Trails are not dust and pebbles on a hill,
Nor even grass and wild buds by a lake;
Trails are adventure and a hand to still
The restless pulse of life when men would break
Their minds with weight of thinking. Trails are peace,
The call to dreams, the challenge to ascent;
Trails are the brisk unfolding of release
From bitterness and from discouragement,
Trails are the random writing on the wall
That tells how every man, grown tired at heart
Of things correct and ordered, comes to scrawl
His happy hour down – then goes to start
Life over with new eagerness and zest,
Who builds a trail finds labor that is rest!
Trails
Helen Frazee Bower
“A trail is
Remote for detachment
Narrow for chosen company
Winding for leisure
Lonely for contemplation
The trail leads not merely North or South
But upwards to the body, mind and soul of man.”
Harold Allen
FOREWORD
BY WILLEM PELSER
THE MOUNTAIN MAN
This short book is an account of my 14 days in January 2015, trekking through the Wilderness that is Loteni Reserve. I have already spent many a happy time there, and this time it would be for 14 days. The idea behind it was that I would have enough time to thoroughly explore all the nooks and crannies of this beautiful area. To go and explore those areas that you always on previous trips wish you could get to, but there is never enough time. Always there is somewhere out of reach.
Loteni Reserve is a magnificent wilderness with a huge number of rivers and forests. It is the ideal place to explore at your own leisure.
I am an avid fan of the Drakensberg, and it stirs my heart every time I think or hear the word Drakensberg. To pack what you need on your back, hiking boots on the feet, and wonder of into the wilderness is one of life’s greatest pleasures and wonders.
There is so much to see and experience, and a lifetime cannot be enough to experience it all.
I trust that you will enjoy reading this short story of my exploits as much as I enjoyed doing the walking. You will also notice a character by the name of The Mountain Man making his appearance somewhere in the story. How he came to exist I do not know.
The Author
Willem Pelser
CHAPTER ONE
PREPARATION
This trip was conceived after New Year’s Day, 2015, after an absence of 2 months from the Drakensberg. My last visit was a 6 day solo hike in November 2014 from the Mhkomazi reserve office, through the little berg valleys and hills up to the bottom of Highmoor (Mooiriver area) and from there to Giant’s Castle. It was an epic hike which will be etched into my memory till my dying day.
I was pacing up and down in the flat in Doonside, wanting to be in the Wilderness. I could not wait to pack my things and go.
Initially December 2014 was planned as the time to go, but the weather reports for the area did not look good, with severe thunderstorms occurring nearly every day. Now the Drakensberg thunderstorms and hiking are not best of friends and could end up in very dangerous situations. During this time a lot of rain came down, as the rainy season started very late.
Thus the pacing and burning longing continued through December. December is also peak visitor time, and no accommodation was available, and I needed a cabin to use as a base for what I had in mind. The first accommodation would only be available after the 8th January. So the waiting continued.
Eventually the 9thof January arrived and I phoned the office at Loteni. The plan was to make use of the Mountain hut and try it out for a 14 day period as a basis to walk from. As luck would have it, peak season have just ended and the hut was available for the period required. Booking was done and the anticipation waiting to leave started.
Now the preparation part started, having secured the accommodation, all the essentials needed to be prepared for.
First, a list of all the required equipment, foodstuffs and other essentials was drawn up. It is vitally important to have a proper checklist, if not, some stuff tend to remain behind. Funny how the items which remained behind is always the most needed where you go. The Drakensberg is also a very unforgiving place for those who are ill repaired. Penalties will be paid. One must always treat that wilderness area with respect, and proper preparation could save your live in the event of an emergency.
As I use a E-Trex 20 Garmin device for navigation in emergency, but most importantly to record my walks and specific points wherever I go, a lot of attention was spend on this handy little tool. Specific waypoints from previous walks were entered, plotting done, and reserve batteries obtained. It must be stressed that I do not rely on this alone, but also use a KZN Wildlife hiking map and compass, which will always form part of the kit in my backpack.
