OTTER TRAIL TSITSIKAMMA STORMS RIVER MOUTH

OTTER TRAIL 22 JUNE 2010

Peter & Ally Giddy
Gavin Cameron & Matthew Wilson
Hannes, Jacqui, Calvin, Jordan and Amber Zeelie
Anthony Adler
Fred Kohler
Matthew Derry

I had booked this trail about a year ago. Originally Deryck Le Roux, Graham Richards and Maryna Baard were due to be on the trail with us. But due to commitments and injury they were not able to come along. Graham and Baubie have a busy Guest House that they are running and it is the World Cup Soccer with plenty of guests. Deryck had an Injury and Maryna was on crutches the week before with an injury and then became ill while spending time with her sister on the farm in Cradock.

Gavin and Matthew were late entries. Gavin is Adrienne Wilson's brother. He lives in Canada on the Victoria Island on the West Coast. He had come to PE to visit Adrienne and to watch World Cup Soccer matches. Going on the trail meant that he missed a crucial match between England & ? Not that it mattered much as England were knocked out by Germany later in the week.

Babara left for Canada with Gail the day before we started the hike. They would fly to Jozies and then London where they would Transit before flying on to Calgary. They would be visiting Sister Dawn (and Richard) for three weeks. Dawn and Richard live in a small village called Priddis just north of Calgary in a flat below the house of Tracy and Mark. This is a house on a “Small Holding” farm like area. It would be their summer but as Barbara and I have experienced before that summer in Calgary could mean cold and snow. It would be Gail's first trip overseas.

We planned to leave for the trail on Tuesday 22nd at 08.00 from our house. The Zeelies were running a little late and so we met up at the petrol station and left from there probably a little after 8am. We drove directly to Storms River mouth. I made a slight miscalculation thinking that the entrance to the Tsitsikamma village was the turn off. We rendezvoused at the entrance to the National Park. Here we were allowed past the gate and then had to register for the hike.

I had inquired about the entry fee and had been told that we would have to pay an additional amount to gain entry. We were prepared for this but not for the total inefficiency of the staff in this office. The whole procedure of paying R112 per person took over an hour. Matthew D had his parents Wild Card while Hannes bought a family WC. Still the staff of three people could not process our entry accurately and called us back to prove that we had all paid. Finally they discovered that they had failed to acknowledge one of the payments and allowed us to carry on.

In the registration area there were three Californians who we chatted to for a while. Gavin gave them some good tips of wine estates to visit. Gavin had just spent a week in CT with Adrienne touring the wine farms. Gavin is an expert in the wine industry and knows the difference between cultivars and tastes.

After we were allowed to start the hike we realised that the hike no longer starts on the west end of the rest camp. The trail now starts at the Gate Entrance to the reserve. We off loaded the trailer which I had borrowed from Gerald and Hannes' Combi. Hannes and I then drove through to the Toll Gate and, as the Natures Valley off ramp was closed we continued to the Kurland Brick entrance to the Groot Rivier Pass. We had already been held up by two road construction sites and now had to wait for the cars to come up the pass as there was construction on this section of road as well. It has been a long time since I have driven this Wormy Road (as our children used to call it). There was construction on the whole west side of the pass. We waited our turn and then headed down to Natures Valley.

At the rest camp we parked Hannes' Combi. He disconnected the battery to ensure that we did not have starting problems when we finished the trail. This had happened to us before both with my Combi and with Rory's combi. I unhitched Gerald's trailer and fastened it with the cable that he had given me. Hannes and I drove back to the Storm's River reserve where the rest of the group were waiting for us.

We finally started the hike at around 12.45. The hike now starts with a long downhill to the old cave. We encountered a number of people climbing up the pathway. Some of them were clearly tourists who were here to see the soccer game in PE the following day. I had a heavy pack and would pay the price during the days as I could not keep up with the main group. Going down the steps made me quite tired and my legs felt a little wobbly at the bottom.

