Mad Dogs and an Englishman take a hike on the Poison Mountain…
Our arrival at the Gifberg Holiday Farm was almost synchronised to perfection. This made the reception by our four, four-legged “hosts”, that much easier. They greeted us effusively, tails wagging enthusiastically – nothing unusual that gave their game away. Little did we realise that we were in their eyes just “fresh meat” ready for the slaughter. Unbeknown to us from the moment each and everyone of our group of ten stepped from our vehicle we were under scrutiny – we will never know exactly how the canine conversation went amongst the “Gang of Four” but if I were able to hazard a guess it probably went along the lines of:
* What do you think this lot are good for? Every hike on offer or loads of early enthusiasm and bravado followed by nice long afternoon siestas?
* What do you reckon guys? Have we got our work cut out for us or are we going to have a nice jol for the next three days?
We will never know the conclusion reached but for sure our age, our boots, our gear and our general swagger must have all been thrown into the assessment equation.
To be fair it would be wrong of any trail guide not to run their guests through such a calculation. What perhaps made the playing field slightly uneven was that we didn’t realise that these four canine companions were our “guides” – there were no formal introductions as such but there was no need as it soon became only too evident!
The Team’s input into our activities at Gifberg was limited to, choice of trail, departure time, snacks to pack and then it was just a matter of following the “guides”.
The Team at the top of the Pakhuis Pass in front of “Faith”
L-R: Dennis Lange, Tim Gaskell, Mimi Kay-Shuttleworth, Sonja Wend, Ed Kay-Shuttleworth (Leader), Jacolise Joubert, Sandra and Clive Louw, Derek Odendaal and Kim Gaskell (photographer out of picture) – Photo credit: Kim Gaskell
The Team exploring the “Spoelgatroete” at Gifberg Resort
Photo credit: Mimi Kay-Shuttleworth
We undertook the first trail at Gifberg on the Monday afternoon, immediately after setting up camp and having swallowed some lunch. This was the shortest trail on offer, named appropriately the “Spoelgatroete” trail. At only 1.8 kms we were puzzled why we were informed to allow 1 – 2 hours to complete. Our “guides” were by now racing down the riverbank knowing full well the treat that awaited us. If you’ve visited Bourke’s Luck Potholes near Graskop in Mpumulanga then you will have an idea of the wonders that unfolded as we worked our way along the rocky embankment.
The Gifberg “Spoelgatroete”:
Photo’s (last 3) credit: Dennis Lange
Our plan for the second day at Gifberg had been to tackle the 20 kms “Boesmanroete” circuit. However, we tempered our aspirations on learning that temperatures were likely to approach the higher ranges of the 20’s and we didn’t fancy the 10 kms uphill return leg with no water or shade enroute. We therefore allowed our “guides” to take us 5 Kms down the river taking in two waterfalls and three caves before returning the same way. We were back at our base in good time to avoid the early afternoon heat and to be treated to a small Birthday celebration by Clive. The cold beers needed little invitation to find there way down our throats!
The Gifberg “Boesmanroete”:
Crossing the Gifberg river between the small and large waterfalls
Cave paintings from the three caves found enroute
A close early morning encounter (Photo credit: Derek Odendaal)
Those with energy still in reserve embarked on the short 3.6 Kms “Hamerkop” route in the late afternoon. This route was unanimously voted the favourite by the group. Waterfalls, pools and potholes made for an enjoyable 90-minute circuit. Maybe our canine companions had misread our capabilities, but we were left to our own devices to do this route. Perhaps they just assumed that with the heat and a few cans of beer we were done for the day. This was probably fortuitous as some of the companions would have struggled a bit with the scrambling up the side of the waterfall.
The Gifberg “Hamerkoproete”:
Late afternoon light over one of the many “Hamerkoproete” pools
The waterfall climb that might have challenged our “guides”
Those in our group that missed the “Hamerkop” the previous afternoon were persuaded to undertake it the following morning which was our last outing before our departure. The others decided to follow the 8.2 Kms “Gifboom” trail as usual under the wing of our “guides”. With the knowledge that some of our “guides” might struggle with the “Hamerkop” trail we managed with some ingenuity to hood wink the “guides” to lead the “Gifboom” group. This last trail differed from the others in that it did not follow the river. Instead, we were taken through a very varied landscape of rocky outcrops and a mountain forest. Rock formations and plants entertained us continuously and gave us many reasons to pause and admire along the way.
One of the plants observed was the Gifboom (Euphorbia virosa) after which the area has earned its name. The Gifboom (or poison tree) is endemic to Gifberg. San hunter-gatherers used the seeds to poison their arrows.
The Gifberg “Gifboomroete”:
The “Gifboomroete” revealed a breathtaking microcosm along the way that included the infamous and innocuous looking “Gifboom”
Our Gifberg visit in fact was the second part of this 5-day meet and succeeded two nights we spent in the North Cederberg on our way there. Our plan there had been to camp with Cape Nature at the Kliphuis Campsite atop the Pakhuis Pass but having been informed a few weeks prior that the trail we wished to undertake was closed, we were then informed a week prior to our arrival that we couldn’t camp at Kliphuis due to damage from the heavy rain that had occurred over the weekend prior. Fortunately, we found a marvellous alternative close by and it was there at Bushman’s Poort that we convened on the Saturday night after journeying across from the South Cape.
The North Cederberg Exploration
Nestled amongst vast rocky outcrops, hidden away from the world we based ourselves there for our Sunday hike which started from the top of the Pakhuis Pass and then followed the old Heuningvlei Donkey trail in a Southerly direction. This was terribly eroded by the recent rains to the point of becoming unpleasant to follow,so we soon escaped off the track and explored the adjoining area, not without some difficulty in navigating over and around the rocky obstacles. Eventually we found the specific formation we were searching for which provided a suitable spot for our lunchbreak before we headed back on a circular route passed the Kliphuis camp and then a climb up to our cars on the Pass. A pleasant 13 kms hike through outstanding Cederberg scenery was enough for most but four of us still had enough charge to follow a nearby 2.5 kms path to another arch formation.
Photo credit: Dennis Lange
Photo credit: Tim Gaskell
Photo credit: Mimi Kay-Shuttleworth
And so, after two days in the North Cederberg and two days in Gifberg the time to pack up and drive home had arrived – the 9-hour drive was long but gave plenty of time to dwell on the sites visited over the previous days and to dream of our next visit to this wonderful corner of the country.
PS: this report would not be complete without a brief introduction to the stars of the show – our Gifberg “guides”.
Left: Amy – indestructible – agile, speedy, often at the front out of sight. If she couldn’t go over, she went under!
Front centre: Lyndsey – the newbie – didn’t know the routes as well as the others and lacked confidence at several tricky points.
Rear Centre: Lara – the oldest member of the gang – a bit slow sometimes but steady.
Right: Pieter – the Boss – getting on in years but led the others with a quiet confidence.
Meet Leader ~ Ed Kay-Shuttleworth