth Greenwood who bravely joined me in the early hours of the morning to do a lap. He really lifted my spirits and it was great to have the company.

In many respects I thought a lot about my adventure races and what they have taught me. I've found that the nights are always a struggle. They are lonely and one is often tempted to quit and just give up. You begin to think “What am I doing this all for?” The doubt creeps in. At that particular moment it's important to silence the inner critic. I always find I draw on the Lord in those moments and find He always strengthens me with promises from his word. You take heart and remind yourself to keep going because you can and it's a privilege to run. However, the night also provides good opportunity to process things. It allows  one to reflect on what's important. Running has always been something that brings a lot of joy to the heart, mind and soul. It is why I run!

Eventually morning came and greeted Gareth and I with a heavy down pour of rain. Nothing like wet and cold to get you going in the morning. Eventually the clouds cleared and the sun came up and we had an amazing morning. I found myself singing and my energy levels were good at this stage - I had completed roughly seven laps. I knew the Quest boys would be joining at some point during the day so I was looking forward to having some company on route. The Quest boys had been tasked to do two laps - 32kms, but many of them decided to increase the distance and run a marathon distance - 42km. I was very proud of the way they took up the challenge. The Quest boys who are at home during lock down also put in a great effort to run the distance in their homes.

I recall my 8th lap being the worst of them. I’m not sure why but it just didn't feel that great. I was really needing a lift. My loyal friend Gareth joined again for the final two laps - lap 9 and lap 10. Gareth ended up completing his longest run ever, running 48kms and I was super proud of him. To have him run with me on my final two laps was so special and to have the support of the Quest boys really helped me through to the finish. I was grateful to have finished in 25hrs and 15mins.

It was a such a special day out with everyone giving their all, memorable day indeed for the Quest family. Thank you to everyone who supported me, to those who donated and who joined in on the day.

If you would still like to donate, these are the details:

https://www.givengain.com/cc/utd2020-lockdown-edition

Or else, please give a contribution to food parcels for our local community. You can pay the money into the Quest Africa account, with the reference DONATION.

Account name: Quest Africa

Bank: FNB

Account No: 62048081781

Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ

Reference: Donation

Bob the Builder, Gook Chase with a Twist & Notes on Survival

Bob the Builder

by Sebastian Prevost

So I became Bob the Builder last week. Group 5 started their technical training week with Uncle Dean learning how to use a chainsaw. It turns out that it’s a spectacular and extremely useful tool. All the Friday The Thirteenth movies (they are horror movies for those who didn’t know) are horribly unrealistic. The amount of times you have to check and top up the fuel and chain oil, you could easily evade a chain saw murderer. We then used our handy new skills to slice and dice some wooden beams as we got to work at bush camp building a shade cover. We mixed our concrete and put in the foundations. We then put in the 3 A frames with cross beams and used wire to make the structure super sturdy. Uncle Dean was was full of his usual hilarious sometimes inappropriate jokes, sadly I can’t tell you any of them for “what happens at Vegas stays in Vegas.” All in all it was a great week and, to be honest, doing all the technical, DIY work made me feel right at home, like I was doing some project around the house with my dad. 

Notes on Survival

by Alexander Holme

2 March

The journey to survival was stunning, I was focusing on preparing myself mentally for the upcoming week, I’d already prepared myself physically - lots of food and a last minute poo.

When we arrived at Craig Doone farm, outside of Grahamstown, and were greeted by a botanist who owned the farm, Wayne Vos. While we stood in parade, he gave us a talk about the farm and survival options. We left the farm house, and the electric fence, on our way to our allocated spots in the more wild areas of the farm. On the way, I picked some lichen from some of the trees which would later be used to start our fire.

When we reached our location, the first thing that we did was move to the cave to discuss whether to try and sleep in it or build a shelter. We chose the latter, and after finding a fallen down tree that we could build from, we spent the afternoon building a shelter that could withstand rain, with sand on the floor and a layer of soft leaves above, three fireplaces, plenty of spare firewood and a roof made of willow branches, so thick that you couldn’t see the sky through it.

We finished our shelter with time to spare so I took a bath in the river and then we all huddled together and went to sleep. Every time I fell asleep, I would wake up 15 minutes later to put wood on the fire so that it didn’t go out. It was a very long night and I only managed to sleep properly towards the end of the night when I was relieved of fire duty and had two stones on me to see me warm. I felt frozen through but my mind felt strong.