The rest of the group had waited for us and I pressed on up the rocks. But still I was last to arrive at the waterfall. I found everyone else on the East side of the waterfall. It has been our habit to picnic on the far side of the pool so I continued across the rocks and prepared to offload and have a snack. But to my disappointment the group followed me but continued up the rocks and on to the overnight hut.

Today may be a short day but it should not be underestimated. Your pack is at it's very heaviest and the terrain is tough with a certain amount of rock climbing and difficult pathways. The total walking time, bearing in mind that I had hardly paused for a break was for me around two hours. The Zeelie's claimed Hut One as they would for the rest of the hike.

The huts on day one are situated a little off the shore line and about 50meters apart. Unfortunately the toilet was not working and there was a foul smell coming from the toilet which is situated above the central boma area. It appeared to us that the toilet must have been out of commission for more than just a few days. Fred tried to see if there was any chance of repairing the system but it was totally blocked and would take some special attention to get it back into usable condition.

Not having a workable toilet made life interesting as we had to give some rules and instructions regarding toilet use to the younger members of the group. Today, and throughout the trail, the worst pollutant was toilet paper that had been carelessly discarded and not covered. The shower is a totally open affair hidden in the bushes but with no cover while you attempt to clean yourself under freezing water. Hannes calls this the Honesty System when it comes to the ladies showering.

This was a very unusual mix of genders for our hikes. I am not sure how it has worked out in the past however we normally have an equal number of males and females or sometimes more ladies than men. This time we had 9 males and only the three girls.

Ally and I had decided that we would braai every evening. This evening, with the toilet smell on the east side of the camp, we ended up braaing at Hut Two. This is not how we would normally had done the evening meal as the braai place at hut one is more sheltered. We had our resident pyrotechnic, Matthew Wilson, to make the fires in the evenings. Each evening we would start the fire at around 4pm as this gave us enough time to settle the coals, enjoy a bit of fellowship and then grill our meat. This evening the grill would be the fullest as everyone had planned for a meaty evening. Ally and I had our Chicken Sosaties and spicy rolls.

I had been up from around 4am, packing and making ready for the hike. I was tired and sleepy by 7pm. I had a book that I had brought along to read but I find that after just a few pages I am starting to close my eyes. So by 8pm I was fast asleep. There would be a full moon the whole week of the hike and this sparked quite an interesting discussion between Gavin and others as to what time we could expect the moon to set and exactly where it would set. In fact, if I am not mistaken, there were beers won and lost as bets were placed. Fortunately no one was asked to pay their debts during the hike as the price of a beer on a hike doubles a number of times.

And so ended the first day. Gavin has a i-phone where he jiggles his finger on the screen and receives a weather forecast for a week or more. Today the weather had been very kind to us as it was neither too hot nor very cold. Even sitting around the fire we were chilly but not uncomfortably cold. The nights were very long. I slept for a few hours but then would toss and turn for most of the rest of the night. The moon lit up the cabin. The mattresses are not bad but certainly not as comfortable as home. I never zipped up my sleeping bag as I find that doing so is quite restrictive.

Day two.
This morning we started walking at around 9am. I had decided to follow Fred's example and brought some oats porridge. This adds a little energy for the day. I also had the packet Cappuccino Coffee. Ally would have a Naartjie, hot chocolate and little else for breakfast.

The day's hike starts, as every day does, with a long steep climb. Today was a 2kay climb to the lookout point where the obligatory photo session took place. Ally had some knee trouble for the first few days. I found the uphills quite exhausting and was breathless by the time I reached the top. The next point of interest is the Skilderkrans lookout point. Hannes translated for Gavin as being an Artists cliff. Or a place which is “Picture Perfect” perhaps? We traditionally make this little detour and from here we look out for the Blou Baai which will be our next stop.

We could see across to the Robberg. I had, earlier this morning, told the story of how Cronje van Zyl had been hiking the Robberg point with a friend. They had been doing some exploring when he had slipped and fallen completely out of his rucksack and tumbled down in to the ocean below. His hiking partner had then rushed off to the car park and from there hiked back into town where he had been able to locate the NSRI. They had launched a rescue craft. Meanwhile Cronje had been perched on a rock, bleeding across his chest, for around 8 hours. Finally the NSRI was able to find where he was. By now it was dark and he was fortunate to have survived the ordeal. Cronje tells us that that was the last time that he had done any hiking.

