Our upcoming Drakensberg Grand Traverse is not that far away and with this in mind, we have organised a number of training hikes over the next few months.
First up we planned a hike that would involve some mileage as well as a few good climbs. We left from the Highmoor office and made our way towards the contour path and the Giant. It was an extraordinarily beautiful day with lots of sun and a gentle breeze. It is 12km to the contour path and it seemed as if we would never get there! From here we headed South and it was another 5km to Chibini Tarn. As expected it was full after all the rains and we set up our tents mid afternoon and relaxed and took in the views. We spotted some curious jackals as well as a few Blesbok who hung around but kept their distance – it seemed our presence put them off coming to quench their thirst.
We spent a peaceful night which was surprisingly cool for this time of year. After packing up we were soon on our way, heading down into the Mooi River Valley. Here we saw several large herds of Eland which was lovely to see. We visited Krantzes Cave which was a first for John, Christine and Farouk. This cave has some beautiful rock art and we spent a bit of time admiring these. After crossing the river it was a big uphill back on to the plateau and then a very long trudge back to the Highmoor office– it is such a vast area and this became very evident on the return trip. It was good to take our boots off and then enjoy a hot shower before the drive home. We did 32kms over the two days, so a good effort by all!
