The Heat of Summer
has gone, and so is a 6th of the year. As a big road sign in the Howick area once pointed out - “
Come on Boet – wake up you have just passed ……” . Well, time is
running, the coolness of winter is coming, and April / May are the best time of
the year to hike. So start planning to
hike with the club, before the next excuse will be “its too cold to hike”.
Club Fixtures
- Where too ????
We have had one
fixture cancelled due to too few takers – only one, apart from the leader. Please remember, we would like to think
that the club is of personal interest to all members, and that some planning
takes place to plan your week-end hikes in advance. That it is not a club, that when by Thursday or Friday, there is
nothing better to do, then decide to go hiking. Leaders have to plan ahead, and in some cases get permission
from landowners to go onto their property.
At what stage does the leader decide to cancel the hike, and have to
contact the Parks Board, or landowner to say the hike is off. I believe, that unless the hike is booked
by enough people by the Wednesday evening, the hike should be called off. With petrol costs as they are, for a group of 2 or 3 people to go on a hike
is not worth the effort for the leader.
Brian’s day hike
to Ferncliff Nature Reserve only interested 2 other club members, and 3
visitors.
Please support
your club and leaders. There is
nothing more demoralizing for leaders than to go to meetings to discuss the
next program, do all the preparation, then have to cancel.
If what the
leaders are planning is not what the club wants, then we need to be given ideas
and guidance. As I have said before,
this is your club, give your input. It
is not a club for a few leaders only, and a handful of hikers.
Tarn Cave Week
end
If you have an
internet connection on your computer, and checked the club’s website, you would
have seen the write up and the pics of the very wonderful week end that was
shared by a number of club members on a hike to Tarn Cave. The weather superb, cool overcast and
warm. Time to swim, and a great time
to relax and take in incredible scenery all week-end. The mountains were incredibly lovely, with views and colours
changing all the time. On Sunday
morning, those who got up early, and went to the top of the hill above the cave
were treated to a stunningly spectacular sunrise. A most enjoyable week-end was had by all.
New Members
We bid welcome to the following new members and trust that they will participate and enjoy many a hike in our company: Joan Birch, Clive Brickhill, Dale du Plooy and family, Moira Filmer, Patricia Hampshire, Tony and Nola Sharples, Ivor Widlake and welcome back to the fold, Jack Long, at 85 our oldest member.
The club continues
to grow, we have at present 133 paid up members, and another 7 who are waiting
to get papers to sign up. That’s
great, but where are you all ??????
For new members,
we love to hike with you, we would love to meet with you, so if you are at a
club meeting, please meet your leader, or your Club Committee. The committee members should have name tags to make them easy to identify. If you need any help with anything, from
how hard is the day’s walk, to what food, clothes, boots etc to bring, approach
them. Between us we have many, many,
many years of experiences to share with you.
Those who have
just joined, my plea to you is please, do some good sound walking at home in
the evenings, being that bit fitter allows you to enjoy the outing so much
more. Remember the club evenings at
the Hilton Hotel, every 3rd Tuesday of the month, so please join us
and grow with us. Dave
Congratulations
and happy birthday to Jack Long who celebrated his 85th birthday on
17 February. We all look forward to
having you on many more of our hikes, Jack.
It has been suggested in order to attract younger people to hiking that for this camping week-end members encourage their under 30 year-old family and friends to join us in enjoying the crisp fresh air, the majesty of the Drakensberg and the great outdoors only found in the mountains. They are sure to find it an awe-inspiring experience.
Many members attended the Social Evening when we viewed Keith’s beautiful photographs taken on the Mini Traverse in the Drakensberg. Quite a few expressed interest in this hike. Keith is at present investigating the possibility of undertaking the mini traverse in September and would appreciate being advised by members if they would like to participate in order to assess interest. Please contact Keith either by telephone or e-mail if you would like to join in this adventure. One definitely needs to be hiking fit, so members you still have time to get your fitness up to peak for this once in a lifetime experience.
A little piece of heaven situated in the Kamberg Valley backed by the mountain of that name. The unusual lounge complete with fireplace (full of interesting objects) and the dining room are cantilevered over a trout dam. You look across the water to the Lebanon Mountains, enjoying the peace and tranquility.
The rooms are
spacious, individually furnished, each one beautifully thought out. Mine followed a bird theme complete with
nest, eggs and miniature bird cages.
They contain everything you need from a fly swatter, torch, umbrella to
home-made biscuits. Candles add
atmosphere to the bathroom, books in the Loo, a TV, ceiling fan and mohair
blankets on the bed.