3rd March

This morning was the hardest. Jamie visited us, and he looked terrible, similar to us. I followed him back to their shelter and it was only about a kilometre away but felt very taxing with low energy levels. They had built a nice teepee with lots of space but just one fire. I returned to our shelter and we spent the morning collecting rocks to build some extra insulation for our shelter. This was tough going with no energy and a head rush every time I stood up. Taygan decided to spend time preparing for a night in the cave because the night was the worst of his life. I tried to sleep during the heat of the day and finally fell asleep despite the constant barrage of flies. I didn’t sleep for long but woke up with a lot more energy.

After a nap, Mathieu and I went crab hunting with Gareth. We managed to catch 3 crabs and took them back to camp and removed their guts to use as bait to catch more. We feasted on 11 crabs that day. I spent the afternoon building a brick wall, a door, and some extra foliage insulation. We shared some crabs with Echo group and were given some blankets for the night - we were living well. I slept for almost the whole night - it was uncomfortable but it was warm and it was sleep.

4th March

I woke up before everyone and while it was still cool, chilled at the cave and wrote. Sheila visited us and complimented our shelter which was a morale booster. There were no crabs today but we did find some roots that we could eat. I spent a lot of energy and then ended up burning my roots. It wasn’t a very productive day but we visited Echo group and learnt how to tie knots.

I relaxed in the afternoon and practised my knots, slept, build a chair, fixed the wall, added some leaves and had a deep conversation with friends about some of their struggles. The conversation quickly declined into talking about food and all the things we wished we could eat, and inventing recipes involving Nutella and condensed milk.

We had another rough night with tensions in the group rising.

5th March

Our last full day of survival! I got up and made a fire. Mathieu joined me and helped with the fire and we practised our knots (ref knot, sheet knot, clove hitch, alpine knot and a bowline). We had very little energy, I felt faint every time I stood up, but we went crab hunting and managed to catch two and cook them. Tensions and general discord were high in the campsite.

We ate, kept practising our knots, and I tried drawing Mathieu. Then Jim arrived to test us on our knots and rewarded our practising with half an apple each. More drawing. More talk of food. Touch ups to our shelter and a mission to find friends, talk rubbish and compare how skinny we were all getting. We also got a visit from Jim and Gareth where they gave us a briefing for the next day and a rusk each.

We retired to our shelter, thinking we would get a good night’s sleep and not knowing the drama that awaited us. Pieter was on fire duty and noticed the dry leaves of our shelter catch fire. He beat them furiously and I had full faith that he would put the fire out, until he made a break for it and scrambled out of the shelter. My adrenalin spiked and I followed, with the rest of the group hot on my heels. Unfortunately we hadn’t grabbed our gear and there was no way to get into the shelter because a third of it was up in flames. Taygan shouted “Knock the wall down!” and after half a second of resistance to the notion of pulling down my wall which had taken so many hours to build, and which I was so proud of, I smashed it down and we safely retrieved our gear. Despite the adrenalin, our spirits were high as we watched the 7 meter flames slowly burn down and warmed ourselves over the embers. We retreated to the cave where we made two fires. The one against the granite rock made the rock crack, shooting shrapnel at us - my blanket got burnt through a few times but nothing to serious. It was not a comfortable night on the rock but we stayed positive, talked about food, and made it to the next morning.

6th March

Time for our final challenge - we had to climb to the top of a hill to signal Jim - it was overcast so mirrors wouldn’t work and we had to search for firewood to light a signal fire. Eventually our signal fire was lit, we were given the go ahead, and I ran down the hill, jumped onto the stretcher we had made, and was carried out of survival.

And then it was time for breakfast - army mix, a long wash, boerewors rolls and boiled eggs. Then clean clothes and toilet paper and I felt like a new man.

We walked from there to the cliffs where we would be rock climbing, and the walk was tough as my stomach readjusted to being full of food. I volunteered for tea duty and snuck in plenty of cups of tea while at it which gave me the boost I needed to push myself and complete the hardest climb.

On the drive home I felt so contented and it was fun returning to Quest and comparing notes and telling stories to the group. I was so looking forward to dinner and it was incredible. I managed seconds easily - even though I lost 5kgs, it good to see my stomach hadn’t shrunk too much.

