GRASKOP
27 April to 1 May 2007
By Phyllis Morris
Participants: Derek & Gretta, Piet & Beate, Johnny & Bettie, John & Audrey, Brian & Pam, Eric & Jenni, Mike, Phyllis, Elaine, Jean, Gerhard (snr) and Gerhard (jnr), Melanie and Helen.
There where massive hold-ups on the N4 due to the volume of traffic and an accident at one of the toll plazas. Some members took amazing detours: A VW Polo, pretending to be a 4X4, was spotted doing an illegal U-turn on the highway and disappearing in a cloud of dust towards Stofberg on a very bad farm road. Elaine did a detour through the KNP, but all arrived safely on the Friday evening.
The rain that night continued into the next day causing a major debate at the starting point of the hike. Many refused to budge from their cars, some folding their arms in defiance. The intrepid few like Eric, Jenny and the Gerhards, stood in the pouring rain and poked in the puddles for guidance. Eventually Eric and the two Gerhards set off in the pouring rain on a very slippery path, while the rest opted for drier comforts! The dissenters continued their debate over coffee and pancakes in Pilgrim's Rest followed by a tour of the quaint little town, which, by the way, is showing welcome signs of restoration. After much debate, the fair-weather hikers agreed that after such a strenuous morning, a leisurely afternoon hike from base camp to the magnificent escarpment would be in order, but only after a nap.
Another rest period on Sunday morning allowed us to explore the beautiful surroundings where the many waterfalls never cease to amaze. That night the tantalizing aroma of trout mingled with the smoke of the braai fire, but not before we had an altercation with “officials” (traffic cops and friends) who had hijacked our pre-booked/prepaid lapa! But before the trout, there was another stroll in the balmy afternoon weather to the Graskop Falls gorge to watch the brave plummeting in terror to the depths on a kind of bungee jump / swing contraption.One or two visitors from the Jhb Hiking Club were heard uttering disparaging remarks about our attempts at hiking. And so after all the practise sessions, there was a "serious" hike on Monday. The path meandered through cool forests and across gurgling streams with the sound of waterfalls never far away, finally emerging from the bush at Forest Falls. A stiff 4km walk back to the start completed a satisfying morning.
ERHC again demonstrated that when it came to entertainment, they had no equal. The humorous stories around the evening braai fires in the covered lapa had us in stitches and midday, end-of-hike entertainment, was also provided on the Monday with an enthralling rendition of farmyard noises by Johnny and Eric. The latter's take on a pig in distress was particularly memorable.
All in all a most enjoyable and relaxing weekend and our thanks again to the organisers and leaders, Derek and Gretta.
(Editors note: 2 hikes were pre-booked for this long weekend: Morgenzon forest station to Pilgrims Rest (12.8km) on Saturday (Subsequently cancelled because of the dangerous hiking conditions) and Graskop circular trail of 13km on Monday. Sunday had been set aside for sight-seeing.)
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