Richard and Mouse
Poynton complement each other perfectly, he the Chef Extraordinaire bursting
with enthusiasm and she the interior decorator. The pre-dinner talk that Richard gives is witty and entertaining
leading on to the highlight of the day - the five course dinner plus port,
beautifully presented. Every mouthful
a gourmet’s dream. A meal to be
savoured and lingered over. I cleaned
my plate every time! Even the plates
were delightfully varied in shape and size.
My friend and I
were last to leave the dining room and have coffee. Everyone else seemed to have retired “early”. Only when I got to my room and jotted down
a few notes did I realize that it was 23h30!
Breakfast was
three courses, plus home-made breads, croissants, scones and muffins. The description of the ”Breadbasket” is
shear poetry.
Definitely not the
place for Dieters The Witness gave
them five stars for every category (I would heartily endorse that). The article ended by saying “Hold on to
your wallet, but this experience is worth a once in a lifetime big spend”.
Irene Morris
23 January 2005
The Fates were
kind to the 28 members who, on Sunday 23 January, assembled at the entrance to
the Kamberg Nature Reserve to walk to the Roman Baths and from there on up to
the Bushman Paintings. While down
below us, as far as Durban, the day was one of drizzle, showers and the occasional
downpour, we walked comparatively unscathed.
Certainly rumours of rain and rumblings of thunder accompanied us
throughout the day, but the rumours never materialised into more than a slight
drizzle and the thunder kept at a distance.
Leaving our cars
outside the Kamberg office we transferred into 4X4 vehicles and drove to the
parking area some two kilometers away.
From there we walked along barely discernible paths through damp
tussocky grass to the banks of the Mooi and stopped by a pool, usually a
favourite swimming spot, but today it looked rather uninviting. The river, swollen by the recent rain,
entered the pool in a series of rapids and flowed strongly out over rocks at
the far end. However, undeterred by
the rough water, several of the younger members jumped in and were carried
bouncing and tumbling down the rapids into the pool to be swept by the current
behind a rock on the far side.
Encouraged by their obvious enjoyment, several others, young and not so
young, also braved the waters, pronouncing the experience to be fun and
exhilarating.
From the pool we
continued on to Roman Baths, an undemanding and gradual climb, skirting marshy
pools and avoiding rivulets of water, conscious of the rumbling thunder and the
anxious barking of a few baboons as the sky darkened warningly. I had been told about the Roman Baths, a
lovely pool in the headstreams of was most attractive, the full river cascading
into the dark pool about 15ft below.
What I had not been told and what filled me with distinct trepidation
was, that should I wish to swim in the Baths, I was expected to jump off the
rocks and hurtle down that 15ft into the pool. Swimming lost its appeal and I sat stolidly on the rocks above
watching, my fingers crossed on her behalf, as Teresa, obviously an initiate,
teetered uncertainly on the edge of that dark pool to emerge to deserved
applause.
It was going to be impossible to ford the strong flowing river at the usual crossing and continue our hike up to the Painting as planned, so while our leader pondered this dilemma we ate an early lunch sitting on the rocks above the pool. Most unexpectedly the sky cleared and we enjoyed about 30 minutes of hesitant sunshine but just as we were finishing the sky again darkened, this time with a menace which sent us scuttling homewards. However, after a couple of kilometers the threat of downpour passed and, with time in hand, Mary decided to show us the remains of a cottage (one of two) which had belonged to her family and where she had spent many holidays as a child before it was expropriated by the Parks Board. Partly demolished on expropriation, it now lies a tumble of bricks, blocks and stone with here and there straggly bushes of Hypericum, escapees from a former garden, pushing their way through the rubble.
Back at the 4X4’s
a pleasant surprise awaited us. It was
Mary’s birthday and the previous Wednesday had been Margaret’s, so we
celebrated the two events with champagne and chocolates.
With time still
in hand we paid a visit to the Trout Hatchery. Current Brochures, available from Information Centres, describe
the Hatchery as “fascinating and well worth a visit”, so it was a surprise to
find that it had, in fact, been closed down.
No one seemed to know quite when or why this had happened but there was
something distinctly eerie about the place, the parking and picnic areas still
mown, the tanks still full of water and the paths around the perimeter of the
Hatchery still maintained, but no activity, just a stillness and a
silence. Annette put forward the
theory that maybe there had been a pollution problem and that the cost of
installing a filter plant was not viable.