Saturday Gook Chase with a Twist.

by Sebastian Prevost

Our Saturday epic was anther Gook Chase but bush camp became the new home base and rules of engagement were still the same (rugby rules) but now there were four guys defending bush camp, armed with six paint ball guns and extra gas. The rest of the chasers had two walkie talkies and had to be further then 200m from bush camp unless they were bringing in a gook. The gooks had checkpoints to reach before they got their weapons cash, yip they were also armed. Things got busy in the last hour as our spotters were screaming and you would see a hoard of catchers run down the gooks. Price double tapped Angus. Tate and I peppered Machu. Rom was doing somersaults, it was all good fun. One gook group came in over time so the rules became iffy as we were catching them within the 200m zone and Oscar was running without a mask on and I hit his shirt with the first shot but I then realized his naked face so I stopped shooting and just saw Rom intercept and nail him into the floor. I think that of the 16 gooks, only one made it back safely (not even though cause Rom threw him in a bush aswell, but it was too close and he was, as Gareth Greenwood said “already safe” ). It was still fun to watch our Faf take out guys twice his size.

An Epic Surprise

Saturday had been very relaxed, with the Questers having lots of time to recover after pushing ourselves on the benchmark tests. With dinner finished, the boys were enjoying their free time; some were playing table tennis, some reading and some getting ready for bed. 

Then the Gong rang. 

 The yell of "PARADE!". The rush of footsteps. And rapid, but silent, assembly in our parade order. 

 We were greeted by Jim, telling us that we had fifteen minutes (rather than the normal 30) to pack our overnight bags and return to our positions. Another flurry of footsteps. Clothes and bags flying everywhere, and the boys still barely made 20 minutes.

Since Groups 3 and 4 were staying at Bush Camp this week, they couldn't pack their bags and so were told to wait in the bus. The leaders of Groups 1, 2 and 5 were given directions, and so they headed out to their sleeping locations.

 To Group 1, 2 and 5’s surprise and confusion, the boys staying at Bush Camp would not be joining them, sleeping out under the stars. Instead, they had a malicious task: poaching the other Groups' equipment while they slept. 

---

Joe Edwards ('Innocent') 

My group, Group 2, was given our map and, to our dismay, we saw that our destination on Saturday evening was over WTF and 500 meters across a series of bushes and dunes. 

 We arrived there and almost instantly fell asleep. Most of us sleep well in the soft sand, only slightly uncomfortable due to the occasion ocean wind. However our sleep was interrupted when two of our boys noticed that their bags were missing. Not thinking anything of it, other than it being a case of misplacement we went back to sleep. 

When a third bag went missing we knew something was up and then we caught one of the thieves and forced him to confess his plans. He told us just enough that we were able piece together what was happening. 

---

Having secured the remaining bags to our bodies, we slept the remaining hours until first light. And being mildly irritated at losing our equipment, we decided to split up and reclaim some of our belongings from Bush Camp before setting off back to Quest. 

We ended up claiming one of our original bags that had been stolen. However as a form of taxation we also took 2 pairs of shoes and a day pack that belonged to the Bush Camp boys. 

Overall we learnt a valuable lesson about taking care of our possessions and sweet revenge.

---

Alex Holme ('Raider')

Keagan, Matthieu and I approached the furthest checkpoint with no light, the wind was loud, covering for any mistakes on our part. We found the first three targets in the bushes, leaning in and taking our time we extracted all three of the bags. 

Keagan went back with one to call the rest for collection. Matthieu and I then went to the nearest large tree, we got to work on releasing the bags from the hammocks and stealing their shoes. I heard a faint voice from behind me ‘who's that?’, I replied calmly with my name and convinced Oscar-Brett that we were staying the night. He fell asleep and Matthieu and I crept off, we collected the bags, using their torches for light. We were ecstatic and still buzzing with adrenaline. 

---

Michael MacFarlane ('Raider')

Given nothing but a map and limited details as to what actually to do, the bush camp group Golf, was handed the task of hiking and stealing as much gear from the three other allocated groups sleeping somewhere outside the 1500 hectares farm Quest is based on. The event went on for hours into the night, having hiked to the three different locations and finding the best strategies to best sneak up on and take what we can without getting noticed. However, the boys know not everything always goes to plan, with other groups getting caught and battling to see who came out on top. The epic event was one to remember with new lessons learnt and fun had.

---

Jared Nicolle ('Raider') 

The night started off well enough. After a short movie, we all headed back to Bush Camp to strategize for the night ahead. At midnight, we set off in search of our bounties: our fellow Questers' most vital equipment. Unbeknown to the groups camped out on the farm, four groups of four were to pillage and plunder their gear in the early hours of the morning. 

