It's rogaine time!

This weekend bring with it one of my favourite-favourite annual events, the 8hr Foot Capestorm Rogaine. Yes, 8hrs of running in, through and around forests in search of controls - as many as you can nab in 8hrs. The key is getting back 'home' within the 8hr period, or risk losing points with every minute that you're late.

I always describe rogaining to people as a version of orienteering where you receive a map with controls scattered all over the area and you have a limited time period to 'collect' as many controls as you can. But, it's a bit more than this because it isn't about getting as many controls as possible; it's about getting as many points as possible.

The controls are points ranked; those that are further away from the event centre and more challenging have a higher point allocation than those that are easier to get and closer. Ideally participants should not be able to get all the controls on the course so this brings in a strategic element because the team with the most number of points wins.

This means that you need to plan your route really well to sweep efficiently through the course.

In past years I've run with a mix of people - most often with my orienteering buddy, Tania. The women's trophy is ours ;) This year Tania is away so I'm running mixed pair with my Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge teammate, Steven. He's keen on developing his navigation skills so rogaine will be great for him, even though the controls are not as technical as regular orienteering.

This year we're in the Kaapschehoop forests; recent years have been at Lakenvlei. I haven't been to Kaapschehoop since... mmm... maybe 2005? The rogaine was held there again in 2007, but I was overseas so I missed the event. It will be fun to be back in this area - almost like running in virgin terrain.

Hip-hip-hooray!

Ah... World Rogaine Champs (WRC) in NZ (South Island, just North of Christchurch) are coming up in late November and Nicholas and Ryno will be taking part! I ran in the previous WRC in Estonia in 2008 with my friend Heather Graz. It was quite an experience (and freezing cold!). These are 24hr rogaining events and I think they stand out as my most favourite duration. World Champs are only held every second year and I hope to make it to the next one in 2012.

Cocoons

My silkworm cocoons.

I have no recollection from childhood of this massive variation in the colour of the cocoons. I seem to remember them all being dark yellow? I thought that the way to change their silk colour was to feed them other leaves, like beetroot for red and cabbage to white.



Hymenoptera (bees, wasps).
Silkies are Lepidoptera
(butterfly, moth family)

My silkies all ate the same leaves and they lived in the same box under the same conditions. They started spinning way before their siblings, who a guy from work kept. There were hundreds of them! I think that mine got so big and started to spin first was because I had a small number in a big box - 'goldfish' effect perhaps?

There was no correlation between first spinners and later spinners and the colour of the cocoon. It's quite remarkable. Also, the worms were all big and yet some (lazy buggers) spun small cocoons. 

My little friend and I were reading up on the web this week on what was happening inside the cocoon. Yes, that big word... metamorphosis! Silkworms undergo a complete metamorphosis, which is called holometabolism. We learned the difference between a pupa and a chrysalis too.

And, we learned what happens to all those silkworm pupa that are 'left over' when the cocoons are used for silk. Yes, they're eaten - steamed, boiled, fried, canned... Known as beondegi, they're a popular snack food (for entertainment, try a Google Images search on beondegi).

Now we wait for the moths to emerge. The first should be out this week. Amazing what happens in two weeks! An incredible transformation and re-engineering. It's got me thinking of the 80's movie, The Fly.

Get a... what?

On Saturday I attended a sporty lunch where one of the ladies, who follows my blog, was asking after my silkworms and their progression from fat worms to cocoons. She asked whether I had made them spin shapes (attempt one-and-only ended after an hour when worm escaped and got attacked by ants - I rescued him, killed the attackers and he survived to spin a cocoon) and other questions around these silly worms.

I return to my table as the conversation is ending and it picks up again with other people. After a few minutes the one guy says, "You really need a boyfriend". I'll comment on this in a moment...

A bit later, I'm walking past the table where the above mentioned lady was sitting and I stopped to say hi to some of the other people. The silkworm thing comes up again and another mindless guy comments, "You need to get a life".

First of all, taking an interest in something other than oneself - even if this something is a box of silkworms - does not constitute the need to either get a boyfriend or to get a life and both comments are insulting.

Silkworms are interesting, amusing and transient pets. They're a lovely diversion from non-stop work, emails and organising. Although my original plan was to keep 10 for me and 10 for the little girl who visits me daily, I kept all of them - my little friend has never had silkworms and she was not keen on them at first. She subsequently went with me to pick leaves, she got bold enough to touch them and she has monitored their spinning progress. We've also looked on the web to learn about their lifecycle and she now knows what a pupa is. This week we'll spin some thread on to her school pencils and our first moths should appear in another week. I've been fascinated too and I plan to have more silkworms next year.

