WELCOME
TO 2005
From your
Club Committee and Leaders, we hope that you had a good Xmas and New Year and
that the year 2005 will bring happiness, fulfillment, and lots of enjoyable
hiking with many new friendships made.
First of
all a very big thank you to Mark and Mary for hosting and organising the very
wonderful Club Christmas gathering enjoyed by the party goers at the farm. Also our thanks to those who got involved
with the day. The Xmas present
organisers who sorted tickets for the presents, the braai lighters, tea
and cake providers, food providers, table and chair bringers, gazebo
attendants, "fuffi" slide, life guards, whistle blowers,
judges, war-cry teams, and everybody who came and enjoyed the day. Well that just about sums up the day.
For those who couldn’t
make the day, have a consolation drink, you missed one of the finest days of
the year. The setting at Mark’s farm
was incredible. The house high up on the bank, looking down on the dam. Plenty of shady trees to sit under,
and a wonderful crowd. Mary, sorted
teams, organised tasks, and allocated jobs to everyone. Each team had to produce, and VENT their
war-cry - (some of us cried), some of us produced incredibly rousing war cries
in a short space of time and executed them wonderfully - all during the
pre-race braai time, and then - all competitors and event managers
(everybody was involved) were shepherded to the dam for the afternoon of tube
races. Some were very dashing in their
tubes and gave of their utmost to race across the dam. Lunch and beer probably had an effect on
some, however all managed well as the senior life guard and his boat were not
called up to rescue, or give mouth-to-mouth to anyone.
As in every
race some gave more than they expected, Bushy twisted his knee badly while
doing the -"sideways quick kick-crawl", and had to be helped out of
the water, and Warwick injured his arm badly whilst in a frenzy of
catching up to his opposition and switched his style the "crawl"
to the more powerful "over-the-shoulder-roundhouse swing".
Then there
was the "Fufi slide" for the more adventurous. A long steel rope from high up in the
garden, across the lawn, over the bank, and lifting of legs to miss the fence
at the bottom of the garden, then across the water for as far as you wanted to
slide. The longer you
"slided", the longer was your swim back. One who shall remain nameless, did not feel like the long swim
home, so decided to do the "long drop" from high up on the wire,
landed badly at high speed in the water and suffered from badly damaged ribs
for a number of weeks. (so in view of these 3 KNOWN SERIOUS mishaps - the
2005 Xmas party will be organised at the local Tiddley Winks hall - so please
start now and get your knees, backs, fingers and thumbs strengthened up for the
party)
After the
swim, Father Xmas and his lovely assistant arrived, and the present
"giving and swapping" went ahead with much mirth and chasing of a few
selected gifts and cherished presents.
The honour for the most chased present went to the - candle-stick, with
a bottle of Rose wine coming a close second.
Thanks to Graham and Jean for doing the Father Xmas family honours.
After all
the excitement, and energy sapping racing and frenzied Xmas gift opening and
exchanging, a format of decorum was established with tea, many cakes
and a few drinks being consumed in the shady garden as the sun set on a
wonderful day.
Thanks to
everyone who came, participated and enjoyed.
Special thanks to Mark, Mary and family for organising, hosting,
and putting up with us all.
MARK and
MARY were married on 27 December.
From
everyone at the club, we wish you lots of happiness, companionship, and many
happy years ahead. We hope that with
busy married life you will find the time now and again to spend a quiet
week-end away from the rush of the farm - so come and join us on a
week-end hike.
We welcome
the following new members to the Club and hope they enjoy many happy hiking
hours in our company – Elin Carbutt, Fritz, Naomi & Cordula Klingenberg,
Sue Lehmkuhl and Gay Ann Tilbury.
We look
forward to your continued support of the club, at the functions, and on the
hiking days and week-ends. The two
slide evenings - or should I say - digital slide presentations set
for early this year are a must - see our Amatola Trail, and our Mini Traverse -
fantastic photos of fantastic people - doing fantastic things.
