Mad Manny about to do 69

[KurtG]

Let me nitpick....

Of your three rules Hedgehog, the last one can lead to issues IMHO.

What happens if I go to Botswana for a tour and I’m driving a Disco 3 and the crank snaps right near the end and the vehicle gets low-bedded out of there, but I’ve driven through most of the places I intended to see and camped and used low range etc etc etc.

Am I now not allowed to count this tour on my list?

[Hedgehog]

Let me nitpick....

Of your three rules Hedgehog, the last one can lead to issues IMHO.

What happens if I go to Botswana for a tour and I’m driving a Disco 3 and the crank snaps right near the end and the vehicle gets low-bedded out of there, but I’ve driven through most of the places I intended to see and camped and used low range etc etc etc.

Am I now not allowed to count this tour on my list?

I see why you say that, and yes this could be a difficult thing to swallow.
but yes, it should not be counted, because it was you who chose the Disco to go offroad with..
We should learn from these things

But more seriously here is my reasoning:

It's like attempting Briekmerk, failing and claiming that you have done it. Or doing Carnage, and just completing 30m of the 500.. Can you then say that you "did" Carnage?
I suppose you could, but did you? Not in my opinion..
Well in truth, you tried... but no you did not "DO" Carnage.

So the guy with the Disco (you) can say he tried to do a trip to Botswana... But came back on a flatbed.

Another point to consider:

If you drove there, but cam back on a flatbed, where you the principal driver? (The first rule)

[KurtG]

Fair comment, but I am seeing two different things here:

1) One of them is about “getting out there”, like starting to do exercise for your health and getting fitter so that you can live a better life.
2) An “Über Competitive, win at all costs” event, no space for second place!

Each has their place, for sure, but the 50 trails challenge’s premise was always about number 1 above

[Mad Manny]

Agree.
I did put in certain rules to keep the initiative in the spirit originally intended.
For example, I don't allow guys to tow the vehicle to the event.
You must be the principle driver - not the passenger.

When Francoise Herbst asked if he could substitute one of the Seven Devils with Carnage, I agreed.
But I said he must get to, at least, Dead Dog Gorge. I then also went to the event & watch him for two days.

But, in the end, it's not a few grey areas or a few holes in therules that is a problem - the 4 categories of UTM all rely heavily on trust & ethics.
So if a guy is a complete knob, he can fabricate his achievements & post them. I do ask for proof on a 'spot check' basis. But that can be circumvented.

That is why I'll never offer prizes or reward (other than to the 1st guys).

[Mad Manny]

Andrew, to respond to your points in post #8:

Wolwekloof - should not have appeared twice - I have removed the duplicate.
Carnage Canyon - I did not claim it as an event I did - I claimed it because I used L/R to get there (struggled to get the trailer across the stream) & camped for two nights.
I also walked about 4.8km of the 6km of Carnage - back & forth.
Passess - I angered over this for days. But I just felt it unfair for a guy who does Sani to get one & a guy who does 5 or 6 or even 7 passes to also get one.
So eventually I decided a pass counts as one.
Some passes are easy & some not (Ongeluksnek was tough as was Ben McDhui especially in the weather we had), but others can be done in a RAV4.
Van Reenen's pass does not count - obviously.


It is therefore possible for a guy with a Subaru Forester & a ground tent, to do 50+ outings & qualify as a UTM Cinquenta Conquistador whilst another guy does stuff like Moegatle including the Klim, Att se Gat including Briekmerk etc...

But a guy doing Comrades Marathon in 09:01 gets the same medal as the guy finishing in 11:59.

[Hedgehog]

Cool

Anyway, what impresses me most is how the guys remember all the freaking names of the places they have been to!

[Jeanvn]

Does driving the EC Baviaanskloof 4x4 trail in a 4x2 Isuzu with difflock count as 5 trails on the UTM board or not...asking for a fruend

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I would say in your case it counts as at least 7!


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[grips]

Cool

Anyway, what impresses me most is how the guys remember all the freaking names of the places they have been to!

I had to phone some buddies to get the names of some of the places I had been.

[grips]

Does driving the EC Baviaanskloof 4x4 trail in a 4x2 Isuzu with difflock count as 5 trails on the UTM board or not...asking for a fruend

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Ray van Rensburg of Voetspore fame started out doing Richtersveld outings in a old Volks Wagen Kombi for many years. Most of the Kalahari tweespoorpaadjies were made by 2wd Ford F100, Chevy, Dodge and Studebaker. Some of those old tweespoorpaajies are 4x4 trails today

[Reenen]

[emoji3541]

[Mad Manny]

Anyway, what impresses me most is how the guys remember all the freaking names of the places they have been to!

Yes, the guys struggle.

Flipside sent his list, he was just below 50. He said he did more & couldn't remember the others.
I looked at his list & found a few places I had left off my list.
But then I noticed he left off 3 places we had done together on a Nelspruit trip that Die Skim had arranged; Riverwild, Nzikazi River & Piet se Pad.
I also saw he had had omitted an obvious one, think it was Groenkloof.
I went back to him & he added the four.

So reading other people's lists helps you remember.

[Mad Manny]

During September I hope to complete my 75th trail (Taaibos) & my 76th (going to the Clarens region end September...

So still on track to get to 101 by the end of 2021...

[Ricof4e]

Hope that somewhere between 77 and 101 you will join me in doing Van Zyls...

[Martin de Jager]

Manny ,
My count now stands on 70 after completing this past weekend,

[Mad Manny]

That's outstanding Martin...