MIDLANDS
HIKING CLUB
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Dave
Sclanders
On opening my e-mail
yesterday, there was the message from Noël saying “time for the January
Newsletter again”. Being so early in the
year, I felt at a loss as to what to write, so I turned back to last January’s
Newsletter, and wondered as to what would happen if I re-submitted that
newsletter – I mean it is only nearly 365 days old.
From your Committee and
Leaders, we hope and trust that you all have had a very happy and safe
Christmas and New Year period and that good times were shared with family and
friends. Hopefully in the reminiscing,
some good times with your Hiking Club were chatted about.
Once again the main
feature of the past few months was our Christmas Party at Mark and Mary’s place
on the farm. A very hot day greeted us all – no rain, no clouds. As usual the day was a great success. For me one of the highlights was the
orientation race/walk. Teams were made
up, all the hike leaders were declared “undesirable leaders” – by me, and told
to sit out. Then the teams were redrawn,
and leaders were nominated from within the teams. With our “New Leaders” in
place, the event was started. Some amazing new leader talent emerged from the
ranks, all teams finished the course, the first team in record time, whilst one
team went on a “Walk About”, but also found the finish line a little later
on. The very hot afternoon made the walk
a bit more difficult, nevertheless, our congratulations to all leaders and
walkers on a magnificent achievement, with great spirit among them.
Then there was the prize giving for the best Hiking Write Up sent in
over the past year, and the best photo sent in with the articles over the year. Moira Filmer won the best article submitted,
and yours truly managed the best picture submitted. See the Club web site for more info. Thanks
to Peter Gunning for judging the Write Up competition, and First Photo in Howick for judging the picture competition and sponsoring
the prizes.
Our graceful Mother Christmas and her Hairy Fairy
assistant did a magnificent job again at the Christmas party. Albeit that Mother Christmas had to get rid
of her beard due to the heat of the afternoon, while hairy fairy was more
lightly dressed in a much cooler outfit.
Thanks Pat and Bushy.- you were great.
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Thanks to Mark and Mary
for a superb venue and day out on the farm.
Sadly this will have been our
last event at this lovely venue, as Mark has sold the farm. Next Christmas party will be at a new
venue. A big thank you to all
the helpers, and food and cake suppliers.
Without everyone joining in, the
day would not have been as enjoyable as it was. The Christmas poem, written and read by
Irene Morris, gave food for thought about the meaning of Christmas in
our very commercial world. |
The next big achievement was
our group of intrepid hikers, led very ably by Allison Gunning our Vice –Chair,
who headed for Mount Kenya, and amidst wet and cold weather climbed Mount
Kenya. Congratulations to you all. There will be an evening at the club early in
the New Year to show pictures of this trip.
Please make an effort to come to this evening to show support for our
High Mountain Hikers. This will be on the
20th February, so diarize
now.
We have a very full and
varied calendar for the next few months, so watch the fixture list, and let’s
see you all at an event. All
information is available on our website at www.mhc.co.za,
and from time to time new snippets of information are added. Make time to visit the site at regular
intervals to see what is going on.
May I wish you all a
Happy, Healthy New Year, and may we see you at a club event sooner rather than
later.
MHC Christmas Party -andnbsp;andnbsp; Irene Wisdom
3 December 2006
Like the past few years the Christmas party was
held at this stunning venue - Mark and Mary’s farm, ‘Chiarella’
in the Karkloof area, and like the previous years the
weather was beautiful.andnbsp; Hildegard and I arrived late morning and the braai fires were already burning.andnbsp; People sat about
chatting, enjoying the lovely view of the dam while others had a refreshing
swim.andnbsp; On arrival we were given labels for our orienteering team and a
number for lucky draws and Christmas presents.andnbsp; We enjoyed a leisurely braai lunch then arranged ourselves into three teams for
the orienteering competition.andnbsp; Some members had set the game up earlier
and sat out.andnbsp; There was a different colour pen
at each mark we had to find and we had to prove we’d found it by marking our
paper with the pen.andnbsp; Each team elected a leader and was given instructions
to take so many paces south, west, etc to find the marks.andnbsp; It’s a big help
in this game if you know south from north – not my strong point! – luckily our
leader, Margaret Usher, was a star at this.andnbsp; We came in second, not too
far behind the winning team.andnbsp; The third team seemed to have gone AWOL –
search parties were sent out, but they turned up none the worse about half an
hour later – some wrong turning taken along the way which gave them a bit of a
longer walk than the rest of us.andnbsp; The heat was taking it’s toll and we
were ready for a well earned swim, and a few refreshments.