After hiking up hills and dunes in the abyss of night, our group stumbled across the sleeping bodies scattered among the brush in the given location. 

With the utmost stealth (admittedly, some more stealthy than others), bags and shoes silently disappeared into the blackness, silhouettes and footprints being the only proof of the encounter. 

All in all, we did well, and after a brief tally and securing of the 'stolen goods', fatigue set in as the 'raiders' retired for a few much-needed hours of sleep, broken only by the shouts of boys realizing the 'crimes' of the night. 

---

Seb Prevost ('Innocent') 

It’s1:30 am and I hear a little rustle from my rain jacket. I tilted my head back to see a human in Quest gear who I instantly thought it was one of my teammates packing their things to walk back. I checked my watch. Realizing something was wrong,  I sat up in my sleeping bag, I knew my shoes were loose and they were messing with my bag so I asked if they stole my shoes. After a brief excuse, they shook my hand and walked off like nothing happened.

The next few minutes I checked the camp. Shoes were gone and 3 of the seven bags were missing. I knew exactly what was up. The guys at bush camp were told to steal our bags. I checked the time and knew they would be back in about an hour. They were. We saw them crawling towards us and jumped out of our sleeping bags and shone our torches, yelling. After a few long seconds, with them looking akin to deer in headlights, they bolted. 

In a final attempt to steal more gear, they came back at 3am and just ran straight at us with their headlamps. 

After a 'crushing defeat' - we were prepared - the retreat was sounded, with nothing but one sleeping bag cover. After letting our 'captive' go, he ran away with his tail between his legs. 

In the end, everyone thought we were crazy because we couldn’t stop laughing, but we all thought the game was just so much fun. The only thoughts going through our minds while walking home barefoot, was that we can’t wait to be thieves! 

Another Saturday, another Epic and some Survival Insights

By Matt Tate

Another Saturday, another Epic! Saturday morning had everyone panicked, as the pressure was on to pack our overnight packs, but this time we only had 30 minutes to pack, instead of being told the night before.

The team leaders were given maps of the route we had to take, which had four points on it. At first glance, the map appeared different to that which we had been given before. This was largely down to how vague the topography was however we soon deciphered it. We were driven to the starting point on the map, one of the 4 points, and had to make our way through the other three markers, all within 4 hours.

The drive to the start was around 20 minutes, and any drive that long makes a Quester nervous. After being dropped off, we made final adjustments to our bags, then departed at 8:30.

Soon, we had made it to the beach, after a short stretch of dunes to get there. The beachfront is always best to hike along, since hard sand results in much less effort required. 

Five kilometers later, we made it to our second checkpoint, aptly labeled Ladder. As we learnt two weeks ago, most of the beachfront is below a cliff, and the Ladder stands near the beginning of these cliffs. This ladder was a 50m rope up and inclined cliff that finished off as a set of metal stairs. 

From there, we had to make our way through eight kilometers of dunes, all the way to our favourite, behemoth of an obstacle, WTF. This time, however, we had to ascend it on the reverse side, which was slightly less steep, but felt significantly longer, especially after all that time on the sand, not to mention the 15kg packs we carried with us. 

As we approached, we realized we had a small problem. Due to the fact that we normally approach WTF from the farm side, we never registered the large forrest that blocks the path from ocean side. With time not on our side, a decision was made to throw caution to the wind and go through rather than around. 

The bush ended up being thicker than anticipated, and so we had to 'bundu bash' our way through it. It stretched on for around five hundred meters, and after all of that, we still had to scramble our way up WTF.

After the climb, we rushed down the other side - which we usually ascend - and started to doubt that we would make it home in time. Most had scaled WTF by around 11:45, but the walk to home, our last checkpoint, was another five kilometers, and even a fast walk wouldn't make it. So began one of the hardest runs of most of our lives.

After all of that, only group 3 and 4 made it home before 12:30. The other groups finished 1’30” over the 4h time limit, after having run the 5k, as a group of 22, carry 330kg of extra pack weight, in under 25 minutes. It was a momentous achievement but one that can be better, in the future. 

Exhausted after the run and hike, the camp descended into silence as the Questers retired for an afternoon nap.

Bush Survival

By Jan Harm Duvenhage

Bush Survival - one of the most anticipated weeks in the Quest program.

There are many aspects of Quest that are humbling - from your hair being shaved to wearing the same kit as everyone else, but this couple of days in the bush is probably the one that humbles you the most.