Then onto the cameras, which is also an essential part of my hiking. Photography is also one of the main reasons why I do the hiking, how can you not record the splendor, big and small along your way? Batteries to be charged, cameras to check and ready to go. I have decided to take both Canon cameras, as there is no electricity available at Lotheni, therefore there is no charging facility for camera batteries.
Next, check the backpack, make sure all essential equipment, especially survival equipment is ready, packed and serviceable.
Then on to the foodstuffs, not only for the 14 days, but working out what would be needed during the day out on the walk.
Fortunately at Lotheni, water is absolutely no problem, it is in abundance and very safe to drink where ever you can find it. One problem you will not ever have, regardless of the season, is a lack of water.
Deciding on clothes come up next, making sure that the important proper hiking boots go with, and I decided to take 2 pairs of hiking boots, as I have not yet been on a trip where I had dry boots for the duration! The so-called waterproof boots will also all succumb to the relentless wet grass of the berg, especially the early morning dew wetting the grass. Obviously you can’t take both sets of boots on a walk, but one pair remains behind to dry, whilst you wear the other pair.Then to make sure that you take enough proper hiking socks with.
I then a final check of the list and start packing everything, storing it in one central place and from there to move it to the car.
My preparations were done so quickly that I ended up with a spare day before I had to leave. So, instead of fiddling my thumbs and waiting, I was on the phone to Lotheni and extended my booked accommodation by a day. Now I was going for 15, instead of 14 days!
I just could not wait any more and the anticipation was killing me! The next day I would be in my beloved mountains again, doing what I do best and love. Think of clear skies, no noise, and only the sound of nature. What more could you want?
CHAPTER TWO
DAY ONE – ARRIVING AT LOTHENI – 10 JANUARY 2015
As I packed the car on Friday evening, come Saturday morning 10 January 2015, I was ready to leave. I left home at 04h00 in the morning, and was going to take a lazy 100 kph drive all the way. It ended up being a nice and relaxed drive, even truck free for most parts, and at just before 06h00 on a misty morning I entered Nottingham Road. Now reaching this point, you start to relax as you know that you are now way outside the city limits and entering the real world – to me –that ensures that peace of mind, never mind all the fresh air that is now on offer.
On leaving Nottingham road you enter farming area, and I would not see another vehicle until my arrival in Lotheni. Shortly after leaving Nottingham road you get onto the dirt road that winds its way up to Lotheni. This last part of the journey, although only about 44 km’s, normally takes the longest due to the condition of the road. High speeds are out of the question and there are some parts that you have to go really slowly.
At least the 4 drifts along the way were reasonably dry and presented no problem to my little Golf. So it is that at 08h10 I parked my car in front of the Lotheni office.
On entering the Lotheni area, an abundance of green and rushing rivers greeted the eye. The Lotheni river was wide and full of rapids. Then, as far as the eye could see, green, lush with grass, rolling hills, and the brooding Mountains standing guard over it all. My feet started itching!
Booking in was quite a breeze as normal and once formalities was done, I proceeded down to the mountain hut which is quite a way from the office and chalet area. There was one drift over a river that had me concerned as the water level over it was quite high and the river in full flow. The Golf made it through without mishap and we proceeded to the mountain hut.
I parked the car next to the hut, and she would stay there for the next two weeks without moving an inch. I did disconnect the battery cable, as I did not want to have a run-down battery after 2 weeks, and on the day of leaving, have no joy in getting the car started. I had no intention of driving anywhere during my time at Lotheni.
Having arrived at the hut, there was a sense of relieve being there and seeing the magnificent scenery all around. Taking those breaths of fresh mountain air was an absolute joy!
I entered the mountain hut for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Nice bedroom with 3 beds, good size kitchen with dining area, massive shower area and separate toilet. Perfect! The mountain hut also sits in a very isolated area, with you being totally divorced from anybody else and with some stunning views.
The hut has some nice shade on the one side with 3 grown trees creating a nice area. The view past the trees leads all the way to the escarpment and creates a beautiful vista.
In front of the cabin there is a very steep downhill leading to a grassy plain, ending up 100 meters away against the Lotheni River, The River was flowing very strongly and was full of rapids. The river created a nice song to listen to and was very audible even inside the cabin.