Mother Christmas and her Christmas Fairy were due
to arrive next to hand out the Christmas presents.andnbsp; Each member brought a
small gift for ±R15 which all went into a sack.andnbsp; When your number was
called you could choose a gift and after opening it if you preferred someone
else’s gift you could swap and give them yours.andnbsp; There was much hilarity
with this game as present’s did their rounds.andnbsp; Next was prize giving and
lucky draws.andnbsp; The winning orienteering team won a bottle of champagne.
There were various prizes - Moira received the
prize for best write up, Dave Sclanders won both first and second prize
for best photo – (bit dodgy sounding? – but judged by outside photo
shop!).andnbsp; Next there were lucky draw prizes, don’t remember them all but
Lyn won a MHC golf shirt and Tony and I were lucky to win free tickets for Karkloof canopy rides.
Afternoon tea/coffee followed with a selection of
goodies brought by members to share.andnbsp; Some of us had another swim or a go
on the foofy slide.
Grethe went first and did her trapeze act right to the other side of the
dam with much applause. andnbsp;andnbsp;andnbsp;A few others had a go dropping off
for a swim in the dam. andnbsp;Gradually people were leaving, and it was time for
goodbyes after a very enjoyable day. andnbsp;Thanks to Mark and Mary for the use
of their beautiful venue once again, and to Keith and Margaret and everyone
else who helped set things up.
NAUKLUFT
HIKING TRAIL (continued) Peter “Peg” Wedge
DAY 4
OF HIKE – TUESDAY 18 JULY
Very
cold in the early morning, -2OC just outside the shelter. All away by 07h30. A small herd of Hartmanns
zebra seen about 2 hours into the day.
These zebra have quite distinctive wide and evenly spaced black and
ivory stripes on their rumps. They
looked in good condition. Then a
mini-chain descent (not marked on the map) and a difficult scree
descent to a river bed with a 200m waterfall close by. This would be a great sight in the summer
when full.
Then
a seemingly endless dirt road to our next overnight at Tsams
Ost. This is
the East Tsams River and a replenishment point for
the next 4 days. Keith and Margaret had
kindly taken our provisions to this overnight stop on the previous Friday. This meant we could have a mid hike party –
beer, wine, pudding
This
was the best shelter so far. A nearby
well provided much needed showers and with plenty of wood around we had a great
fire. Julian now becoming a serious
contender for camp Fire Master. Good craick around
the fire (apologies for possible incorrect Gaelic spelling to Brendan!). Relatively warm night – 17kms covered
today.
DAY 5
OF HIKE – WEDNESDAY 19 JULY
All
away by 07h30 again. Very steep climb
to start with for about 45 minutes – then an equally stiff descent and a 2nd
stiff climb of about 150m. This led us
to Fontein Pomp where we had expected water. The pipes were disconnected and no stream
water so this proved to be very difficult for all of us later. Most of us were carrying 1˝ to 2 litres of
water but at this lower altitude the weather was hot. Generally we were drinking 2˝ - 4 litres per
day. Andrea taking some strain and not
feeling well. However she insisted in
carrying her full back pack and wouldn’t hear of us sharing the load – quite
courageous.
Brendan,
Stuart, Julian and Luciano went on ahead to get to
much needed water – the rest of us had difficulty in finding the track, due to
unusually long grass covering any marks, and ended up walking the dry river bed
– hard going. With Keith’s compass
bearing and the map we knew we were walking in the right direction and
eventually came up to the off road track – actually quite a good road (as most
are in Namibia). By now we were all
dehydrated – all our water gone and with around 4kms to walk – not an easy
situation. Fortunately, the smaller
party realised what had happened and Brendan and Stuart brought us much needed
water – bliss (they had also had lost any signs of a track) – you don’t realise
how wonderful the H˛O is until you really need it.
Luciano somehow had somehow survived on ˝
litre of water all day until he came to the road and a passing Namibian
government vehicle. All very relieved
to arrive at Die Valle overnight shelter.
The only water was from a tanker parked about 100m from shelter. This was probably the least comfortable and
attractive of the shelters so far. But
the water was very much appreciated.