Remember,
it is your club, your energies are vital to the success of your club.
May 2005 be
a good year for all of us.
Recently we
had a highly successful and enjoyable long weekend at Vergezient Mountain
Retreat. Hettie Randall did an
excellent write-up about the venue and associated hikes, views and activities
which was included in our November 2004 newsletter. Keith Ashton has also circulated much information about the
venue by e-mail to those members with this facility.
It has been suggested that
we celebrate the next New Year’s Eve at this great venue in conjunction with
Margaretha Kirsten of Durban Ramblers in order to ensure about 30 participants
and have the venue to ourselves (30 Dec 2005 to 1 Jan 2006). Would members please inform Keith Ashton
ASAP if interested as we would need to confirm a booking soon - the venue is extremely
popular for New Year celebrations - cost is expected to be about R80 pppn.
2004 GRAND TRAVERSE CD
There are still a few copies of the CD on the “2004 Grand
Traverse” at R50 each and the Paul Hone CD
“ uKhahlamba I Hear your Drums” at R100. Members wishing to purchase a copy of either of these CD’s are
asked to place their orders together with payment with either Dave Sclanders or
Keith Ashton at the Social Evening on, Tuesday, 15 February.
The next meeting of the
Committee/Leaders is scheduled for Tuesday, 8 March, at 19h00 at the Hilton
Hotel. Apologies prior to the meeting
to Keith if you are unable to attend.
A few lucky members of the
club spent the old year's eve back at Aasvoelskraanz cave, as in previous
years. As they did last year, the cave
dwellers went for a afternoon hike to Mt Lebanon, as did last year, the mist
rolled in thick and fast, however, this year the hikers just managed to get
home in time, so were able to partake of the goodies carried all the way
from the cars for the evening. The
cave was ablaze with 101 candles, food was good, much wine was consumed - and
unfortunately we all went to bed, and woke up in time for New Years breakfast
at 07h00. Well, "a good lie-in" is also a good way to see
the New Year in.
14 November 2004
A party of ten, Keith
(Leader), Margaret, Morris, Noël, Irene, Teresa, Peter, Mike, Annette and Aris
met at the Ashton, 27 Riley Crescent, Howick at 08:30 and set off in high
spirits loaded with cooldrinks, flasks of coffee, snacks and sandwiches in our
backpacks.
Soon we
were on the Curry’s Post road heading for Beacon Hill, the highest point in the
Howick area. With some effort we
climbed the bank on the left of the road and on to the grassland to what is
aptly called Beacon Hill. We, the
locals, as well as the non-locals admired the vista
-
Midmar
Dam and the eleven overflow gates recently raised by 3,5 metres,
-
the
town of Howick, lower down on our left, interspersed with the blues of the
blooming jacaranda trees,
-
the
motorway and railway line meandering through the heart of the Natal Midlands.
and around
us the ecologically sensitive nature reserve, an example of a typical Natal
mistbelt type of grassland.
We
continued on our route to the uMngeni (Umgeni) River, walking through
tree-lined avenues (Plane Crescent).
While following the winding river trail, we paused a number of times for
our knowledgeable leader to explain how in 1987 this part was destroyed when
the swollen river flooded the riverbanks and ruined the wetland on our left.
He then
found a quiet spot to rest in the lush grass for a mid-morning break – having
refreshment and chatting about the good things in life.
We passed
Mills Falls – a mini waterfall. “Mills
House, is up there and a mill was in operation in years gone by”, said our
leader. On to the streets and into the
business district of Howick, Harvard Street, where during the week the street
vendors sell anything from watches to pinky underwear and lipstick at very
competitive prices.
We viewed
the 95 metre high Falls from the platform, paid our fees and via a zigzag path
descended to the bottom. Our leader
called for a lunchbreak at a spot where the splashing falls water would have
surrounded us after a lengthy rainfall and from where we could watch an
abseiler ascending back up the rocky cliff face. No wonder the Howick people are proud of their waterfall and its
splendour.