Hastily I unpacked and put everything away in its proper place. I had to make sure that all the essentials like the stove and fridge works. Unfortunately the geyser did not work which meant that cold showers was the thing for me. This did not concern me at all and was something that I could live with without complaint.
I am a firm believer in that once you are in the wilderness, that wild living should be the norm, the whole idea is to get away from civilization in the first place is it not? Oh, how I would have loved to be living 300 years ago in the wilderness which was the world then.
After all the unpacking was done it was time to sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and the scenery. Now was also the time to start thinking about the agenda for the next 14 days. The mind so relaxes in this environment that it is impossible to comprehend. The brain and body seems to continuously absorb the environment, and that is all that it cares about. All of a sudden nothing else matters anymore. Now my legs just want to get up and go and explore.
I initially planned on staying at the cabin on day one and start my exploration from day 2. However, my feet started getting itchy, and I thought that to do an initiation walk now to walk in the legs would be a good idea. At this stage the outside temperature was quite high, about 30 degrees and the sun was really burning down. My plan was to go down to the eMpophomedi falls on the Lotheni River, direction of the Yellowwood cave, from there up to the Eagle trial and back to the hut.
So, at eleven, without further ado, on with boots and backpack and off I went. It is quite a climb up to the falls, with the river lying at the bottom of the valley. It was quite clear that the river received some substantial water over the past couple of weeks as it was flowing strongly with big rapids.
Along the pathway was a few small waterfalls that seem to start out of nothing, they were all gushing water and would make for quite nice showers. It was very pretty to look at and quite scenic. A Jackal Buzzard was floating in the air above and seems to stay there forever. On arrival at the waterfall, a huge amount of water was gushing over the fall. The strongest water flow I have seen in 2 years.
Carried on past the waterfall to where the path turns left, go up a severe incline that really taxes the legs and then flattens out at the top. Quite a number of nice big Protea trees in this area, and they are all with flowers. I never realized that the biggest protea tree here would give me such a lovely surprise 2 weeks later.
Up at a junction point there is a little forest where an old game guard hut uses to stand. All that is still left standing is the stone chimney that seems to survive all that nature can throw at it.
A thunderstorm has now developed on the escarpment and was making its way down the valley. There were some big rumblings going on. I hastily turn around and made a retreat down the pathway back to the hut.
On my way down, I stepped over a grasshopper with a black and white color scheme which I have never seen before. All the little streams along the way and crossing the path are now active again and there is a real abundance of water.
The thunderstorm was right on my heels, and 10 minutes after arriving at the camp, it started raining. But, to my surprise, it only rained for about 2 minutes, and the grass was not even wet afterwards!
At 18h00, sitting outside, admiring the scenery, I noticed 4 Eland coming down the hill from Kwa-pitoli towards the river. They then crossed the river and proceeded up the river’s flood plain towards the chalets further down.My little initiation walk ended up in a 9 kilometer hike!
One is normally very lucky to see a single Eland, more so to see 4 of them in a group! They are in a very good condition and well fed by the look of it.
I was sitting thinking about Taylor’s Pass, as I needed to explore this pass, as it would form part of a 6 day hike later from Injisuthi to Lotheni. I have 2 options, either walk up to the office and start the trail from across the bridge, or walk down to the river in front of the cabin, wade through the river and cut across from there to meet up with the foorpath and then on to Taylor’s Pass. Then decided that I will do that walk on a later day.
Day 1 of 15 is already done! Decided that in the morning on day 2 I will walk the Yellowwood cave route and see if I can find the cave and what the valley past the cave looks like.
My body did not react very well to this first day’s walking. Felt like I had no energy and the legs are to heavy. The sun was exceptionally hot, and it just sucks all the energy out of your body very quickly.
Saw some campers still camping in the camp area, and some people at the chalets. Sims cottage also full. Seems that every body will only be leaving tomorrow which is Sunday.
It is still very, very hot, although it is already 19h00. Had a nice supper and went of to bed very early.