Further reading of “Spud” by Brendan lightening an otherwise difficult
day. 17kms covered but probably 19 – 20
by the main party. Andrea now feeling
quite a bit better.
DAY 6 OF HIKE – THURSDAY 20 JULY
From our overnight shelter Die Valle – a very steep
and difficult climb up a canyon and river cascade – this is known locally as
Die Groot Hartseer –
nearest translation would be Big Agony.
This is an accurate description.
600m and over boulders, rocks etc at an approximate average incline of
70 – 75 degrees. This all took about an
hour and then onto the plateau where we saw a lone gemsbok – brilliant. Also a recently dead snake, Margaret A
identified this as a skaapsteker. We then had a gradual descent over 5kms or
so to our next overnight shelter Tufa.
This relates to the soda
in the water – basic calcium carbonate.
This shelter was in quite a pleasant setting with a water pump by the
dry riverbed for drinking water and showers.
Again a nice fire courtesy of Julian, Brendan and Stuart – Peter now
almost on the point of surrendering his position as Chief Fire Master! About 16kms today. (More
in March)
EMBOTYI
Clive
Brickhill
15/19 September 2006
I had not been to the Transkei Coast since 1990 when a group of us walked the
Port St Johns to Mbashi Trail.
When Noël's fixture list arrived by e-mail the word Embotyi
seemed to stand out in stark relief!!andnbsp; With Jean's encouragement I was
lucky not only to be included in the party, but also to meet and be driven by
Mark and Mary safely and companionably.andnbsp; Mary explained that her intention
was to strike a balance of hiking and relaxation during our Wednesday - Monday
stay as they had not had a holiday break for some time. She need not have worried as the weather
largely dictated and evenly split the 2 activities.
It was a coincidence that we met up with Keith and Margaret, Morris and Noël
en-route at Kokstad, but we were all happily
ensconced in the Scott's cottage by 2 pm, including Michael, Dallas and
Bushy.andnbsp; Mary's carefully planned bedroom allocation was not communicated
and I found myself living in state in the largest bedroom!andnbsp; Bushy joined
me on the second night and we shared many old memories of the Richmond days where
Jean and I had lived for 9 years - way back!
The Scott's cottage, recently refurbished and extended, is typical of the beach
cottages found on the coast, unprepossessing but functional and
comfortable.andnbsp; It is one of a dozen or so cottages on the north bank of the
lagoon overlooking the development on the south bank, which is dominated by the
Hotel consisting of 5 or 6 blocks of bungalow accommodation.andnbsp; The beach
and sea, unseen, is a short 200m walk away
Wednesday afternoon was cloudy and saw us on the beach and generally getting
our bearings.andnbsp; Three of the more adventurous went in for what seemed to be
a chilly dip!
On Thursday we all set off on a stroll on the hiking trail heading south, clad
only in 'Strops' or similar footwear.andnbsp; We returned by an inland route and
were not surprised to learn that we had, according to Keith's GPS, covered 13.6
km, because although the weather was good the path underfoot was often wet and
tacky and the going was tough.andnbsp; We were delighted to see from a vantage
point, two whales quite close.
After supper we played Trivial Pursuit (genius level I think!).andnbsp; It was
fortunate that the two geniuses among us (no names, no pack drill) were on
opposing sides and the outcome was closely contested on each of the two
evenings.
Friday it rained - a chatting, reading, sleeping and generally laid-back sort
of day.andnbsp; Some of us went for a circular walk in the afternoon to inspect a
rather alarming stretch of road we would have to negotiate on our return and to
visit the local 'shop' where we also purchased the necessary to make
pancakes.andnbsp; We returned via Embotyi and the
beach.andnbsp; Thanks to Dallas and Mary we enjoyed a delicious pancake and
tea.andnbsp; Saturday saw us off early on
the major planned walk to Waterfall Bluff up the north coast.andnbsp; As the route
took us inland we had the cottage's general factotum Siyabonga
accompany us.andnbsp; Michael (not feeling well) Bushy, whose knee was 'playing
up' and Dallas remained behind.andnbsp; The weather was good and we made good
time, arriving at Waterfall Bluff soon after 11.00.andnbsp; The area is
scenically stunning and the rock formations and pools just amazing!!!
Having lunched and feasted our eyes we set off upstream to find an overhang and
pools where I had stayed with a group of 14 in 1990.andnbsp; We then went in
search of Cathedral Rock, which is the other famous rock formation some little
distance south.