An hour
later we expressed our satisfaction to Keith for guiding us along the many
surprises of the Howick Meander, while enjoying refreshments, cakes and
cookies, abundantly provided by Margaret on the verandah of their home.
Thank you
Keith, Margaret and all my fellow hikers for the camaraderie on this lovely
day.
20/21 November 2004
Alison, Chantel, Elmarie, Irene, Keith & Margaret,
Max, Teresa, Trish and two German visitors, Jonas and Annediase Wentrup, lead
by Dave Sclanders left Cobham on Saturday morning to climb up to Gxalingenwa
Cave. A second group, headed by Brian
Henwood, remained at the campsite planning to do day hikes over the two days.
The weather was extremely hot when we set out but by
early afternoon clouds and light rain had set in, a relief from the burning
sun. The pace was slow and we were
able to enjoy the brilliant views. We
crossed Emerald Stream and then our lunch stop was at Pinnacle Rock, an amazing
rock that has broken off and stands on its own pointing upward. Nearby are beautiful rock paintings. This area is believed to have been a spiritual
site for the Bushmen and we were all aware of a sense that this has been a special
area for South Africans who have come before us – probably an area enjoyed and
revered by many different cultures over many centuries.
We reached the cave at about 13h00.
The cave is large and well sheltered with a full waterfall and running
stream right there. The noise of the
waterfall provided a restful backdrop throughout the night. Some of the ladies ‘bonded’ by bathing in a
beautiful pool below the waterfall – Reubens would have found well-rounded
models for his paintings!!
Later in the afternoon and evening we experienced heavy rain and a
thunderstorm. Sitting snug in the cave,
we could not see out, and when on several occasions there was a huge colt of
lightening nearby, the loud crash of thunder so close outside was an experience
to go through. Once the storm had
subsided, we went out of the cave to enjoy sundowners and snacks on a nearby
rock, all snuggled together on the rock like daisies.
The evening was spent chatting, eating and drinking, and then by 20h00
we were all in our sleeping bags. We
were up the following morning early and set off at about 08h00. The grass was wet from the storm, with more
rain threatening. The walk back on
Sunday was unhurried and we stopped on the way at a high vantage point to enjoy
the views of the beautiful valley below.
We watched a troop of baboons spread out below, looking for a
mid-morning snack. The path took us to
Ingenwa pool, where enjoyed a chilly swim in the river. Here we met with some of the group who had
walked from the campsite. They had
also experienced a heavy rain on the Saturday evening. The weather was cool and by midday a
steady rain had set in. We followed
the Giant’s Cup Trail back to Cobham.
The march back to the cars was done at a steady pace in the rain. No lunch break, no sight seeing, just a
short cut to get back quickly. We
arrived back at the campsite, wet, tired but very happy. Some of us finished off the week-end with
drinks and chips at the Himeville Arms.
Alison Gunning’s friends from Germany had joined us on the cave hike
which was a great opportunity for them to experience the Drakensberg –
Ukhuhlambe.
All-in-all, this is a highly recommended hike, and thanks to Dave and
Brian for their leadership.
Trish Middlebrook
31 December 2004 – 2 January 2005
Keith, Margaret, Miles,
Tony, Trish, Teresa, Jenny, Hettie, meeting up with Dave and two Swiss
visitors, Oliver and Andreo.
Friday
31st:
The approach to Highmoor is breathtaking, the age-old mountains wrap their arms
around our souls, and we feel content.
There are always preparations for any hike, they are not to be taken
lightly, and one always has to be prepared for the unexpected. I think that the more experienced one
becomes, then the more cautious and forward thinking it makes you.
