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HIKE
REPORTS |
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| WEEKEND
AT
STANFORD |
Robin
Cooper 1:39pm
Nov 15 2011
Thanks
to Geoff Tinker and to the Martin Family who hosted us we had a
delightful and
memorable weekend away, in spite of the rain. Going away and having a
change
from one's normal routine is like a breath of fresh air. The break from
normal
routine is always refreshing and invigorating. A major highlight which
will
remain in my memory for life is the 4 seater airplane flight with John
Martin
as our able pilot who flew us over Hermanus Lagoon, On route to
Gansbaai and
Pearly Beach we were delighted to see dozens of whales with their new
born
calves. For me other highlights were, boating in the sunset up the
river to the
Lagoon, a walk around Stanford, visiting antique shops and the Saturday
Market,
tasting cheese at the Klein River Cheese Factory (buying at half price
their
prize winning matured Gruyer,a delectable cheese) and a stopover at
Birkenhead
Brewery for a pint of the best bitter ale in the Cape. A 2hr walk on
Hermanus
cliffs brought us right up close to the whales.The cherry on the top
was a
visit to Thordis's for Capucino at her picturesque wooden house on
stilts at
Fisherhaven and a walk next to the lagoon.The scenic coastal route
added to the
pleasure of driving back home after a great weekend.
Kleinrivier
- near Stanford 11.11.2011 – 13.11.2011 by Marie Paul
The
count I made gave 22 people staying at the farm. A big thank you goes
to Judy and John Martin who so kindly opened their farm and hosted
the Trails Club group who gathered that week end. John went the extra
mile by offering to take us up for flips in his small plane. Many
thank you’s go to Lynette and Geoff Tinker for arranging this action
packed week end and for the use of their boat and kayak. The
weather was all four seasons with the raining bits and the sunny bits
at the right times. Some slept in a bungalow, some slept in tents,
some slept in their vans, and some who were not of the 22 slept somewhere
else altogether. We
enjoyed playful time and sundowners on the quiet waters of the river
followed by a whopping braai on the windless Friday evening.
The
resident rooster crowed his morning call at 5:30 am some ten meters
or so from Gudrun’s and my tent. I was up and showered, driven by
bad leg cramps, before it could rooster its second call. The weather
was great and sunny and perfect for the air flips that Johnoffered.
He took us in his small four seater plane to have a bird’seye
view of the river, the mountains, the Hermanus lagoon and the manywhales
in the bay. By the time 11am arrived, almost all of us had aturn
but the weather became too turbulent to fly. For those of us whodo
photography this was a feast. Jenny Morkel wielded a big zoom lensand
I am sure took some stunning pictures. Maybe she might show themto
us sometime? In Thorde’s words, it was “awesome”!
Never mind thefact
that some suffer from air sickness and others just hate the takeoff
and the landing, this was an opportunity we did not miss.So
the weather having put paid to that activity, we moved onto what we
really
were on about and that is hiking. Again, the indefatigable John led
us up a kloof to go and visit two high waterfalls. The Fynbos was in
bloom and beautiful. The walk under the riparian trees was very pleasant.
Robin (not Cooper) cheekily moved a ladder whilst the rest of
us were hoo-ing and haa-ing at the fall, and trapped us on the rocks
of a high pool. Anthony was the only brave one who did a quick dive
into the icy pool. We got back in the early afternoon and enjoyed
a rest and “free” time until some of us adjourned to
Stanford for
supper at the Arts Café and others stayed and braaied another supper.
Tony did some other activity on which he commented in his report.
His alternative to the hiking was beer and cheese tasting in Stanford.
The
weather was least nice on Sunday. It started with rain. Those of us
who slept in and around the bungalow huddled for morning coffee and chat
time until the rain stopped. When it did stop, the temperature
was
great and it was very still. So paddling on the river and water skiing
were on the menu. We
all packed and took our leave of our friendly kind hosts, in dribs and
drabs, around lunch time and went our varied ways back home. Variety
and great fun were definitely what comes to mind when thinking about
the week end; and as always, good camaraderie! Thank you all.
Maybe
we can do this again sometime?
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| CAPE POINT - 22
& 23 OCTOBER 2011 |
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| All the
hikers: Brian, Sue, Phil, Janine, Sandy, Barbara, Arabel, Thordis,
Steffi, Alan, Julie & Gail |
Everlasting!!! |
On
Saturday morning we met at Cape Point main gate and 10 of us set off
hiking the 20km Atlantic side with the north westerly wind at our backs
- a good decision. The route was long but not too strenuous with a
large variety of flora to enjoy (identification with the help of Sandy)
- fields of restio alternating with white everlastings, looking like
snow at a distance, plus some curious but shy Bontebok. Past Sirkelsvlei
we found a pretty, sheltered spot for tea. On and off with the
rain gear along the coastline past Gifkommetie - a few ostrich and Bontebok
then the rain cleared as we continued on level terrain. A lunch
break on the rocks then an easy and interesting walk while we could
enjoy the birds, buck etc. without tripping over our feet! At Pegram's
Point, some chose the "short cut" for the huts while others continued
on to the point, surviving strong winds above Cape of Good Hope
along the boardwalk, but worth the effort. A beer at the restaurant
a welcome respite before ascending Da Gama peak to the Restio
hut to join the others. Hot showers very welcome, the accommodation
was clean and comfortable and we had an enjoyable braai and
pink sunset. Alan and Julie eventually joined us, having started later,
preferring to run the trail.