From the Skilderkrans the trail leads to the Kleinbos River Crossing. There are a number of up and down hills, some of which are quite technical. Crossing the Kleinbos river can be done with your backpack and boots on but I was not steady enough and my pack was too heavy for me to take the risk. So I removed my boots and waded across. Unfortunately I left my Kilimanjaro (10year old) hat on the river side and only realised after climbing up the next hill which was long and steep. Again Ally complains of Knee trouble and talks about taking the emergency exit. However she presses on and we make it to the top of the second long hill of the day. Gavin refers to this climb as the “stairway to heaven”.

From the top we walk for around 2kays of switchbacks and contours before reaching the 6kay mark where the Blou Baai descent begins. Most of us shuck our packs and carry a small bag of goodies down to the beach. Ally takes a bit of a nasty fall as she slips on some rocks that we have to negotiate on the way down. Blou Baai is mostly in shade and we walk to the far point to enjoy the little sunshine that we can find. I attempt a swim but the waves are huge and strong so end up rolling around on the beach in the surf. Hannes swims at every possible opportunity. We hear a cry from above and see Calvin waving to us from a point above us that looks impossibly high.

From Blou Baai there is the third mega climb of the day. Jacqui remarks that she is coping well with these Mega Hills and puts this down partly to her jogging training that she has been doing. Jacqui is now part of the MPRG (Mill Park Running Group) who train 4 to 5 times a week from the corner of Salisbury and Wares Road for an hour from 05.15am. She was invited to join the Jonti group of runners who do the Guinea Fowl Trail but they are just too strong for her.

Gavin is kind to me and stays with me at the back of the group. Ally and I take the hill slowly with regular stops and we all finally make it to the view point at the top of the hill where we had earlier seen Calvin. As we had been climbing, Gavin had explained a theory that he has about professional soccer players in the World Cup.

From time to time Soccer players clash in some way or another. Their legs (with shin pads) catch each other or they take a tumble. Most of us had, by now, scratches and bruises from thorn trees or from stumbling over roots or rocks. But none of us had writhed in agony as these professionally trained athletes are seen to be doing on the soccer field. So Gavin's theory is that: “Proof of the fact that the soccer player is acting up, when he takes a fall, is in the expression of agony and the histrionics that we see on the field”.

A professional soccer player is expecting clashes and should be able to take a few knock and bumps much more that we “working stiffs” are able. Yet none of us had rolled around in agony with looks of total surprise and agony when taking a fall. In fact, on the last day, as we are hitching up the trailer, I knock my shin against the hitch of the trailer. It is a really eina experience. I shed some skin and the shin bone swells a few centimeters within a minute. No one in the group was even aware of this either from a groan of pain nor from any facial expression from myself. Not that I am any kind of hero but again this strengthens Gavin's theory.

Once up at the lookout point, Matthew W and Ally pressed on while Anthony, Gavin and I remained chatting. To our surprise and delight we were treated to a display of “Whale activity”. We saw a couple of whales breaching and slapping tails on the sea. A number of times the whales leap completely out of the water. It was at quite a distance yet we could clearly see these huge Souther Right Whales as they were totally visible out of their natural environment. I am sure that if we were
a bit closer we would have been able to hear the tremendous noise that the slash would have made.


The Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the Southern Right Whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. Its skin is very dark grey or black, occasionally with some white patches on the belly

The total population is estimated to be around 12,000. Since hunting ceased, stocks are estimated to have grown by 7% a year.

As it became clear that stocks were nearly depleted, right whaling was banned in 1937. The ban was largely successful, although some illegal whaling continued for several decades. Madeira took its last two right whales in 1968. Illegal whaling continued off the coast of Brazil for many years and the Imbituba station processed right whales until 1973. The Soviet Union admitted illegally taking over 3,300 during the 1950s and '60s,[20] although it only reported taking 4.[21]


The Southern Right Whale have made Hermanus, South Africa one of the world centers for whale watching. During the winter months (June to November), Southern Right Whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can watch them from strategically-placed hotels. Hermanus also has two boat–based whale watching operators. The town employs a "whale crier" (cf. town crier) to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen.