There are mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness around the group, but the expectation is still vastly different from reality. 

Most of us here at Quest hope that this week in the wild will awaken the true survivor in us and turn us into a Bear Grylls of some sort, but this type of survival is very different to sitting around a campfire your dad made, telling ghost stories and roasting marshmallows. This is the real deal.

Limited clothes and ordinary equipment is the only source of protection between you and the unpredictable forces of mother nature. 

You think you're up to the task?

It can even make the toughest oakes into a full blown mama's boy. Who can blame them?

Being used to years of moms cooking and being exposed to some of Veronica's and Edi's speciality dishes out of the quest kitchen, it's hard to adapt to only a couple of food rations throughout the week. What can I say, you can't change the wild, but the wild can definitely change you. 

Just keep in mind, Africa is not for sissies. 

Term 1 Rotations, Two Nights in the Bush, and Our First Gook Chase

Rotations

By Matthew Tate

Each Monday, groups start moving around. Group 2 joined Group 1 in bushcamp, where they learnt survival skills, shooting and trapping, building shelters, and so on. Their food was rationed in preparation for next week- survival but they did forage for some food - like the unfortunate porcupine which ended up on the braai and was apparently delicious. They spent the entire week isolated in Bushcamp, and only returned to the main campus on Friday afternoon. They also had a solo 'survival' night, where they had to spend 24 hours in solitude, but this night they had everything they needed - food, sleeping bag, backpack, even matches for a fire! The following week for them will not be so 'luxurious'.

 Group 4 headed out to a campsite, Horns Up, on the Kariega River. Their days consisted mostly of fitness, with a session in the morning, then a long kayaking session with Jim after breakfast. After lunch was a shorter, more technical Kayaking session and then the last physical; either a run or sets of push-ups, burpies and lunges.

Group 3 and 5 stayed back at home camp, where things stayed relatively normal: physicals in the morning and afternoon, and teaching sessions in between.

Group 3's week consisted of "Life 101" with Sheila in the morning, working through their own lives and getting to know each-other in the group better. In the afternoon, they alternated between community work, and working in the wood-workshop with Cameron.

Group 5 were in the butchery from Monday to Wednesday, where they started off with butchering a waterbuck and processing it into venison biltong, boerewors (spiced sausage) and burger patties. The "A-Grade" meat went towards the Biltong, and the rest, including added fat (because fat = flavour!), was turned into mince, and after processing, the wors and patties. On Wednesday, they skinned and prepared a pig for the next week's group. On the Thursday and Friday, the group swapped between farming and learning about horse-riding.

Everyone returned back to home on Friday afternoon, for the second time trial, which really started to show how our fitness has improved, with some even shaving off 7 minutes from their previous time.

Room Inspection

By Echo Group

When Leo Sorenson stamped up our stairs, all of us were confident that we were going to pass inspection. He scanned the perfectly swept floors - spotless. He then checked the bedrooms and the neatly made beds - perfect. As he checked the bathroom all of us were smiling. There was no way that he could fail us now. But when I saw the smile on his face I knew that it was game over. His sharp eyes had spotted a blade of grass in the basin. He turned round with a grin and said, “Right, bush tonight boys’. We had to sleep around about 3kms away from the campus but luckily we were allowed to take our sleeping bags. Parade started at 5:30am the next morning which meant an early start to get back on time. 

Unfortunately our group did not learn from our mistakes and that day we found ourselves failing room inspection once again. Sleeping two consecutive nights in the bush, not something I would like to do again, but certainly a great experience and a great incentive to keep our house spotless.

Our First Gook Chase

By Matthew Tate

Saturday was an Epic, although very different to last time. This week we did what is called a 'Gook Chase'. A 'Gook' was a bandit during the Rhodesian Bush War, and the term was used here for the 'bad guys' who - similarly to in Rhodesia, I expect - had to escape the chasers, while making it to key checkpoints to “destroy” them (take a photo of them). They then had to make it back to the office without being caught - a feat of note! The checkpoints were anything that 'supplied' our campsite, from Reservoirs, to borehole pumps, and so on. They had to take photos of the targets to prove how many they had “destroyed”. 

The 'Gooks' scored according to how many checkpoints they made it to, as well as how many of them made it back uncaptured. The Chasers scored according to how many 'Gooks' they captured. You could capture someone by tackling them - rugby and wrestling rules only - and then securing their wrists and/or feet. 