A few days ago, I read in an August 2004 copy of “Wildside” that the
Cape Clawless Otters had been causing big problems in the Kamberg, slipping under
the fences of the Hatchery to feed on the captive trout. But, whatever the reason, it was sad to see
what had been for many years a vibrant local activity, no longer functioning. One could only guess at the loss of jobs
incurred by the closure and the extra cost involved in the stocking of the
area’s Trout Dams.
From the Hatchery
we drove back to our cars and after thanking Mary for a very enjoyable outing
prepared ourselves for a wet journey home. Sally Browne
28 -29 January 2005
A group of nine,
Dave, Keith, Rod, Amy, Allison, Teresa, Cathrine, Carollee and Rebecca left the
Bushman’s Nek KZN Wildlife office on a cool overcast morning with the aim of
climbing to the top of the Devil’s Knuckles. Not far from the start, our first obstacle
was a river crossing, where it was boots off, and wades through. Heavy rains had been experienced in the
area, river banks showing very high watermarks. At the 4th river crossing, the whole bank had been
washed away, and we had to find our own way to cross the very big gully in
front of us. Later the group stopped
at the inviting Cedric’s Pools (or as some know it Twin Pools) for a swim
before carrying on to the lunch spot.
Up to now we had
walked on the flats, now we hit a few up-hills. With the path winding up a very pretty river, plenty of
waterfalls, lush green grass everywhere, clouds forming incredible patterns in
the sky and on the mountain tops – what a sight. After lunch at another river crossing, we started the long hard
pull up the foothills of the berg.
There was a bit of a rock scramble to get up a steepish place, then
onwards and upwards. For some, like
Teresa and Allison, this must have seemed like a little hill, they shot
up. For others, it took a little
longer. At the top was a very
special tarn. Growing in the water is
a rare plant that is endemic to this small area of the whole world – it only
grows in a few tarns – and nowhere else.
We were lucky; the plants were in full bloom as could be seen by the
white dots on the water. The name of
this special plant is Aponogeton
ranunculiflorus – or the Sehlabathebe Waterlilly - or Crown Jewels of
Sehlabathebe. Once in the cave, tea
drunk, the ladies went to wash in the tarn, then later we explored the area
above us.
What a beautiful area, rock pools with clear water and a mass of water life, including flowers, tadpoles, and other crawlies. Some pools were deepish, with clear, cold water. It is amazing to think that all this life only abounds in summer. In the winter they dry up, everything dies or hibernates, and comes alive next spring. Maybe we should be able to do that – get out of the way in cold and ugly times of the year.
The mountain vista was spectacular, continually changing as the mist rolled in and out. There would be a view for as far as you could see, then misted up, then clearing. Rays of sunshine bringing different shades of green all over the mountain. Clouds ranged from deep black to misty gray with traces of scattered blue sky here and there. Then to settle the matter, a bright rainbow arched across the sky.
If you are in the mountains, you must get up early to watch the sunrise, this is a very special time in the berg, you never know what you may experience. We experienced an incredible sunrise. With us above the clouds, and the whole area, as far as could be seen hidden under a white blanket of cloud and incredible sunrise colours bathing the sky above. All this lasted only a few minutes before all that magic and colour was gone .
After a quick
breakfast, a smaller party consisting of
“Galloping Allison and Teresa”, Cathrine, Keith and myself headed for
the top of the Knuckles. A 600 meter
climb, some heart stopping moments as part of the climb is “not very nice” and nearly 3 hours later we reached
our objective, the top. In reaching
here we had climbed 1326 meters up from where we had left our cars. For once there was no wind on the top, so
after a bit of a rest, looking at the incredible 360 degree view, and for some
to see how rugged the top of the mountain is, it was time to turn around and
head down hill to our cave, kit and the rest of the party. Halfway down, we looked back up to the top
of the Knuckle, from where we had come, and I am sure inside each of us there
was a little tingle of – “been there -
taken the challenge”.
Back to the cave,
pack up and start the long trip home.
The weather started to look nasty, we could see rain all round us, and
it was a bit of decision time as for each one of us as to whether to put rain
gear on or not. The down hills never
seemed to end, the flat bits carried on
and on for ever, the front runners were running, and the back markers were
……….?
Thank goodness for the river crossing, take the boots off to cool the feet in the deepish cold water - for those who chose to go bare foot – it was a bad choice – feet were soft, tender, sore, tired, bruised and ugly. What a relief to put the boots on again ??? - for the last few steps back to the car
We were lucky with
the weather, and enjoyed a week-end with spectacular scenery changes. A soul reviving experience.
