Your 4x4 Rental Adventure Begins Today

By Author: Steven Norris
Total Articles: 3764
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It's time to shake those winter woes! Spring is here and the muddy trails, thanks to the onslaught of rainfall this year, will soon dry up and be replaced with dusty trails. These trails are desperate, waiting for a 4x4 rental like yours to tear it up, replacing the fresh mud with tire tracks and the smell of exhaust fumes. What is it about the unfamiliar road which compels us to explore? This long, endless trail that stretches into the horizon, why do we seek to discover it? If you are anything like me, then it is the spirit of adventure that obliges you to ride on into the distance. We all have a story to tell, a story about replacing a burst tire at 3 in the morning and narrowly avoiding a fruit bat attack. A story about the time your land rover was firmly stuck in mud and it took the joined strength of two cows and 3 locals to haul you out. We all have a legend to create for ourselves. I know mine; let me tell it to you.

Please note that I recommend a trip like this to everyone. If you cannot afford to purchase a 4x4, then a South African 4x4 rental should be in order] It all started with a trail near Clanwilliam, ...
... called Boegoeberg. This trail incidentally, is where a large supply of Buchu is cultivated, emitting cool side effects when you inhale it. Completely legal side effects mind you. My 4x4 was juiced up and revving to go. A 2000 Jeep Wrangler sporting a fading coat of red paint, a new set of tires and a full tank of gas. Bingo, I was on my way. The trail was only +/- 30 km's long but I had the inclination of making it a fully fledged day trip. My van was loaded with the necessary gear: GPS, rope, axe, medical supply bag, dry food, my wits and condoms (they make the best waterproof skin for your mobile phone).

I began at 4am, with an ochre sky creating light and fluffy pastel coloured clouds and illuminating the sweeping vista of my personal African sky. I had slept in my Jeep to avoid the hassle of packing up a tent and my back pain could attest to this poor choice. My hand confidently pulled my ride into 1st gear and with the depression of the accelerator, I was off. My choice to begin early was a prudent one and observing nature as it awakens is truly a sight to behold. I also prefer to enjoy my adventure trails alone, as a nattering companion always wrecks my concentration. The first goal on this trip was a small pass called "Buurman-se-gat" (translated as neighbour's hole}. I decided to stop here to take pictures and catalogue the variety of wildlife for my personal 4x4 Blog. The sun was already towering over me and baking its cancerous rays into my skin. Where the hell is my sunblock?

The day rolled on without hesitation, as it always will. My goal was the Platklip viewpoint, a point of breathtaking panoramic views and natural beauty. Only 4 hours had passed since I had begun yet I must profess that I took this journey fairly slowly. As I rounded yet another steep corner, the entire horizon opened up to me and gravity, that harsh mistress, decided to punish me fiercely. My rear tires spun out of control and I lost complete control of my Jeep. I had collided with the slippery carcass of a buffalo and it had decided to latch itself onto my rear wheels, causing me to slip and slide. I would have believed that a Jeep provided first-rate control...

Imagine yourself to be a bird, flying upwards from my dilemma and you would have spied a faded-red Jeep hanging over the side of a cliff, with only the empty husk of a tree keeping me from death. I wish I could have passed out; it would have saved me the embarrassment of a taxi pulling me back to safety. Yes, a taxi with ‘BORN FREE' stencilled onto the side saved my life. They took my hook-rope, winched it onto their bonnet and reeled me in. Once I had separated the dead beast from my wheels, I drove slowly and carefully, back to the main road and my inner-city loft. This is the end of my story, but the start of innumerable others that I will still endure. 4x4 trails are in my blood and it is going to take a lot more than a dead cow to stop me from enjoying my passions.