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| Huts in
sight |
Sunset |
Sunday
dawned overcast and cool but
cleared later with a slight wind. A shorter 13km hike on the False Bay
side but more ups and downs. The sea at Buffels Bay was a beautiful
turquoise with similar patches along the whole route. The baboons
passed us on their way to join the picnickers, and after some enjoyable
rock hopping, we had our tea at Kanonkop. Occasionally stopping
along the way to enjoy the beautiful views, we skirted the base
of Paulsberg (a relief for some!!) to lunch on the edge of De Boer
peak, then, sadly, back to the main gate - taking in more wonderful
views of Smitswinkel and the bay. Many thanks to our leader Brian
and Sue, we all went home weary but replete.
Regards,
Gail |
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| Buffels
Bay |
Looking
over the bay to a distant hut |
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|
Table
Mountain Sleepover Report: 1-3 Apr 2011 (click to see report with pics)
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Trails
Club of South Africa Wed, Mar 30,
2011 at 1:17 PM
Newsletter -
April 2011
Greetings Hikers!
A year has come and gone so quickly it seems that time is speeding up.
The
AGM also
seems to be getting shorter and faster every year whilst
many of our members are becoming slower and taking longer - THAT'S
PROBABLY WHY EVERYTHING ELSE APPEARS TO SPEEDING UP!
Regardless
of
the speed of time, the AGM meeting went smoothly and we
had an excellent attendance.Unlike the quantity of our membership, our
finances are in an even healthier position than any other year.
Congratulations to Geoff for being re-elected for a second year. We are
very fortunate to have Geoff leading our club and we must all give him
all the support
we can,so he can achieve his objectives.
Geoff correctly commented on the excellent quality and diversity of our
hikes and the variety of the trails and weekend's away. If you haven't
ever been away with the club, then you have lost out. Weekends and away
trails, have, for me, been highlights of being a member. Mark
Twain (1835-1910) said, " I have found out that there ain't no surer
way to find out if you like people
or hate them than to travel with them" or in our case go on a trail
with them.
I can truly say, being a member for over 10 years, and having
completed over 400 day hikes with the club as well as numerous trails
and weekends away, I honestly cannot think of one hike or trail that I
did not enjoy, even in the rain. For most of us the Trails Club has
added to our lives and for many, helped to fulfill our existence in
this fast moving world. Hiking and getting close to nature, absorbing
some of the most beautiful scenery and admiring the best wild flowers
in the world, is good for one's soul and brings us back to earth.
FOR
THIS
REASON give support to our Chairman and his appeal to members
to introduce new members. Invite your friends and relatives to join us
on a hike and to become members. By doing so you will be adding to
their lives as well. Do a good deed for the day!
The committee has few changes and because they couldn't find a
volunteer to replace me as newsletter editor you are stuck with me.
We all felt that we would like to see more social events this year so
if anyone has an idea or better still would like to help or convene a
social event please let us know.
It was
a
justifiable and unanimous decision to award honorary
membership to Tommy and Yvonne who have never stopped being very active
members, since time immemorial, having joined one year after our club
was formed, I believe over 30yrs ago when I must have been a
young
boy!
Awards
for
the most walked hiker went unsurprisingly to ever young
Yvonne
Hiscock and very surprisingly to your editor Tony Burton. Times have
changed. This year 2011, I was awarded certificate of achievement for
Most Kilometres Hiked for a male for a mere distance of 358km covered.
In the year 2003 and 2004 I only achieved 2nd Place for 628km and
644km and in 2002 it took me 724km to achieve 1st Place. That tells a
story. That
tells me that our club is slowing down and distances are getting
further. We need to inject new life to speed things up and go the extra
mile.
SO HIKERS, FIND US SOME NEWER MEMBERS !!!!
Tony Burton
Editor |
| TSITSIKAMMA
HIKING TRAIL : 29 DEC - 4 JAN 2011 |
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Report
written by Patty Colborne.
For the record,
the 18 people on the hike were Robin, Debbie, Vicky, Tommy, Yvonne,
Geoff,
Lynette, Mervyn, Leisa, Gudrun, Barbara, Juerg, Marjolein, Alan, Jamie,
Patty,
and leaders, Brian and Sue Ford.
DAY
1: 29 DEC. 2010.