Thanks to all for
sharing this magical experience. Dave
OUR WEEKEND AT KEITH AND MARGARET’S COTTAGE IN THE ‘BERG.
Leaving Maritzburg
at 06:00 on Friday 4 February we [Molly-Anne and Paddy] set off on our first
Berg adventure with the Midlands Hikers.
We were the first to arrive at the Ashton’s Cottage, ”Sweetwater’s”,
Morris, Noël and Mike arrived soon thereafter. Margaret had tea and delicious
cookies waiting for us. With Margaret
as our leader we set off on our first walk on Friday morning to Pillar cave and
the annex.
On the way we were
startled by two small snakes, the walk was energetic and we thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves ending with a visit to the Mermaids pools.
Saturday, Philip
and Christeen joined the group.
Despite the drizzling, wet and damp conditions our spirits were high as
a few of us plodded along the river, near lake Navarone.
On Sunday, Philip
lead us along the Giants cup trail “backwards”, in the direction of the
Mzimkhulwana starting at 1050m and finishing up at 2089m. We then walked as far as the Petrified tree
and Crane tarn where we stopped for breakfast.
In
a rock shelter on Bamboo Mountain we saw dinosaur footprints and rock
paintings; from there we walked along the ridge to the summit. We then stopped at a cave for lunch, where
in the distance there were eland grazing and baboons acting like baboons. After a well-deserved rest, but, with bated
breath we descended the grassy spur, that led us back to the Giants cup
trail. The walk was about 10km but
took us a good seven hours with our breakfast and lunch breaks.
What a walk, with a most awesome view. Our weekend finally ended as it had begun with our hostess making lovely warm waffles and tea, and a demonstration on what exercises to do so that we would not be too stiff the next day. Thumbs up to Keith and Margaret for a most enjoyable stay.
Molly-Anne and Paddy.
19/20 February 2005
Wagondrift Dam on the Bushman’s River lies to the south-west of the town of Estcourt and was completed in 1964. To access Wagondrift Nature Reserve one needs to enter the town of Estcourt and from there follow the Giant’s Castle road to the turn-off to the dam. The dam which covers 500 ha of land holds 60 million cubic metres of water and is a water-sports and fisherman’s paradise for local inhabitants and visitors alike. The entire reserve covers an area of 980 ha.
Some members of
the Hiking Club lead by Brian and better-half Veronica arrived latish on the
Friday and set up camp for the evening.
Unfortunately for them a windstorm of some strength blew itself into a
frenzy and drenched campers who had to escape to their tents for some semblance
of protection. Morning mists welcomed
the Saturday arrivals who soon had vehicles unpacked and tents erected, ready
for the activities of the day.
Brian had towed
his speed boat and once in the water transported six passengers at a time up to
the top of the dam, thirteen in all, from where we walked up to a gravel road
which led to the Moor Park Nature Reserve.
Along the way wildebeest, zebra and a variety of buck were seen browsing
in the grasslands. Following the
track into Moor Park a picnic site was found on the banks of the river where
weary hikers took a break to enjoy drinks and packed lunches.
Back along the
track, through the gate and down to our right towards the banks of the
Bushman’s River where we followed the Old Furrow Trail. The furrow which was constructed over a
century ago is still visible in places along the path and was used to channel
water down into the valley fields now beneath the waters of the Wagondrift
Dam. Below along the river is a weir
said to have been constructed in 1838 to provide irrigation for early settlers. Ten points in all are listed along the
trail with interesting bits of information on each.
Back in camp
relaxing drinks and hot showers were the order of the late afternoon before
members got ready for the evening braai.
Some of us proved not too adept at making braai fires but in the end
everyone was fed, watered(!!) and happy while tall tales were aired amidst
gales of laughter.
Sunday morning ten
members headed off in the direction of the Dam wall. We had hoped to be able to have a tour of the interior workings
of the dam but this was not to be. The
Dam wall is unusual being built on what is known as “a multi-arch design” which has also been used in Europe. We made our way down to the bottom of the
wall where Keith had a wonderful time taking photographs from every angle,
including that of a fish lazily gliding around in the waters near the wall.
Following a
leisurely early lunch members started dismantling tents and packing up ready to
return to their homes. It was a great
week-end, informative, enjoyable with wonderful company. Thank you Brian.
NEXT COMMITTEE/LEADERS MEETINGThe next meeting
of the Committee/Leaders is scheduled for Tuesday, 10 May 2005, at 19:00 at
the Hilton Hotel. Apologies to Keith
if you are unable to attend. |