CHAPTER THREE
DAY TWO – YELLOWWOOD GROVE ROUTE AND CAVE
I woke up at about 04h00 in the morning and was rearing to go. When I had a look out the hut window, I stared straight into the face of a mountain rhebuck, who simply stared back at me! What adventures and sights await me? At 05hoo I was bagged and booted and off I went. I chose to take the right up the Lotheni River, and then follow the route leading into the valley where the Yellowwood cave is situated.
Getting up the mountain to the altitude contour was very, very taxing. I made it to the entrance of the valley which is quite a picturesque area. One is also very close to the river with some very interesting formations and pools.
A forest starts right at the entrance to the valley, on the right hand side of the valley, and this forest is about 3 km’s long. It is certainly one of the biggest forests I have seen. There are literally hundreds of massive Yellowwood trees bursting through the canopy of a very dense forest.
I could not find the cave on the left hand side of the river, and did an additional 3 kilometers before I stopped. Then realized if I carry on with this path, that I will end up at the contour path at the bottom of the escarpment and a pass which leads up to the escarpment!
I decided to turn around and relook at my position on Garmin. Garmin showed me that the cave is actually located on the other side of the river, and actually inside the forest. I made my may down a very steep hill and thick grass and undergrowth to the river.
Now the issue was to find a safe crossing point in a raging river.Found what seems to be reasonably safe, sat down, took my boots off, and with the help of my walking stick made a very slow crossing through some strong rapids.
Put my boots back on and walked across to the forest. Right at the forest is saw this grey shadow in the tree line and could for a moment not make out what it is. Then realized that I am looking at the biggest and oldest Eland I have ever seen! He could also not see me, although he was aware that there was something there on the other side of the trees. Eventually he simply turned around and wondered of into the forest.
I entered the forest, and what a magical place inside it is. All wet and smelling mushy and dark. I went deeper into the forest, Garmin in hand, trying to find the cave. I then found a footpath which I initially thought was an Eland trial. I walked past all these big, beautiful Yellowwoods, and I wondered how on earth they survived the Voortrekkers and Settlers.
Carried on with the path-way and after a while I walked right into the cave. I really was not impressed with the cave as I had seen much better examples of a cave. There is actually another cave next door, where I sat down and had breakfast. There is something very magical sitting inside a proper forest with not a human sound and then to listen to the sounds of nature.
Stayed here for a while and appreciated the forest. Then back on the path through the forest to see where it leads to. The path came out of the forest and ended right at the river where I also found a cairn. Sat down to take my boots of and wade through the river. The cold river water was very good on hot feet. Out on the other side of the river found a second cairn, and then I realized that the cairns actually show the way to the cave! The only problem is that when you approach the first cairn on the left hand side of the river, you cannot see it because of the tall grass and undergrowth, and then walk straight past it without noticing.
This is a really beautiful forest. I also noticed an area higher up the mountain on the forest side of the river, which look like there could be some hidden caves there. Will have to come back on another day and explore further.
On my way back out of the valley, my eye caught something out of place up the hill next to the path-way. Climbed up a cliff and behind some trees found a big, beautiful cave. It is ideal for a sleep over on a hike and is also big enough to pitch a tent right inside of it. The really nice part of this cave is that right in the middle of the floor, there is a fountain coming through the floor and then run down the floor at the back of the cave. Spectacular! You now even have fresh clean water inside the cave. It is really, really nice. One day I will come back on a hike and use this cave. The cave wall has been vandalized by those idiots who seem to have no respect for nothing. Found two very faint rock art pictures of which one has been vandalized (what else).
Left the cave and on my way out noticed thunder clouds building up on the escarpment again. I expect the storm to hit at about 14h00.Walked back on the trial towards the hut. For one or another reason my does back not like the backpack today. Toes in the left boot also severely burning, lucky for me, it is only the one foot. Finally arrived back in camp and at about 14h30 the thunderstorm arrived. There is huge thunder and no lightning which is very unusual. It is an absolutely massive storm system, but not much rain, only a few drops fell.
On my way up and down the trial today, I did see some big, beautiful Natal Bottlebrush trees. At one area there are 30 of the standing together, no flowers as they flower in October and are then very beautiful. No birds were to be seen today!