 The game started at 9, when Group 1 & 2 (The 'Gooks'), were dropped off at different places on the farm, in groups of 4. They had until 1pm to make it back, free. The Chasers left the office at the same time, but obviously on foot. The first few hours were relatively calm, with only a few chases actually happening, and very few of them ending up in anyone being caught, as it really is difficult to track someone through a forest. 

 After those hours, however, things started heating up, as 'Gooks' made breaks for the cattle grid, which marked the start of the road back to safety, an important part to pass, and one that was difficult to do so, as it was heavily 'guarded'. It was soon figured out that capture didn't mean surrender, as people tied with zip-ties tried making breaks for it, most of which were futile, but some ended in 'freedom' for the odd 'Gook'.

 When the game ended, all 'Gooks' that were in captivity were classed as 'captured', and so the people who had them scored points, but the few who were neither in captivity nor safely back by 1pm didn't gain any points for making it back. Luckily, there were no major injuries - besides the odd bruise - and the boys all thoroughly enjoyed this week's epic. Jim tallied up the points, and then everyone had lunch and disappeared for a much needed nap. 

Our first Saturday Epic

Written by Matthew Tate

Saturday 8th Feb

Our second Saturday at Quest marked the first of many Epics to come. The challenge was set out as a hike, with various points to navigate through, however, it was also a race against the other groups. 

In the morning, we were told to pack 'overnight bags', which had to include the following; our sleeping bags, water, lunch, suncream, jackets, and a few other miscellaneous items. The bags had to weigh at least 15kg, which is a lot for a day's hike! 

Two boys per group were given their phones (with a GPS app) to navigate with, on which we plugged in the 8 different checkpoints. At 7am sharp, we headed out. 

The first checkpoint was at the top of a hill called Devil's, at a small Reservoir. The hill isn't steep, and so it was good for most people to get used to the extra weight of their bags. 

The second stop was at the top of a grown-over dune, aptly named WTF, which marks the entrance to the dune field. To get there, was a short trek through a forest, which again wasn't too challenging. The challenging part was the dune itself. 150m tall, and the path up is all soft sand. The angle, in addition to our bags, meant that we would occasionally have to crawl up on all-fours. 

From WTF, it was time to head to the tallest dune in sight - Juliet. She stood around 3km away from WTF and is 100m taller, and grew ever-taller in our sights with each stride. Traversing the dunes takes a little planning, as it is best to stick to the ridges of dunes, as that's where the sand is the hardest. It also means there is less elevation change. 

Next stop was The Beach, which marked the turnaround point of the adventure. Another 3km from Juliet, and at the bottom of a sandstone cliff. The difficult part was finding somewhere to traverse down safely. Eventually, at the marker, there was a slope heading down, instead of just the sheer drop. Here was where some boys decided to take a quick dip in the ocean and eat a quick snack (like the apple given to us for lunch), before heading back up to the next point. 

It was time to start heading out of the dunes, and the way out was over another dune called The Wall, which was similar to WTF, but the other way around: the steep side was heading out of the dunes, instead of into the dunes. Nothing too special about it, except everyone was starting to get sick of the sand and constant change in elevation. 

On the other side of The Wall, was a short forest, with an overgrown - and evidently hardly used - path. It opened up into a field, which you traverse towards the Western Border Gate - the next point. The gate was locked which forced the boys to become creative and clamber, some more gracefully than others, over to the other side.

The 7th stop was at the top of a hill called Tortoise. It was long, but at least it was solid ground - grass! Some good views on the way up, but nothing technical. The last stop was probably one of the toughest, at least mentally. From Tortoise, the path followed the boundary fence down into a valley, called Zebra Valley, and then you had to work your way up a steep slope, all the way to the top of a hill called Buffalo Hill. It stood 300m tall, and felt even taller. 

The view from the top was incredible, and we could see almost all of the path we took throughout the day. The walk back down Buffalo was cheerful for most of us, and was where we started feeling all of our aches and pains again: feet, legs, hips, shoulders, spirit, sanity, you name it.

The route took us through the Kaba Valley and back to the Quest campus. Group 5 and 3 tied for first, and walked back in Parade-fashion, whilst singing our "Quester's Song". 

In total, the winners took 6hrs 45mins, walked over 25km and endured a kilometer of elevation gain. 

All the boys finished and came through with dignity and pride of the feat we accomplished, as well as a much better idea of the farm and surroundings.