Looking like a mule pack
we set off, led by Keith, groaning under the weight of our backpacks. It was our own fault, we knew that it was
only a couple of hours to the cave, so we had all brought a couple of extras
for a New Years celebration. It was a
pleasant and easy hike, passing the Kamloops Dam, and to the south of the old
look-out tower (now demolished). Aasvoels
is a double storey cave with a waterfall nearby, gushing into a pool, which is
ideal for swimming and replenishing water supplies. After lunch we set off for Mount Lebanon which certainly
loosened up our legs and got our hearts beating – a good warm up for the big
walk the next day. The hills were
filled with wild flowers, and we often stopped to appreciate their delicate
beauty. Back to the cave where the ladies treated themselves to a private swim
in the river above. The heavens opened
to give water and life to the animals, plants and insects that had chosen to
live their lives in this mountain paradise, so we sat in the river in the rain
– how invigorated we felt, it cleansed our souls, as we sat in that cold water,
surrounded by a wallpaper of nature. We
became part of the quiet setting, and were happy. Dave and his Swiss couple had arrived so we busied ourselves
with cave duties – dotting candles in the niches in the walls, preparing
sleeping spots for the night and generally not much else, except for enjoying
the moment. We were treated to a double
rainbow over the outlook from the entrance to the cave, and felt that we had
been given a special gift. As it got
dark, we lit our
candles and the drabness
of the cave was illuminated, and looked like an elves grotto, it was magical
and a perfect setting to celebrate a new year coming. We all huddled together, and shared drinks and stories and
experiences. I thought to myself, if
only the world could be as simple and peaceful as we were that evening. What a beautiful place it would be.
Hiking and
sleeping in caves brings you back to basics, and you realize how little you
really need to make you happy – it is what comes from within and what you give
to each other from your heart that is important – not material wealth.
New
Years day 1st Jan 2005 : Next morning we
set out for a 15 km circular walk, past Shasta Dam, descending steeply to
Fulton’s Rock, where we saw some magnificent Bushman paintings, which included
some elephants. We then climbed
gradually up to Caracal Cave. ‘Keep on
the track’ Keith kept saying – the only track being - following in his
footsteps as he made his way through the long grass. After lunch in the cave we had a gradual climb southwards to the
ridge, then eastwards to the old look-out tower, and back home to
Aasvoels. It was a good day.
Sunday 2nd
January: We were greeted with an early morning mist,
but ever optimistic, we slowly did what we needed to do, have breakfast, wash,
tidy up our belongings etc, and by the time our boots were on and sticks in
hand, the mist had risen and a ray of sunshine shone down in the valley. Keith took us to some
lesser known caves with lovely Bushman paintings which included an unusual one
of a buck drawn face-on, head bent grazing, and another one of a cat with body
outstretched, as if leaping for its prey.
It was time
to pack up and make our way back to civilization. Time stands still when you are in the mountains, and I think
there is always a feeling of regret when we have to leave. The exciting part is, that we know we will
be back.
Thank you
Keith and Margaret and everybody who gave of themselves to make this a perfect
entrance to 2005.
Jenny Sleed
8-9 January 2005
As Margaret
and I had enjoyed celebrating New Year in Aasvoelkrans Cave this was already
our second cave outing so early in 2005.
Our backpacking group this
weekend consisted of Graham Cullinan (Leader), Margaret Ashton, Margaretha
Kirsten (guest visitor) and I – not very impressive numbers (3 members plus 1
visitor) for a club with approximately 130 members and not very encouraging for
our leaders. However maybe it was just
too early in the New Year to want to blow away the cobwebs.
Graham had
intended leading this hike to Marble Baths Cave but someone had booked it first so he reserved the great alternative of Wonder Valley
Cave.
The four of us set off
from our house early on Saturday morning and arrived at Injasuti office just
after 08h00. After completing the
details in the mountain register (always very important) and having a quick
drink (Graham having his compulsory number of muffins) we were soon heading for
Van Heyningen’s Pass. As an older more
direct track to the foot of the pass has been closed for some time, the newer
route adds about 2 km in distance but is a more gradual climb (westwards
initially towards an old forest guard’s hut and then eastwards). The old track can be clearly seen on the
approach to the foot of the pass (a concrete sign in the grass says “Path
Closed” – this probably being to prevent erosion).
