The Groot-Winterhoek wilderness area, to the north of Tulbach, is well-known among serious hikers, while the large pool at “The Hell” is an iconic destination. But it took me many years to eventually get to this area and enjoy the delights of this special wilderness. At least three previous efforts to visit the area did not materialise (due to various reasons), going back as far as the 1990’s, when I was still living in Bloemfontein. For quite some time, I also had the ambition to summit Groot-Winterhoek Peak, but I have realized that this is now beyond my reach……
It is, however, a great pleasure and with pleasant fresh memories that I present this report. The group grew from an initial 8, to 12 in the end – all MCSA members: Derek and Jacomi Odendaal, Erica Davies, Hugh Sussens, Clifton and Annalet Donald, Kenneth Willemse, André du Plessis, Sanet van Meersbergen (photographer), Yvonne van den Berg, Dave Pitt and Shelsley van Zijl.
We all drove through to the Beaverlac resort on the Monday, not far from our destination, and made use of their variety of overnight huts or camping facilities in the resort. We created some “gees” that evening with a braai. The next morning presented light rain and mist while we were driving to the CapeNature office at the start. Fortunately, the rain stopped when we engaged our hiking boots/shoes on the path leading to De Tronk. This place was previously a farm, where pioneer farmers cultivated apples and other crops.
The day’s walk was about 12 km and offered some interesting rock formations and a few nice pools (but it was not good swimming weather). We arrived at De Tronk with quite a few hours to rest, explore some more, or make/pour some drinks. We had two of the basic huts to our disposal, which gave us some comfort. The next morning was rather chilly, but cloudless. We walked the 5 km to the amazing pool at The Hell. The descent is rather steep, but the path has been stabilized in many places to make it safer. This place should rather be called “Heaven”, as it has a divine atmosphere about it, and the beauty is just awesome.
To swim in this amazing pool, was on my bucket list. Although the water was cold (14˚C), most of us took the plunge and truly enjoyed the wonder of this special place. Fortunately, the sun could warm us. A few in the group did not stay long, while some of us just enjoyed the serenity of the place and also explored a bit downstream. Back at De Tronk huts, the afternoon left us with more time to explore the interesting rock formations around us, or just relaxing or talking…..
Four of our group members hiked back to the cars on Thursday morning, having other plans for the weekend. The rest of us took on the route to Groot-Kliphuis. It was another sunny day, with mild temperature, and we had to ascend quite a bit to get up there. We arrived at Groot-Kliphuis (with a number of large oak trees) at 1 pm, and decided to hike further on after lunch. That took us to a scenic overnight spot along the upper reaches of the Groot-Kliphuis River. Some in the group pitched their tents, while others found shelter amongst the huge boulders.
On the last day (Friday) we only had to walk about 8 km to get back to the cars. This stretch offered fantastic rock formations and is an area that one can further explore for at least two days. These rock formations can compare to the best of the Cederberg. We ended our great hike with much satisfaction – especially for me, who could at last say: I have done it! And the bonus was that it was with a very nice group of hiking friends……
Meet Leader ~ Derek Odendaal