A 'Cavewoman' sits in her home watching the flowing and falling water at Troutbek. These caves
are all over the region and used extensively by campers.
Dawn at Witsieshoek, a room with a view.
Kenmo Lake in the early morning with mist: A privilege to witness.
The Dragon Mountains or Drakensberg in Afrikaans, UKhahlamba in Zulu or finally, Maloti Mountains
in Lesotho, continue to stun, impress and tire us. If we weren’t so weary, we could easily offer more
impressive adjectives. Some might consider we have lost objectivity; some may in fact, be correct.
However, we would remind those ‘some’ that we were born and raised in a different province and thus
could be considered neutral. Most of the prominent hills in Johannesburg are or were 'mine-dumps'.
Cathkin Peak (2nd from left) and Monks Cowl in the early morning, a favorite which we viewed
from at least four different positions, many miles apart, during the trip. No doubt this has left a
lasting impression.
A view of Sentinel Peak, guarding Mont-aux-Sources.
One of the difficulties in traveling in the rural areas is trying to enforce upon ourselves
the discipline of not picking up hitchhikers. We know what it’s like to face a long walk after a hike.
Many of the locals walk great distances through wide-open spaces to get to their destinations. Without
compromising our sense of security, we decided to offer rides to old people and most women. So far,
this has worked out well. Unfortunately, males have earned a bad rap through the behavior of the
'usual few'. It’s such a pity because the world works so beautifully when people show kindness to
each other. We are fortunate that we have been on the receiving end of goodwill from fellow citizens.
A special thanks to the van der Walt family and to Elsa and Derryl.
Early morning in Witsieshoek, grayer shades this time.
Whether it is our lack of fitness or understanding of how the world works, we are becoming even more
confused. This has led to conflict with our editor as we try to explain concepts of the greater world
to her. For instance, we proposed the following: When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, then
of course, it's winter in the southern part of the world. This we have proved to her. Therefore, it
follows that should the sun rise in the east in say the northern hemisphere, surely it must rise in
the west in the opposite hemisphere. We were saying to her that we need a different compass in South Africa
from the one we use in the United States. We further explained it's possible that we have mislead our
friends because the sunsets we have taken in South Africa may well have been sunrises and vice-versa.
For the record, the editor does not say much to us lately—sore loser. She did mention something about
it not being surprising that we get lost fairly often. We have no idea what she means.
Looking up towards the summit on which we had stood the previous day.
'Cathkin Club' again. You might gather that when one of us mentions 'favorite', another similar
picture will follow. Coloring changes as sun produces its magic.
The three hikes mentioned in the headline were reasonable but did not have the excitement of
recent climbs. They tended to ascend but at a slower rate, covering distances under the peaks over
ridges and on rolling hills. We enjoyed it but after a while, the challenge of the climb was missing.
We forewent the opportunity to view the San rock art after being given incorrect information. We undertook
the hike on our own, searching for the paintings, sometimes ‘under each rock’ we passed. We later discovered
that to see the art form, one had to take a guide. It’s sad to learn that people consider destruction of
national treasures as a form of pleasure.
Shades of the High Berg.
After coming through the clouds, the head is still in the clouds. What a treat!
We wrote about our visit to Witsieshoek being one of the highlights of the trip. Although the hike and
climb to Cathedral Peak, blogs 17.08 and 17.09, was far more difficult, the Sentinel outing was the
most enjoyable of all. In addition, our stay at the lodge was terrific. On our second night we were the only
guests 'in the house', somewhere at the end of the road beyond the city of Phuthaditjhaba. We inserted
the name to test your ability to handle foreign names and language. When you work it out, kindly let us
know how to pronounce it.
It was a quite a sight to observe the gang sitting in the lounge area. At times, we spoke with some
of the staff, while others watched television intensely. Although it was the evening of the national election,
the consensus seemed to be soccer was far more entertaining. One of the viewers was the security guard. We did
not know whether we felt safer with him seated on the couch close by, studying the soccer action, instead
of outside where the threat might have been greater.
A view from the ridge above Troutbek.
Finally, we'd like to thank Mom, Hilary and Ernie for all the kindnesses they showered upon us.
We met Colyn (with a 'y') and Sharon only once; they cleverly made sure each time we returned to
Johannesburg, they traveled away from home. One of our heroes, Lionel Greenberg, who we mentioned last
year a couple of times as he 'kicked the evil disease' from his system for a second time, was on hand.
Mario Baptiste, a generous person and at all times, a gentleman, is always great to visit when we are
in the country. We remember some years ago when he sat us down and explained that he was not happy with
our photographs, particularly the 'pinkish' hues. We understand he is somewhat more comfortable
with our output these days. Lynn and Rudi made a special effort to travel a long distance to visit us in
George—thank you. Helen Beitz visited a couple of times, Barbara and David arrived while Maude
and Theo Alge 'traveled from Boston' to say 'hello'. Actually, they are visiting their son, Gary.
A farewell to and from Kenmo Lake, near Himeville.
We thank the people who make the effort to write to us, offer advice, criticism, encouragement and at times,
much needed correction. You make a difference. We look forward to seeing you either in person, corresponding
further or on Hike-about 18, all going well. We think we'll try make a video again as we believe this was a
particularly special experience.
A mountain kaleidoscope.
A final from the clouds below, on and above Mont-aux-Sources.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
1 comment:
It's always so good to read about the enthusiasm and love for an area that houses my soul. Your love for the Berg shines through your every comment and photograph. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it as you did.
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