KLOOFING IN THE GROOT RIVIER DECEMBER 2006.

Boxing Day. 26 December 2006. Kloofing the Groot Rivier in the Tsitsikamma.

I had planned to take some of my sons-in-law down the Groot Rivier in the Tsitsikamma Forrest. I had borrowed wet suites from a number of people and we had prepared for this trip quite carefully. This would be my second trip down the Groot Rivier as I had been earlier this year with Mike Perks. There is a Huge difference between being a follower of a confident Kloofer and trying to lead a group. Adrienne Wilson’s brother, Gavin, was visiting her from Cananda and I had asked him to join us. His wife Barbara had agreed to assist with driving. We packed ourselves a small backpack with some energy bars, chocolate, biltong and energades.

We managed to leave at about 06.00am. In my car were Gavin and his wife Barbara and Saul. Stefan took his car with my son Michael, my son-in-law Michael and a friend of his who also lives in the UK, Werner. We had a brief stop over at the Storms River Bridge and then drove into Natures Valley where we met friends of Charles and Ingrid. Johan and his son Jannes loaded us up in their bakkies and drove us to the Groot RIvier Bridge on the N2. This is located a few Kilometers West of the toll plaza. Saul had not been feeling well before we left and en route and was not sure if he would join us but in the end decided that this was an adventure that he would not like to miss.

Barbara took a photo of us at the bridge and then we set out. It was 09.00am and I had anticipated a 5 hour hike. Barbara said that she would wait for us in Natures Valley where the Groot Rivier crossed the road at the bottom of the pass.

We had to scale a fence and then set off into some fairly dense bush before emerging above a steep slope. We then headed west and tried to locate the valley where we would descend into the gorge. We were incredibly fortunate and found the valley first time and after a bit of a steep climb down some slippery and loose rocks we were into the valley that would lead us to the river. I was now certain we were heading in the right direction and we climbed down into the gorge. This section takes about an hour and should not be rushed as it is an adventure on its own. There are all kinds of tree ferns, indigenous bush and rock faces to be enjoyed. There are only a handful of people in SA who have ever had the priveledge to be able to do something like this and we wanted to savour the moment. Just as we reached the point where we could hear the river flowing we came across a sheer rockface. Fortunately someone had left a section of seatbelt webbing attadhed to a tree and we used this to absail down the rock. I was quite nervous but as the only one who had done this before had to take the lead. The webbing dangles over the rock and we eased ourselves over lowering ourselves until we could feel the rock below was firm on our feet. The rocks were all slippery and loose and we had to be careful not to slip to what could be a nasty fall. Once we were all past this obstacle we came to the river.

There was a strong flow of water and the waterfall looked quite formidable. I had brought some rope and I slung it around a tree and worked my way onto a rock from which we would jump into the river. The others followed one by one. We donned our wetsuits and packed the day packs carefully so as to limit the amount of water that would get into the food and drinks. We tossed the packs down into the river and leaped down into the pool below. This was between two to three meters depending if you climbed onto a lower ledge before jumping. Stefan was first then Michael and I was next. Once we were all in the river we began our swim down stream.

The wetsuites we used varied between full length and arms to shorts and sleeveless. People, like Michael Z, who used the full wetsuite seemed to get too warm. I used Nicci’s old wetsuite which was shorts and sleeveless and while I was not cold, I felt the cool water each time that I got into the river. I think that either will do fine in Summer but when the water cools down I would suggest that full wetsuites may be more suitable.

The back pack plays two roles. It is used to carry food and drink. But it is also an important flotation device. Everything in the pack is double wrapped in black bags and stays reasonably dry. Bottles and the pack itself help in keeping us afloat. I would generally put my arms trough the straps and float backwards with the pack providing a head rest.