We were
lucky that it was an ideal overcast day for ascending the steep zigzags up Van
Heyningen’s Pass, but this is a lovely climb through indigenous forest besides
a cascading stream that has to be crossed twice, carefully in summer, due to
greater water flows. As we reached
the top of the pass we could see mist floating about on the higher levels, but
we dropped our backpacks and detoured to the end of the out-crop passing many
glorious proteas which were in various stages of bloom. Although it was misty
above us we had magnificent views down into the Injasuti valley, the fast
flowing river and the cottages could be clearly seen far below.
Continuing
on our way to the cave with some slight mist we passed waterfalls and many
lovely flowers. Just had to take photos
of a particularly brilliant red Brunsvigia natalensis. I call them candelabra plants.
Arriving at
the cave we decided first to fill our three 5-litre water bags (leaving
Margaret to settle in and guard our stuff) from near the beautiful pool a few
hundred metres away and below us. This proved to be a very wise move due to
what was to come later.
After some snacks and
setting out our gear we went on an exploration of the valley and waterfall
below but had to cut this short due to rain and a threatening
thunderstorm. We arrived safely back
at the cave only slightly wet, but the heavens then opened and we had a
fantastic thunderstorm with torrential rain.
We were treated to an electric storm far more dramatic than any man made
laser display, the cave and floor vibrated from the violent thunder claps; our only concern being about the stability
of the cave roof. However the storm
eventually passed leaving an unbelievable display of waterfalls rarely
seen. The mist higher up cleared
providing us with a beautiful but eerie view of Sterkhorn, Cathkin Peak, Monk’s
Cowl and Champagne Castle.
The mist
and drizzle closed in again and the light faded, but pre-dinner drinks were
next followed by tasty suppers and after dinner drinks in our very cosy cave
before we settled down very comfortably at 20h00 ready for a good nights sleep.
We awoke
early on Sunday morning to thick mist and rain so we had a long leisurely
breakfast followed by discussions and reminiscing about many of our experiences
over several cuppas.
We
eventually packed up, donned our gear and were on our way in pouring rain and
mist at about 11h30.
Luckily our small group
were very experienced as the conditions descending Van Heyningen’s Pass in
pouring rain, steep slippery slopes, ankle deep in fast flowing water, not to
mention the difficult stream (now roaring and much higher) crossings and landslides
may have put others off hiking for life.
However we were all in good spirits arriving safely back at camp having
really enjoyed the experiences.
Thanks
Graham for a great weekend and excellent leadership and thanks to all for such
good company.
Keith
Ashton
While down
the south coast we decided to visit the site of the old Pont which in days gone
by used to haul buses, cars and people across the Umtamvuna River in order to
access the Eastern Cape/Transkei. The
slipways are still clearly visible but with the advent of the bridge the pont
itself has long since ceased to grace the river.
Set on the
banks is the Old Pont Caravan, Camping and Watersport Resort which boasts some
2km of river frontage, and 4km of river for power boating, jet skiing, water
skiing, board sailing and canoeing.
There are 160 camping and caravanning sites, most of which have 15 amp
electricity, as well as six large ablution blocks, children’s games room,
swimming pool, communal braai areas, picnic site and small cafe. Limited basic on-site accommodation
consisting of caravan, rondaval or parkhome is available on request. For our members there are four well marked
hiking trails of various grades through the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve said to be
the breeding ground of the Cape Vulture and Fish Eagle.
On our
wander around it all appeared to be well maintained with on-site 24-hour
security patrols.
For further
information contact telephone: 039 311 2211 / 2034; Fax: 039 311 2033;
e-mail: pont@intekom.co.za and their website is
ww.godownsouth.co.za/oldpont.htm