The hike was uneventful - (if you exclude a green mamba andamp;??, unseen by
everyone except Siyabonga in front) but altogether
most pleasurable and not as tiring (for me!) as the 13.6 km Thursday
walk.andnbsp; For all that - a beer and
shower after 26,5 km was the cherry on the top of a wonderful day.
I think no one was too stressed that the rain and wind kept us indoors on
Sunday.andnbsp; All, that is, except our two intrepid heroes, Keith and Margaret,
who had to visit a spot where Keith had fished/camped a long time ago. Although we were a little concerned, they
breezed in at 5 pm happily clothed in raingear, as if they had been for a
stroll around the block instead of a grueling 22 km. hike!!
As it happened the mud-patch proved no problem on the way out and after we
reached the plateau (approximately 10 km) Mike, Dallas and Bushy turned off to
view the Fraser Falls, while the rest of us headed for home, totally unaware
that they (Mike, Dallas and Bushy) had been accosted at the Falls at gunpoint
and had had their money, cell phones and video camera taken – a harrowing
experience that undoubtedly spoiled what would otherwise have been a wonderful
holiday on the Transkei Coast.
andnbsp;
DRAKENSBERG GARDENS - COTTAGE
WEEKEND
Astrid Fraser
27/20
October 2006andnbsp;
Keith
and Margaret Ashton; Astrid Fraser;
andnbsp;Tess Ker-Fox; Hettie Randall; Chris Dobson; Margaret Kirsten; Pat and
Bushy
Kirby.
andnbsp;
Tess, Margaret, Chris, Hettie and Iandnbsp; left Pmburg
about 15h30 after much picking up and dropping off like a taxi!! An enthusiastic bunch with Chris having the
privilege of the company of and being chauffeur to five noisy ladies. The overcast weather led to much debate as to
the weather forecast for the week end.
On arrival at Sweetwater's Cottage Chris exposed us to some adventure
with his 4X4 skills maneuvering round sharp bends up the muddy, slippery
driveway.
andnbsp;
Up
early the next morning to an overcast but warm day ideal for hiking we set off
for Hidden Valley en route to Sherry Cave passing Swiman
Hut. andnbsp;Walking at a leisurely pace
we were able to admire the spring flowersandnbsp;and of course andquot;natterandquot;.
Afterandnbsp;9kms we reached Sherry Cave, the scenery en route
andandnbsp;the view from the cave was food forandnbsp;my andquot;cityandquot;
soul.andnbsp; After lunch Chris found a
littleandnbsp;nook in the cave andnbsp;to have his siesta while we enjoyed the
shade from the midday sun. Chris
decided to try his new boots and ended up limping along back while we hurried
hoping to miss being caught in a threatening storm. The evening was enjoyed having a braai andandnbsp;partaking in andnbsp;a glass or two........
andnbsp;
On
Sunday we woke toandnbsp;clear blue skiesandnbsp;after being serenaded the night
throughandnbsp;by the frogandnbsp;chorus.
Setting off to Three Poolsandnbsp;( by now overcast and humid) to view
Bushman's paintings Tess and I lagged behind
photographing everyandnbsp;different flower we came across. andnbsp;Iandnbsp;have
never seen so many different species and different to those in Hidden
valley. Keith led us toandnbsp;one
ofandnbsp;the best andnbsp;Bushman painting sites andnbsp;I have seenandnbsp;passing
waterfalls and deep emerald pools. On
the way back most of us enjoyed a refreshing swim andandnbsp; lunch stop before
making our way back to the cottage.
Margaret treated us to some waffles and tea before our trek home.
andnbsp;
Thank
you Keith and Margaret for a lovely weekend leaving me rejuvenated to face the
andquot;Corporate Financial worldandquot;!!
TO ALL OUR CONTRIBUTORS: Noël Harper
I
have received so many write-ups recently that unfortunately I have not been
able to include them all in the current Newsletter. But please do not stop writing – THEY WILL BE PUBLISHED – even if a
little later than sooner. My thanks to
you all and may you enjoy many interesting hikes, trails and journeys during
2007. We look forward to reading all
about your adventures, and perhaps even seeing a photograph or two.
WISHING ALL OUR MEMBERS A
HAPPY, PROSPEROUS AND PEACEFUL 2007 ENJOYING MANY INTERESTING HIKES IN OUR
COMPANY.