Maretha Alant, Greg Moore, Derek Odendaal, Peter Pyke, Janet Moore, Corlius Jooste, Mark Dixon, Judy Dixon, Susan Pyke, Karin van Niekerk (Photo by Meet Leader Ruth Powell)
We met on Cedar Falls Guest Farm in the Baviaanskloof on Saturday 3rd April and set off at noon on the walk to the Cedar Falls Waterfall. Expectations of cold-water swimming had some of the team well prepared with wetsuits in their day packs. After a walk criss-crossing the stream a few times we arrived at the first swimming point, which some managed to avoid by scrambling along the rock ledge at one side. The next swim could however not be avoided. Most of the group made it to the final swimming pool and waterfall, but few ventured in to take a dip as they were already cold and still had to return via the same route.
Everyone enjoyed a great braai and some ‘BaviaansBrew’ and prepared for the next day’s start of The Leopard Trail. Then a good night’s sleep in the Hikers’ Hut.
We got off to a mid-morning start as the first day is only 11km and walked steadily uphill to Gabriel’s Pools for the first swim of the day, with plenty of tadpoles and frogs enjoying the pools with us. We passed the ruins of his clay brick house and gravestone in the middle of nowhere and pondered on his life out in this wilderness area.
At the briefing that morning, Willem, who is the manager of the Leopard Trail warned us not to follow the bike track which took off to the left up a small hill, but rather to remain on the level and continue to Day 1’s camp (to the right). This message did however not get through to all and one of our party ended up looking back and seeing the rest of the party following a different trail below him. Luckily, he was quick on his feet and got back to us, although breathless and a bit shaken. Camp 1 was absolutely beautifully set in an amphitheatre of folded mountains and we enjoyed a dip in the pool.
By 7 the next morning some members of our party were off already for the next day of adventures. We won’t mention names as to who went off track; but once realising that there were no yellow leopard footprints to follow, quickly turned tail and found the right track for Day 2. After 18km of some ups and downs, and a stop-over at Reflection Pools (where you can peak over the ledge to Gabriel’s last pool below), we arrived at Camp 2, and even though the pool was being filled and only had a few centre metres of water, a dip was still mandatory for some of us. This was followed by a lovely evening around the fire.
Day 3 began with cooler weather as we tackled ‘Honey Bush Hill’, ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ and ‘Ain’t So Bad’. The drizzle made for some more slippery rocks and the party proceeded carefully on to ‘Draai Punt’, a lunch-stop with some little pools. By the afternoon the weather improved and the beautiful rocky outcrops along the riverbed walk were much admired and even explored by our more adventurous member (Derek Odendaal), who scrambled up the side to look into caves. As the longest day of 20.5km finally ended, it didn’t deter our oldest hiker from taking a dip in the pool as the sun disappeared for the day.
Our final day was a short one, 13km, but we needed to get back to Base Camp by early afternoon to tackle the drive home. By 14h30 everyone was accounted for. Black boxes were unpacked, a final ‘Brew’ inhaled and it was time to hit the dirt track out of Cedar Falls Guest Farm.
Thank you for a wonderful adventure. I enjoyed sharing this special place with all of you.
Meet Leader ~ Ruth Powell