Finally we continued our way down, catching up with Ally, to the second overnight huts. Geelhoutsbos River mouth. This evening the huts are fairly close to each other and right on the beach or the river's edge. Gavin and Matthew headed off for a swim / bath in the stream. The toilets were in good condition as was the shower. Both have a stunning view of the ocean. I headed off for a shower.

We had done some of the most hectic climbing of the whole hike today. There are three huge hills that go from the seaside right up to the highest point on the cliff face. We had not rushed but still I was weary and needed a refreshing shower. Hannes went for his compulsory swim. This evening Ally and I had steak to braai together with cheese rolls which looked more like pancakes but when toasted on the fire were quite okay. We only had half of our rations and kept the remainder for lunch the following day.

Every time we were in a valley we would feel the cold breeze coming from the valley. I am not sure why this happens but as soon as we left the valley or found some shelter we would warm up again. Apart from this phenomenon we were warm for most of the hike. We were incredibly fortunate to have 5 days of sunny or slightly overcast weather. Only once or twice over the five days did we long for a bit more sun to warm us up.

The second highlight for me this evening, after our entertaining whale watching, was to spot a Gennet (as spelled in the huts). This little creature was in a tree just close to the hut. As I rounded the hut to wash my dishes I had the head lamp on Red Light and caught the animals eyes in the light. It was not so dark that I could not see his full shape. I was able to call Fred who also caught a glimpse of the creature before he slunk back into the trees. Later when Ally and I went to the toilet we spotted the Gennet below us next to the boma. Again it was the red head lamp that caught the eyes reflection. Matthew and Gavin stayed up chatting at the fire that evening and they too saw the Genet as he came looking for scraps.

It could be that the spelling of Gennet in the huts is incorrect and should be Genet.

Similar in appearance to the Common Genet (G. genetta), the Cape Genet has yellowish-grey fur with rust-coloured and black rosettes, with a black and white tail. Individuals from drier areas of South Africa tend to have lighter colours and less stark patterns, while the opposite is the case in moister areas. Melanistic individuals are known.
Its diet is varied, and includes rodents, birds, reptiles, fruit, and invertebrates. Like all viverrids, it has strong scent glands which it uses to mark its territory.

Although catlike in appearance and habit, the genet is not a cat but a member of the family Viverridae, which also includes civets and mongooses.


This evening I try to read but by now I am totally exhausted and fall asleep within minutes. Only to wake up later with a sore hip and stiff limbs. My muscles in my calves tense and cramp and I have an uncomfortable sleep. But to lie in bed for something like 10 hours is more than enough and I wake up in the morning feeling completely rested.

Day three.
Our third day on the trail starts off very much the same as the previous morning. Breakfast of instant oats, foamy coffee, naartjie and rusk. Packing up to go does take time. I cant find my stuff bag for the sleeping bag. I constantly lose things and scratch around for a spoon or a cup. I lose the matches or can't remember where I have stowed lunch for the day.

I find it extremely difficult to remain organised on a hike. I see others who have their stuff looking so “in place” with see through plastic bags and days rations clearly indicated. I am nowhere like that. I have shopping bags containing shopping bags with various stuff in them. And when I start to pack in the morning I put potential useful stuff at the top and the rest is shoved in as best possible.

We set off at 09.00am. We cross the river and walk into the canopy. And for a short while I am enjoying this. But this is short lived. The first Mega Hill of the day starts. I am determined to walk it out slowly. Gavin keeps me company again. Ally and I walk a little. Stop a lot. But finally we make it to the top. But within meters the decent to the Elandsbos River Mouth begins. And we go down to the beachy river mouth. We have to take our shoes off to cross the river that is flowing quite strongly.

