Doug less

Just before the ascent, Doug, in his usual fasion, gives us a very quick guide and tells us to meet him somewhere and at some point. It goes straight over our heads and he powers on ahead with two of the group right behind him. For Doug, it's a race. For the other three of us, we take our time. Katarina is still a little car sick from the (always) bumpy ride across Namibia, made much worse by that last ride over the sand. But she perseveres and ever so slowly that Big Daddy gets closer, even though as each ridge turns a corner, you realise you have so much further to go.

It is tough going. The sand is deceptive. If you can see a distance by sight, it will be twice the distance on foot. Despite the advice to follow in the footsteps of your predecessors, the sand still slips, many times you miss your step entirely and you have to regain your rhythm. Add to that the play on perspectives. The ridge of sand alone doesn't provide enough texture for your eyes to gauge distance. You see a line, but you have no idea if it's 100m long or 1km. It can be disheartening. However, just one look around and your heart is given a kick.