On advice from our granddaughter, Ellie, any good hike should begin with a snack.
Also, take in the best of nature...it's there for the taking.
Over the years, we have encountered many chance meetings, coincidences, unusual occurrences and other fascinating experiences with fellow inhabitants of the planet. In fact, we find some of the situations remarkable and not only do the memories remain entrenched in our brains, but the events usually create a level of excitement or even an exhilaration that makes one wonder and realize there are many actions occurring under the surface for which no explanation may be offered. Then again, it also seems multiple events do not occur, thus making the few that do happen seem perfectly natural or at least, not surprising. Over the years and in our recent book, “A Life Experience As No Other…, we have highlighted a few of these. Perhaps the best was meeting a young Scotsman in Hogsback, Eastern Cape, suggesting an exciting destination to visit in Lesotho and then bumping into him at the highest pub in Africa, some 8 days later. (continues at end)
Even golf ball manufacture has gone green although still white.
Not always easy to find the editor.
Close to a top and looking a little weary.
Taking a few pointers from the editor.
Enjoying the beauty at all turns.
Middelrug
Editor accelerating into a steep and sharp bend.
Returning via rather than through the dam
Perhaps a little haughty.
Sometimes, a visit to the beauty parlor just doesn't cut it, even when sitting on top of the world.
'One (yellow) flew past the cuckoo's nest'. Have found the grasses and reeds most attractive on this trip.
The closed Jeep Trail
Clouding creates an attractive sight.
Vineyards and olive groves from above, soon after the start.
'Softish' mountains.
Just the other day, we checked into the Pat Busch Nature Reserve (private) outside Robertson. As we approached the gate, we noticed a truck on our tail. We entered the gate code previously emailed to us after completing booking procedures, and continued to the chalet. Within a minute, the driver of the truck who we now know as Jaco, the onsite manager, showed us into the chalet and ensured that we were properly settled. We bumped into him every now and again over our 4-day stay. On the morning of our departure, we were traveling toward the gate and noticed his truck. We stopped close by and went in search of the young man to offer farewells. We thanked him for the hospitality but before resuming our travels, we discussed a few things which included hiking in the reserve and the one outing we had in Montagu, a town nearby. Upon mentioning the mountain reserve of the same name, Jaco responded, “When were you there?”
“Wednesday,” Jenni replied. We noticed a puzzled expression on his face.
“Did you see anyone else in the reserve?” He inquired further.
When we had hiked on the Wednesday, we came across a group of about 8 hikers coming down a sharply steep trail. It was quite a climb for us in ascending. We stopped to offer a hand to the women in the group. The lead-hiker, who clearly was a guide, made a joke which we misunderstood at first, but on repeating it, we realized what he meant. We parted soon afterwards and completed our hike some 5 hours later.
“We did indeed see a few people on a steep down section. We came across an elderly group…” and we proceeded to tell him a little about it.
“I was the guide taking the group on a ‘shortish’ hike on the less steep side. You see, although I’m the manager of the Pat Busch Reserve, on my day off work, I try to hike as guide. So it was me you bumped into.”
We were amazed. One of us is very good in recognizing faces but I missed that one. We were both wearing hats at the time, we did not know each other’s faces well enough although I don’t normally have such an issue. Almost contradictory to my assertion above, it seems that Jaco was so out of place being on a mountain trail an hour from his workplace that it did not resonate with us that he could be the same person from Pat Busch.
Add to the fact that had we not stopped, or not discussed hiking, the coincidence would never have unraveled. Although the coincidence would have occurred, none of us would ever be aware of it. That, in of itself, is no less interesting. A further point is we were both at the park with very few others there, yet we could have been on different trails. Had we been 5 minutes earlier or that they were a few minutes later, the meeting would not have occurred.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
A relieved editor after a tough week, approaches the trailhead, before a looming storm that never materialized.
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