Gavin thinks that I am crazy to carry so heavy. But my point is that I still make it to the huts each evening. I may be a little slower than other hikers but I enjoy the snacks, drinks and evening meals and am prepared to suffer a bit for the enjoyment of the evenings.

The river water is always much colder than the Ocean water. So after one minute of being in the river our feet are frozen. We walk across the beach to the point where the boys are waiting. It is only two kays from the start of the day but still everyone hauls out some kind of snack. Hannes and Gavin go for a swim in the sea. Hannes has his costume. Gavin walks a decent distance from the group and then in the distance we see him “drop his rods” and into the water he goes with Hannes. And after a quick frollick they are back on the beach. Jacqui tries to capture this on film for “Playgirl” but her telephoto lens does not stretch that far and the ladies of the world have lost out big time.

After the Elandsbos River there is a section of contouring around the cliffs before we begin the second Mega Climb of the day. Gavin is concerned about my huffing and puffing but I know that we have plenty of time and am in no rush to kill myself. We descend back to a rocky beach passing some beautiful flowering aloes. Hannes, Jacqui and Amber are just ahead of Ally and myself. I see this balancing rock ahead and immediately recognise it as a view point that we have to pass by. It seems impossibly high up. But we start the third Mega Climb of the day and bit by bit we work our way to the top. As we pass the balancing rock, Ally somehow “loses it” a bit and decides to run up before realising that this will not last for long.

Finally we summit this last climb of the day. The rest of the group have their cell phones out and are checking scores. We find out that Bafana Bafana beat France 2-1. The SA team still misses out on round 2 of the tournament but have redeemed themselves somewhat. Gavin and Hannes start calculating which teams have moved on to the next round. A small field mouse watches as people eat their snacks and drop tasty crumbs. He clearly knows that there is a daily feast for the picking. He darts across the pathway. Finds some breadcrumbs and after eating this he scurries around my boots looking for anything else to eat. He reminds me of the opportunistic Gennet and the Crows which have been known to open the Zips of backpacks. I see a whale in the distance. There have been a number of sightings of whales throughout the trail.

The mouse we encountered is a Striped Mouse or Rhabdomys is common in this area and is both a nocturnal and a day time feeder.

From the top of the Balancing Rock hill it is only a short walk to the point from where you look down to the huts on the Lottering River. We see Jordan, Calvin and the two Matthews on the rocks on the other side of the river. They have already reached the huts, unpacked and are doing some exploring of the gullies.

We make our way down to the river and now I remember why a pair of slops or crocs are ESSENTIAL on a hike. I take off my shoes, put on my bathing costume and try to carry my backpack across a short three meters of jagged rocks. I simply cannot do it. My feet are too soft for this type of exercise. Thankfully Matthew W returns to guide us across. He tells us that when they crossed the river was knee deep. But now we will have to make some kind of plan to get everything across the river that is flowing strongly and that has the tidal waves pushing in the opposite direction as well. Matthew carries Ally's bag across. Fred comes to assist me and carries mine across. Hannes floats his bag in a splash cover and this works like a dream. Walking on rocks with no crocs is no fun at all.

We are all able to cross safely and then I see a couple of the chaps going for a swim. I am now just keen to get to the huts and to off load. The walk to the hut is not long but certainly not short enough to walk barefoot. The last bit is downhill to the huts and I am tired. Unfortunately we miss any sun that there might have been today. The sun sets so early and is soon behind the cliff side. Some of the chaps hand stuff out to dry on the rocks in the sun. But shortly the sun goes and they have to collect their stuff.

Now begins the debate about the moon's trajectory and the time that the moon will be out of site in the morning. Fred, Anthony and I are used to seeing the full moon setting in the west at around 05.30am. For me this is as I run towards Linkside and as we are going down hill. So I am pretty confident that we will have some Moon Shine (Not Tennessee whisky) in the morning. This evening Ally and I braai our last steak and toast the last of the cheese rolls. It makes a delicious meal. I am totally exhausted and slink into bed as soon as we have eaten.