It is a very strenuous walk getting up and down to Yellowwood cave from the hut. The waterfall on the Lotheni river half-way up the trial is really spectacular. There is so much water going over the fall that it creates this fine mist which blows all over you if the wind is blowing.
I am considering doing Taylor’s Pass tomorrow morning.
At 17h11 I saw a group of about 20 Eland with babies, again on the hill opposite the hut, on the other side of the river. There are 2 white colored Eland who are the leaders of the group.
CHAPTER FOUR
DAY THREE – MY WAY TO TAYLOR’S PASS
I left the hut at 05h20 on my way to discover Taylor’s Pass. On leaving the cabin, found roughly 40 Eland outside feeding on the grass. They are in very good condition and are all massive animals. Normally on your approach they would run, but these Eland seems to be very relaxed and carry on with their business as long as you do not get to close.
I made my way straight downhill from the cabin towards the Lotheni River. On arrival at the river I had to take my boots off and wade through a strong running river.Then, once through, it is boots back on and off we go again. Now I have to make my way through very thick, tall grass and undergrowth and meet up with the Emanduwini trial. Before that however, I had another river to cross – Elandshoek River – And repeat the boots off, wade through and boots back on exercise. The rivers are running strong and deep, and therefore crossing them is a very careful and calculating process taking some time to complete. Now comes the hard 3 kilometer slog up a very steep, unrelenting mountain side.
Although it is a severe slog, the surrounding country side is very beautiful and peaceful. There are lots of protea trees around on this part of the trial, but none with any flowers. Arrived at the top of the mountain where the path for the first time sort of level off and leads to a river which need to be crossed. This is a very pretty river area and it is always worthwhile lingering here and absorbs the scenery. This time I managed to cross the river with boots on which made me very happy.
A few meters after crossing the river, I found the turn off to Taylor’s Pass where I thought it should be. But, what I did not realize, or have seen before on numerous walks pass this specific point, is that there is actually a big marker indicating the route. Do not know how I missed it before; it can only be that the marker was overgrown as it is quite clear that the growth around it has been cut away not too long ago. The first 4 kilometers of the pass starting from the marker is very severe. There is not really an existing path and sometimes you find yourself on sort of a path way, and then you are slogging through very heavy terrain again trying to find some direction as to a path. I ended up at half a cave further up the hang of the mountain, and had to take a little break here.
Looking down, I saw this beautiful little chameleon that amused me for a while. I then found a path again and proceeded further up the mountain. It was quite clear that this route leads up to the summit of this mountain and ends up at the contour route further on. I needed to establish this route as I am doing a 6 day hike later, and this pass will be part of the final day en-route Lotheni from Injisuthi. Near the top I decided that that is enough and sat right down there on a rock with a beautiful view of the valley at the bottom and the surrounding country side.
Now it was time to go down again, and this time around I found a path all the way down to the bottom at the marker. You have to carefully follow this path ass a moment’s lack in concentration means that you lose the path. It is a very seldom travelled pass, which means that the little bit of the path that do exists, will overgrow very quickly.
The river running through this valley is very scenic and with lots of photo opportunities. There is a huge amount of protea tress all around, and still no flowers to be seen on any of the trees.
Once I have met up with the Emanduwini path again, I was in sort of 2 minds as to turn left and proceed to the forest or turn right and go down to the river. The reason for the indecision was that it was still very early and going back to the camp at this stage was not an option.
Started off in the direction of the forest and ended up half-way, when I decided to turn around and go back to the river. At this stage the sun was burning down fiercely, although it was still very early morning. The sun was absolutely relentless.
Once I reached the river, I thought that this is now the ideal opportunity for a swim. I turned left at the river and went down about ten meters to where I found this beautiful, secluded pool. My clothes were off in a flash and into the water I went. What a shock to the system! The water was just above freezing and it was impossible to stay in it for a very long time. So it is out again, and within 2 minutes you would be baked dry by the sun, and then I would just repeat the process all over again.
