This is a cave in the Bushman’s Nek area that I have only recently discovered although it is often used by MCSA. It is further up the valley beyond Surprise Cave but is bypassed if you go on to Lammergeier Cave, so is in a sense a little hidden.
5 of us set off on a beautiful spring morning and it was as ever, good to be out in the mountains and to catch up with old and new friends again. The weather was lovely although we had gusts of wind now and then that made walking a little unsteady. It is a short hike with a climb up and over the ridge into the valley and from here a walk up to the cave. We came across a large Mole snake en route – beautiful colouring and the first I have seen in the Berg. We stopped and had a look at the bushman paintings at Surprise Cave before arriving at Daniels Cave at midday. After lunch we spent some time debating where the snorers and non-snorers would sleep, eventually arriving at a happy conclusion! The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing and exploring a little. There was a cave that looked promising further down, but upon further inspection, this proved to be unsuitable for sleeping in. The stream that was flowing below the cave provided a refreshing wash before enjoying sundowners in the cave. The weather was quite mild, although it did get a little chilly once the sun had set. We spent the night under the waning Blue Moon with the wind making one or two strong appearances.
We were on our way early the next morning and hiked further down the valley to see Vast Cave. There is a steep path up to the cave, but the effort was worth it as this has to be the biggest cave I have ever seen in the Berg – truly a ‘cave’ in that it goes back quite some distance, and we ventured a way in before deciding that we would rather not investigate the dark depths at the back! It is evident that many animals use this cave for shelter.
We were back at the carpark all too soon – as always I am sad to leave the Berg, and look forward impatiently to the next hike! Thanks to all for a lovely weekend.