Day Four
We have agreed to rise at 04.50 as we want to leave for the Blaukrans Crossing at 05.30. I sleep really well. The aches and pains that I had the first two nights are no longer troubling me. I don't have a sore hip nor do I have the cramps that I experienced the previous two nights. Fred wakes us up at exactly 04.50am. There is a cool breeze blowing down the valley.

I am happy to get up. Well rested. I brush my teeth and thanks to Fred putting plenty of water on to boil we all enjoy coffee and rusks. Ally has her Breakfast (naartjie and hot chocolate) in bed. It has been tough for her being the only girl in the cabin. She has to dress in her sleeping bag while the rest of us kind of “make do” with the deck or any moment when we have no girls around. Anthony shaves in cold water in the dark. He has his standards and shaving is one of them.

We pack up our sleeping bags, use the toilet, and generally hustle ourselves ready by 05.25. The Zeelie camp is still busy. And by 05.45 we all set off. Headlights on. We start the climb up the rocky pathway. Reminds me of the Kilimanjaro Ascent. The first part is steep and I soon fall behind the main group. I simply cannot walk either up or down as fast as the rest of the group are able. Gavin is again a good companion to me as he stays at the back. We walk by torch light for around an hour to 90 minutes. This to me is a real adventure. When we did this hike about 6 years ago with the Gendalls we did the same early start.

We have a 10kay hike ahead of us. Low tide is at 09.19. Gavin has pointed out that the graph of the low tide works like this: during the first hour after low tide there is no perceptible change. In the second hour there is change but this is not significant. But in the third and fourth hours the rate of change spikes. So the trick is to make it to the Blaukrans before about 11.00am.

There are marker boards for each km for the first 4kays. Gavin times each kay and we start off in the dark doing around 23min/kay. Then there is a section between 4 and 7kays where there is a lot of rock climbing and the pathway is more technical. I am a bit concerned about Ally as she is now in the Zeelie group and they have tended to walk faster than she and I have. But not much I can do about it. I know that she is in good care.

At one stage Gavin points out that I have missed a pathway. I am DOFF. I continue until I realise that we are truly off the beaten track. And instead of retracing our steps I suggest that we climb up some rocks to the trail. I go ahead and struggle up a rocky section, into thorn bush and finally scrabble onto a safe ledge. Gavin sensibly backtracks and within a minute he meets me as I crawl on to the trail.

Ahead is the first Mega Climb of the day. I puff and pant my way to the top. Again I think of Ally and half expect her to be waiting for me sitting on a step somewhere. Gavin and I finally make it to the top of this climb and now begins the contour pathway which is mainly a leaf covered path. There are a few undulations but nothing major. We see the 7kay mark and Gavin computes our pace. We have slowed down to an average of around 26min/kay. But now we are able to gather speed and the next few kays we walk at 19 minutes a kay and the average drops to around 23min/kay.

I later hear that Fred jogged the last few kays to catch up with the boys. Anthony had stayed with Gavin and I earlier this morning but he became impatient and had also charged on to catch the rest of the group.

We reach the top of the Blaukrans River mouth. We can see the abandoned orange plastic bags which were used by hikers to cross the river. I glance up to the right and see the endless climb of the Escape Route to the Bungy Jumping Bridge that we had to do the last time we hiked this trail. I am very glad we are not doing that this time around.

We begin the steep descent and pass the 10kay mark. As we descend we reccee the river and the rocks on the other side and make a tentative decision as to where we will cross. We see a kind of raggedy bunch of hikers on the other side. Jordan, Calvin and Matthew D are hanging onto a rockface. We see Matthew W jump into the surf. Then to the right we can see Fred and Anthony climbing up a rope on a sheer cliff.

Gavin and I walk towards the area which we consider to be the best option. Jordan shouts at us but we cant hear what he is saying. The noise of the surf cuts off his voice. But he gestures and we understand that he is telling us to cross to where they are waiting for us. We take off our boots and our shorts and cross with the packs on our backs. We have to time it that we cross just as the swell begins to recede. We stride across. A glance to the left and we see the beginnings of a wave coming at us. Our pace picks up and we reach the rocks safely.