Society has not progressed much in the last 60 years because people evidently still have issues with a smart, intelligent, multi-talented and sporty woman in her 30's who is not tied into a long-term relationship or a marriage with 1.7 children? Growing up, my ambition was a Nobel prize and to revolutionise the world, not to have a family. Now, I don't care for the Nobel prize but I do hope to change the lives of many people for the better; and I still don't want a family. [I can recommend the 70's classic, The Women's Room by Marilyn French]

As for getting a life... this has to be one of the most ignorant comments directed my way in some time. It's also a bland and empty cliche. What is 'a life'? I breathe, eat and sleep; thus, I have a life. So does lichen and fungi.

I've mulled over this posting for a few days and I've written it because these guy just happened to articulate what others think; perhaps of me and certainly of people around them.

I take interest in many things - books, people, activities, flowers, spotting satellites, little creatures, cooking - and I enjoy sharing things that delight me with other people. Both of those comments were totally inappropriate.

Since I have no issues with my marital status nor my [too] full and active life (I'm rather proud of both), I'd guess that the issues are theirs.

Special Suikerbos

In recent months I've run the day hiking trail at Suikerbosrand many times. It is well maintained and a pleasant 10km loop. The two-day hiking trail is the one that I like more, but after two runs early this year through grass up to my eyeballs and overgrown trail, I'd avoided that side for months.

I suggested to my Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge teammies that a run out there could be fun and good for time on our feet. We were up for giving the two day side a try. This 24km route only takes around 3h30 to complete.

Lizelle, Adri, Lisa and Steven

Well! What an absolutely magnificent morning and the trail in perfect condition as the area burned this season. I don't think that this eastern side of the reserve has burned for a few years, which would account for the overgrown and impossible-to-follow-if-you-don't-know-where-you-are-going situation I'd encountered before.

I absolutely love the bright green of fresh grass shoots; the colour is amplified by the black background of burned ground. This new green carpeted most of the route. Some flowers are out, following the recent rains - they will be spectacular in a week or three. And, the highlight was seeing dozens of eland, some zebra and a jackal!

I've seen eland there before - in the distance. This time, emerging from the 'fairy forest' we saw one eland standing across from us. I thought this was pretty cool. Steven spotted the jackal running on the hill above the eland.

Adri and Lizelle in the 'fairy forest'

We emerged from the valley onto the higher plain and Steven and I were looking towards Adri and Lizelle, who'd stopped at a sign posted low wall - I wanted to take a photo.

Nearby, on my left were six eland, just watching us. What was really sweet is that when we started running single-file along the trail, the eland started running, following us for a good while until they reached the place where they met the road.

Running 'with' us

And then, up on our right were another three eland. After passing through the overnight camp, we headed out another valley and frightened a few eland into running across, from right to left. We turned to see where they were running to, only to discover a huge herd of eland! There must have been 40 odd animals there. I've never seen some many of these elusive and shy antelope before. That was really special.

More downhill, to the left

I've had an interest in this antelope for some years. In my first year at varsity I did Archaeology I and my favourite component of this was San rock art. Eland are highly regarded by the San as potent animals and they were often painted. There are many paintings often in reference to therianthropy, where shamans take on 'eland traits' during trance dances.

This is a nice little piece from a Wiki entry on South African rock art.

Rock art shares the same San religion, consisting of San trance or San power. If San religious beliefs are understood then the rock art can be explained. The San believed in a tiered cosmos with realms above and below the material world. Once an eland had been killed, a link between the realms was created. The eland (often depicted with shamans) was a main symbol of trance due to its fat, the prime container and essence of trance. Rites of passage are initiated with eland fat. These include: marriage, boys and girls initiation (with the boys first successful eland hunt), and trancing. Once an eland was killed, a shaman would ‘dance eland potency’ and enter the spirit world, often depicted in rock art. The shaman would go through a trance, seemingly gaining animal senses, and enter the spirit world. Once in the spirit world, they could make contact with God and important spirits. The shaman would be given supernatural power in these meetings. There is a key aspect of the San belief that needs consideration: everything that is taken from nature must meet the needs and must not be more than what is required. Anything that is taken has to have a purpose and must meet the needs of the community.

The rest of the run back to the start was pleasant. A super morning out. I have never seen Suikerbosrand looking as stunning and fresh as it was yesterday.

Re-drawing of an eland from San rock art

A quick break for a snack