It was Wednesday. I had this sudden urge to get out into the mountains again so I made enquiries, not expecting to have much luck. The mountain gods were smiling on me however, as not only was there space, but also a lift, kindly offered by Jan, so happy days indeed!
Weaver cave is in the Cobham area and a little off the beaten track past Lakes cave. I had not been there in years so I was looking forward to seeing it again. There were 4 of us on this hike, so a small group. Dave, Jan and Hilton were my companions for the weekend.
The day was warm with a strong breeze and we made our way steadily up the Pholela River valley to where the river splits. After a break at the shelter we continued on up the side valley to Lakes Cave. This section is always tiring as you are ascending slowly and it was not long before I felt I had run out of energy and each step was an effort. I have never really understood why this occurs on the first day of some hikes, and have just put it down to a bad day. I also do much better when the weather is cooler, so a faulty thermostat could also have something to do with it! We stopped next to the river below Lakes to have lunch and then continued to the tarns on the ridge above the cave, noting that there was hardly any water in them at this late stage of Winter. From here it is a long walk down in thick grass towards the cave which is situated in a side gully. It is really an overhang with a little stream directly in front of it but it has a charm of its own and feels very hidden. There are some lovely pools nearby in which to freshen up although I am not sure any of us were too tempted. Hilton was the exception though! We spent a pleasant evening as the wind had died down and the temperatures were fairly mild.
The following morning I got up to answer the call of nature before my eyes were properly open and paid the price. On the way out the cave I tripped over a tree branch and fell flat on my face. So hard did I fall that I woke Hilton up! I was unhurt, or so I thought and it was only when I sat down that I noticed that my leggings had a big patch of seeping blood on my lower leg. On closer inspection I saw that I had a bit of a gash and it was bleeding quite a bit. Mopping up operations commenced and after dousing it with brandy ( thank you Jan) and an offer of using his leatherman to ‘operate’ ( I declined) I managed to bandage it up and we packed up and commenced the climb back up the hill to the plateau. We took the middle route which is halfway between the top of Whaleback Ridge and the river valley below and made our way towards Siphongweni plateau. It was a long walk through the dry winter grass with a rough path appearing now and again. We were lucky to find water in a pool below Lookout Cave and continued on towards Siphongweni Cave where we had a quick lunch. From here we took the Smugglers path which takes a route high up above the Pholela river below, eventually joining the Giants Cup Trail. We had done 18kms by the time we reached camp and the hot shower was very welcome. Well done to Hilton on a sterling effort and thanks guys for the excellent company!