I must have spent about an hour here before getting dressed and make ready to leave. It was an absolute gorgeous spot, and is one of those where you can easily spent a day and be very happy. I crossed the river right here at the pool and re-joined the path. Now it was a very steep descent down to the Elands River. What goes up must go down!
At the bottom of the path where it meets the river, I decided not to carry on with the path, but to do a bit of bundu-bashing and carry on to the Elandshoek River. Going off-trial is quite a thing to do as the undergrowth and grass is very thick and you really need to concentrate on what you are doing and where you put your feet. It was impossible to see your feet and the placement of one’s feet was done purely on feel. At the same time you were hoping that you do not put a foot down on a snake! A lot of prodding was done with the walking stick as a precautionary measure.
A t this stage the sun was really beaming down mercilessly, and hardly any shade was available. Sometimes along the way if you do find a sliver of shade, you tend to hang on to it for a while just to get out of the sun!
I landed up at the Elandshoek River at a point where it was running very wide and deep. So the normal procedure had to be followed. Sit down, boots and socks off, roll up trouser pipes, wade in, balance with the walking stick and very slowly and carefully make your way across. You do not want to take a swim at this stage, because, hanging around your neck is a camera and on your belt is Garmin. Garmin will survive a dunking, but not the camera!
Now on the opposite side of the river, it is sit down, dry your feet, socks and boots on, and roll down trouser pipes. And, doing all of this whilst the sun is trying to bake you to a cinder.
I then proceeded straight on up Kwa-Pitoli – Jenny’s favorite mountain – and as luck would have it found a nice Eland trial to follow. The animals are quite clever when they make trials as they would most of the time stick to a specific contour and followed that over and over, makes for easy walking!
I came up to a little forest surrounded by a marsh, and while walking through the knee high marsh grass, came upon a very pretty dark orange bell shaped flower, shyly hiding itself away. Never during all my walks and hiking trips have I ever seen one of these, and it was quite a happy find.
Now it is down the mountain again and down to the Lotheni River, where the whole crossing procedure repeats itself. Out of the river some bundu-bashing awaits with your arrival at a very, very steep hill, on top of which sits the hut.
Arriving at the hut at the end of a walk is such a nice thing, getting of the boots and backpack and getting out of the sun is a big reward.
Today no thunderstorms had a built-up, but right now, 15h00, clouds are forming all over but they are not thunder clouds.
At this stage I am much undecided as to what to walk and where to go tomorrow. I might go and visit Jacob’s ladder Waterfalls for some photo opportunities.
It is now getting really nice and cool because of the cloud formations, with a nice cool breeze blowing. It was really viciously hot today.
I am sitting next to the hut looking at the world around me getting darker as the sun goes down. Every late afternoon 6 Cape Wagtails arrive and they hunt insects around the hut until late.
CHAPTER FIVE
DAY FOUR – JACOBS LADDER WATERFALLS
I left the hut at 05h15 on my way to Jacob’s ladder. The walk down to the office was quite easy and is about 2.4 kilometers long. When I arrived at the office, I found myself in the middle of an Eland herd, 50 animals strong! They were absolutely all over. They proceeded from there down to the river.
I now had to slog downhill through some pretty wet grass towards the bridge where I will cross the Lotheni River. On my arrival at the bridge found another 10 Eland with 2 bulls fighting. It is obviously breeding season.
I had an easy stroll down towards the area where the Jacobs River flows into the Lotheni River, and then up the Jacobs to the waterfalls. You have to cross the Jacobs about 5 times and the river was in flood. This meant boots and socks off, trouser pipes up and cross and the reverse the procedure. I eventually tired of this and carried on barefoot as the distances between crossings was very short.
On my arrival at the falls, found them to be magnificent due to all the water in the river. It was a sight for sore eyes. Sat down at the bottom fall in the shade of the mountain and had breakfast. The hang of the mountain are dotted with some very nice aloes and took some nice pictures of them. The pool at the bottom of the fall is just begging to be played in!
I mountaineered up the side of the fall to the second fall, and ended in a beautiful area with another stunning pool. There are so many photo opportunities here and I went clicking away. This is an absolutely perfect picnic and swimming spot with stunning views.