This part is difficult to describe as it alternates between swims and rock climbing. We would hear the thud of a bag being tossed into the water and know that there would be a splash as someone followed. Each time we would get to a shallow section we would have these water laden back packs making us unsteady on our feet. Often we would topple over due to the heavy pack, the loose and slippery rocks and the sensation of gettting out of the water and onto our feet. At stages there were big boulders to climb over and down while at other times there were smaller loose stones. Walking with our feet submerged seemed to be the toughest as it is impossible to judge where to put the full weight of your step and you are likely to slip.

As we swam we were able to float on our backs and look up to the underside of the bridge. Here we found quite a bit of debri from the construction of the bridge. But considering the enourmity of this project there was not a great deal of steel or concrete in the river.

We really had no sense of time or of distance but I estimate that when we got to the very narrow gorge where we swam under a waterfall would have been about half way. This section was quite spectaular as there was one point where we were swimming where the cliff face was quite sheer on either side and not more than two meters wide. Michael had brought an underwater camera and took pictures of us in the river and under the waterfall. This is quite an experience as the water thunders onto your head with force and is quite noisy as well. Up to now we were all quite chirpy and enjoying ourselves. The “Vasbyt” section was ahead.

After the waterfall it is still a very long pull to the end, there are long swims and long walks through bush and lots of loose gravel which gets into shoes and sandals causing irritation. This section should not be underestimated as it appears from the landscape that we are nearing the end but the end is still a long way off. Werner was generally in front but would often have to stop and empty his shoes of small stones and gravel. Saul was by now quite exhausted and was into a survivial mode. He did not complain but was clearly feeling the effect of the earlier nausea.

This is a really tough day. Exhaustion and hypothermia are to be expected. We stopped fairly often but while some of the group had been drinking regularly, I had not drunk or eaten enough and the effect of getting in and out of the water and the exersion of the day was getting to me. The body must use a huge volume of calories trying to warm up each time we got into the water. I should have eaten and drunk substantially more than I did. Finally we could hear the sound of the water pump and I knew that we were close to the end. At the water pump we took the short road out to the old N2 and met up with Barbara who had been waiting for us for about two hours. Seeing the car and Barbara was quite a relief. The walk to Johan’s house would have taken us 30 to 45 minutes more.

It was 15.30 and we had been on the hike for 6 and a half hours. Barbara took us to Johan’s house where we collected Stefan’s car and drove back to the group wating at the bridge. Stefan had a flat tyre but as Michael’s wife was waiting for him at the Storms River Bridge I pressed on. We regrouped at the Storms River bridge where we bought some coffee and something to eat. Michael & Lene left for Knysna. The road back to PE was quite busy and we took it easy. We got back home at 18.30 and I dropped Gavin and Barbara off with Adrienne.

Kloofing is a really tough thing to take on. Once you start there is no backing out as there is only one way and that is down stream. There is not chance of rescue from the outside. A cell phone would be useless as it would be saturated and there is at any rate no reception. The gorge is quite inaccessible to anyone except on foot.

Once I had offloaded our stuff I drove down to Summerstrand to give Varrin Karp back his wetsuite which I had borrowed. By now I was also starting to feel nausea and went straight to bed. The next morning I was still feeling unsteady and decided to stay at home for the day. Saul had also complained of nausea and gone straight to bed but was feeling a lot better the next morning. I think that everyone was stiff and sore in some way or another. Cathy and Saul left for Cape Town and the rest of us went to Ten Pin for a game. Stefan was the champ but only just managed to beat Nicci who had been the first to get a Strike.

Later that evening we heard that Cathy was also feeling poorly while Jacqui was quite sick at home. It could have been a tummy bug but for me it was an exhausting Christmas period of exersize, family and eating.

Thursday 28th
It is now four years since Jacqui and Michael were married in our front garden. And today Emily was dedicated by Jonathan and Anne also in the garden. People who came to be with Jacqui: Charles & Ingrid, Debbie and Samantha, Michelle and Werner, Beauty, Gail, Delene & Karen, Carrie, Ally, Jessica, Nicci, Stefan, Christian (slept), Aaron and Zara, Ron and Michael DeK. It was a good little gathering and quite emotional. Later that evening we went to Charles & Ingrid for a Braai and Jamming session.