The hike started
at Nature’s Valley, with a short walk to the Kalander Hut, in the
forest that
fringes the beach. It was very muddy and wet, but we made use of the
lapa -
covered braai in the evening, and were dazzled by a display of
fire-flies
flitting in the bushes around the hut.
DAY
2: 30 DEC.
Kalander Hut to
Blaaukrantz Hut – about
15 km.
It was once again
wet and muddy. There was a fine, misty drizzle to keep us cool as we
ascended
steeply, through pristine fynbos, to the plateau. From the top we had
an
excellent view of Nature’s Valley. The trail passed through
beautiful indigenous
forest. Sue said she enjoyed the light rain dripping through the trees.
Vicky
had fun photographing the fascinating variety of forest fungi. Gudrun
liked the
raindrop- bedecked spider webs which looked like sparkling jewels. We
all
enjoyed the birdcalls in the forest. Our forestry track passed beneath
the N2
motorway, then we followed a forest path to the Staircase Falls,
where we had a stop. The falls were in full flood, with lots of foam
blowing in
the strong wind. On the way to the hut we could clearly see the
Blaaukrantz Bridge.
The hut overlooks the upper reaches of the Blaaukrantz Gorge. We were
all glad
to take off our heavy packs, because there was no portage from the
first hut.
DAY
3: 31 DEC.
Blaaukrantz Hut
to Keurbos Hut – 13,4
km.
After crossing the
river below the hut, we climbed steeply for about 2 km. We passed
through
Buffelsbos forest, then descended to the full and fast-flowing
Bloukrans
River, which we had to cross
using a
chain. There the beautiful deep pool, Waterwitelsgat, was our stopping
point,
where most people swam and cooled off. The trail climbed steeply out of
the
gorge and then we walked through the welcome shade of Benebos
indigenous
forest. After that we followed a forest track most of the way to
Keurbos Hut.
There games of Boule and Bingo were played to enliven New Year’s
Eve. The New
Year was toasted with champagne and then the weary hikers had an early
night.
DAY
4: 1 JAN 2011
Keurbos Hut to
Heuningbos Hut – 13,4
km.
We waited at the
hut until 9:15 for the porters to arrive, in case the rivers had
swollen, but
they came later. After about 1,5 km we crossed the Lottering River.
Then came a long climb, in very humid conditions, up the Rushes Pass.
From there we could look back at the mountain tops peeking out of the
low-lying
mist. It was still very slippery underfoot. We all enjoyed the fynbos,
which
was exceptionally beautiful. Mervyn and Leisa saw a puffadder on the
path. We
had lunch and a swim at the Elandsbos River
bridge. There is a
lovely pool near the Heuningbos Hut. In the evening the wind blew in
heavy
rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
DAY
5: 2 JAN.
Heuningbos Hut to
Sleepkloof Hut – 13,9
km.
The trail ascended
the Splendid Pass,
named after the protea Mimetes
Splendidus, to Mostertshoogte. We crossed the Witteklip River
before winding up misty Nademaalnek. Brian had fun writing encouraging
messages
in the path for those following him up the long pass. The mountainsides
were
covered in fields of pink watsonias. There was a huge fire in the area
about 4
years ago, and the regenerated fynbos is now looking its best. At the
top of
the pass the mist lifted and the view unfolded below to reveal our next
distant
little hut. We descended to a lovely indigenous forest with a river
running
through it. Robin enjoyed the silence of the forest and the bird calls,
where
the only other noise he could hear was the sloshing of his water
bottle. He
said that is what hiking is all about!
DAY
6: 3 JAN.
Sleepkloof Hut to Storms River Bridge.
The porters came
on time and we set off on a short walk mostly through forest to the
Paul
Sauer Bridge.
The portage
made a big difference to the enjoyment of the trail, as we only had to
carry
our day packs. It was a shock to get back into the fast-moving N2
traffic after
life had slowed down to a walking pace for 6 days.
Thank you to our
leaders, Brian and Sue, who did a wonderful job organizing the trail
and making
sure it was so enjoyable and safe for everyone in our large group. It
was a
wonderful way to start 2011 |
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| HOW DO I GET A
REPORT INTO THE NEWSLETTER OR ON THE WEBSITE? |
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Answer:
You can send it to our Editor: trails.club.sa@gmail.com
You can also
fax your report to: 086 545 0874.
See,
it’s easy. You have no excuse. Send your reports and/or
articles now. |
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Tips for hike reports
Some people claim they are not good at writing, so here are some tips
for things to include:
• Area of the hike, date, name of leader, approx. group size
• Something about the weather
• Anything that stood out for you
• Mostly: write about what YOU found enjoyable or interesting,
e.g. (medicinal) plants, environment, views, geology, insects, an
interesting talk you had with someone
• You don’t have to try and include everything
• If you have a sense of humour, use it!
• Please include 2-3 photos if you can!!
• For day hikes, 10-15 lines will do!
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All
the old reports
are in the 'archived newsletters' section
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