Back at the bottom I stood looking at the cliffs leading up to the top of the mountain. Now, in hindsight, how did I climb those cliffs on 2 previous exploration trips to get to the top of the mountain and explore the back of it? It was worth it though.
Then I left although it was still very early. The sun was already promising another serious beating for the day. Just around the corner from the Jacobs Valley, I saw a big troop of baboons climbing up the hill. They have quite a few babies and teenagers with them.
At the turn-off towards the bridge over the Lotheni, I decided to carry straight on and use the Emanduwini trial for about 2 kilometers till where it meets up with the Lotheni and Elandshoek rivers. Once down in this area I found it difficult to find a safe crossing areas because of the volume of water in the rivers and the strong rapids.
I walked down the Lotheni to the exact point where it meets the Elandshoek River, and here had to cross first the one then the other river. It was a very slow process as they run quite wide and deep here. One missed step during the crossing will end up in an utter disaster! Also now the normal procedure of boots off and then back on again.
Once I was out of the Lotheni, I sat down on a rock next to the river with my feet dangling in the water. The next moment I felt this severe pinch on one of my toes! Looking down, I saw this bright red crab grabbing hold of my toes. My toes must have looked very inviting to this crab dangling in that clear river water.
I bundu-bashed back up to the hut, and was very happy to be out of the sun which at this stage was trying to fry anything and everything it can find.
Sitting inside the hut, at about 13h00, I heard noise outside the cabin and proceeded to look out the window. All around the hut and down to the river was a herd of Eland about 60/70 strong! I have not ever seen so many eland in my life and never in the Drakensberg.
I thought that I will have some 2 minute noodles for lunch which went down quite well.
At 15h24 a very big thunderstorm built up over the escarpment which is not far away. A strong wind of about 60 kilometers an hour started blowing. The sound of thunder was now very loud and rolling through the hills. I think that with this strong a wind that it will blow the storm away. All of a sudden the clouds came down from the mountain heights and everything everywhere started disappearing under cloud.
I can now see the rain coming down the mountain slowly but surely.
The heat at this time of the year is unbelievable, very intense and burns everything in its way. It saps energy from you till you look like a peeled orange!
CHAPTER SIX
DAY FIVE – THE EAGLE TRIAL AND THE SECRET WATERFALL
I woke up at 01h00 with some quite heavy rain drumming down on the roof of the hut. Rocked me back to sleep as it was also nice and cool now. When I woke up again at the crack of dawn it was overcast but it looked like the weather will clear later on during the day.
I left the hut at 05h30 and followed the road towards the office in order to meet up with the start of the Eagle trial. The grass was very wet this morning which means that I will have wet boots for the rest of the day. There is no so-called waterproof boots which can withstand the wet grass of the Drakensberg! You just have to shut-up and live with it.
It is now a 3.4 kilometer slog up the mountain and then a split of to the left, cross the river and on to the forest. It is rainy and overclouded now, and I can see another big thunderstorm building up on the escarpment. As I got to the split where you need to cross the river, I decided to carry on and walk up to the waterfall and see what the scenery is like today. On my arrival the fall was gushing forth quite nicely. I decided to get down to the secret waterfall and go and have a look at the fall.
This would entail some serious mountaineering down a very steep cliff in order to get down to the river. It was very tough going in a very rocky, grassy, bushy and wet area. I arrived at the river which is a very pretty and scenic spot, stayed for a while just to absorb it all. At this point, there are 2 rivers that meet and they create quite a magnificent little corner. Know it was time for the normal boots of procedure and wading through the river. Once I was out of the river I sat on a rock and enjoyed my surroundings.
Whilst looking around, a shy protea hiding away on the other side of the river against the hang of the mountain caught my attention. The tree itself is only about 30cm high, with a gorgeous white/yellow protea flower on top. At the same time I also noticed this spectacular pink/purple lily against the backdrop of the water. Photo’s was at the order of the day and then boots back on. It is so nice to just sit at such a beautiful spot and to just absorb everything and the silence with the music made by the river.
By now my boots were absolutely soaking wet. It is very annoying but you get used to it. Now it was time to climb out of the river area, up the hill and get to the secret waterfall. I was hoping to get into the waterfall area as it is enclosed by cliffs with only one access way. There was however not a chance of doing that as the river was running too strongly. I then walked right up to the point where the waterfall cascades over the cliffs into the abyss below. It is a very nice picture, and I was standing there remembering 2 years ago, when on an exploration trip, I had discovered this fall and actually swam in the pool at its bottom! From the top looking down, the pool at the bottom of this fall is very deep and has risen by about 2 meters. No way in there today for any one, unless you make a serious swim for it.
I proceeded past the falls to the area behind the falls, and here to my amazement and joy, I discovered a huge number of the tiny protea trees, and ones with red flowers as well. It was a very nice surprise.
Standing here I could see the storm on the escarpment intensifying and thought it prudent to make this the turn-around spot. A couple of raindrops also started falling. On my way down the side of the mountain towards the path area, I discovered some more of the tiny proteas to my utter delight. I also noticed a cave higher up the mountain which I have not seen before on previous trips. I will have to investigate this cave at a later stage.
The trial was now very close to me and I found it and carried on, on the path. Just a short distance away is a forest and I decided to get in a bit deeper inside this specific forest than what I normally do. Inside the forest it is very spooky, mushy and wet and one expects to see fairies flying around. There are a huge number of Yellowwood trees in this forest and they are absolutely huge. Some of the must be hundreds of years old. How they survived the human onslaught I do not know.
The forest is also full of massive boulders that are lying all over the forest. Right at the back of the forest is a 150 meter cliff coming of the mountain. The forest floor itself is covered with ferns and wild strawberries with ripe fruit. I saw to wildlife trails inside the forest which end up against some massive rocks, most probably a sleeping spot. They have flattened the grass here over a period of time. It is a very nice protected sleeping area, and I could even pitch my tent there. All sorts of mosquitos and insects attacked me inside the forest and it was time to get out.
I came out the other side of the forest and made my way back to the trial and proceeded further on it. Had to walk up a very steep incline, and right at the top found a rock to sit on which had a beautiful view of the surrounding. You could see far down into the valleys from here. I enjoyed an apple on this rock and also had to take of my boots as my toes were burning badly. It was a spectacular view though.
The approaching storm is now building on 3 fronts and is looking quite severe. I thought for a moment to take a short-cut down the mountain which would have given me a very short walk back to the hut. I however decided to stay on the trial, and oh boy, what a mistake it was! The path took me directly opposite, away from the camp and that for a distance of 4 kilometers! That did not make me a happy man and the storm was fast approaching.Found a really nice fountain next to the path.
I thought that with the storm approaching, I might just make it back to camp in time if I put some speed into it. Barely 30 minutes after walking into the hut, the rain started, and all 30 drops of it and nothing more! What an idle threat from nature.
At 15h13 it started getting seriously hot again, some clouds still hanging around over the mountains. I think that tomorrow I might go back to Jurassic Park, not to sure today.
My legs did very well today, and are now getting used to the punishing terrain. It is just a pity that my boots are so wet now, and they will now stay like that. I might have to slot pieces of plastic into the tongues again as that seems to be the weak point.
Now, who would have guessed, I am here for 5 days already. How does time fly!
There are 3 very noisy starlings living on the roof of the hut. They drive me absolutely bonkers!They are creating an absolute racket until late at night.
I am sitting here in the hut thinking about all of the beautiful rivers in this area and the amazing amount of swimming pools available. It also seems as if nobody really utilize them, which is a great shame. I t is now 15h42 and the rain is coming down in torrents. It is not a thunderstorm though and it is the first proper rain since my arrival.
At 17hoo I had a very nice supper of lamb tjops, potatoes, beans, onions and tomatoes.
At 18h00 it got be quite chilly, bordering on ice—cold and it is actually a very nice relief from the oppressive heat.
I absolutely love to watch the Cape Wagtails every evening as they hunt insects all around the hut.
Note
This is not the end of the story. Stay tuned for more!