Meanwhile I hear a cry of “Daddy!” And see that Amber and Ally have scampered up the rope and are now at the top of the really difficult climb. I am truly proud of these two young girls. Maybe they themselves don't realise what they have just accomplished but it is awesome that they climbed up this sheer rockface using just their own strength and the rope that dangles down as an aid. Jordan, Calvin and Matthew D have waited for us and they now move on to the climb themselves. Gavin and I put our shoes back on and we too climb around the rocks to the rope climb.

I am not at all good with climbing nor with heights. Matthew D shows me that there is an alternative route around the rocks but he suggests that I follow the rest of the group. I grab the rope with cold hands and start the climb. Gavin is behind me giving instructions and assisting me. I jam my toe into a ledge and grab rock and heave myself up. I do this a number of times using the rope to steady myself.

The rope is strong and is firmly secured to the rock face so we have that as a source of comfort. But for me this takes strength. For a moment I doubt my ability. I don't look down and press on upwards. Finally I make it to the ledge. I have left the rope in an awkward position for Gavin but he is much stronger than I am and is up the rocks in a flash. We climb up and over to the stairway that leads down to where the group has gathered.

As we reach the point where there is a little sunshine to warm us up, the rest of the group leave for the huts. I need a bit of time to recover and so sit down to a midday snack. We had left the Lotter River Huts just before 06.00am and it is now about 11.30. Ant, Fred, Gavin, Ally and I have a bit of a break before starting the final 4kays to the huts.

But Ally is anxious to move on so we load up and start the rock climb that takes us onto the pathway. This section takes the hiker up and down to the beach about 4 times before starting a last Mega Climb of the day. Ally is much better shape today and manages these hills as well as the Mega Climb with relative ease. I have to push myself to keep up to her pace. When we reach the 12kay mark we are almost at the top. The last 2kays seems long as it often does at the end of a day's walk but finally we reach the top where we gather some wood for the evening fire.

The huts are quite a way apart and separated by the shower and the Boma. It is now only lunch time so we are able to sun ourselves and dry out any wet clothing. I love this afternoon's shower. The shower faces onto the ocean and while it is a freezing cold shower I enjoy it. I kind of wash one part at a time and then shower the soap off. It is just too cold to stand under the shower for more than a minute at a time.

Cell phone reception is good at this camp. It is the first camp where I see anyone talking on a cell phone. I think that the reception must come straight from Plett. Fred talks to people about a job that is being done in PE and establishes that all is well. Anthony phones home and various other people. Work I imagine. But after he has assured himself that the business is going on okay without him he pours himself an early Jack and finds a sunny spot on the rocks and there he chats and suns himself for the next hour or two.

Later that evening Gavin scolds Ant for drinking Jack D and asks why he does not rather drink a real whisky such as a single Malt. Ant is like me and has absolutely no clue what a single malt is. Gavin explains that this is a special whisky that is made in a certain area in Scotland. This appears to be where the best whisky is made. I am not sure that it would make any difference on a hike. I think that the only reason that Ant takes JD is that he cannot carry a wine as it would be simply too heavy. Maybe I should follow suite and carry less weight when it comes to alcohol?

As evening approaches we are invited to the Zeelie Camp for a “Bring and Braai”. We put our final evening provisions together and walk across to their hut. They start a good looking fire from the ample supply of wood that is available. This evening Hannes and Jacqui celebrate 22years of marriage. It is the second time that they have celebrated a wedding anniversary at this venue. Jacqui tells us that they celebrated a previous anniversary with Jonti and Pierre some years ago.

Ally and I have our wors and rolls for supper. Ally finishes the last of her Sweet Chili sauce that she has carried for the past 4 days. Jacqui has made a pasta dish that she shares with us as a supplement to our meal. The last of the beers, whisky, wine etc is polished off. Us hikers love to talk about hiking around the camp fire. This evening is no exception as we recall our various hikes and plan for future hikes.

Ant invites us to join him on a Cockscomb hike. But there are discussions about the Kili Hike, the Base Camp Hike, the tough ones and the easy ones. Someone reminds us that Jonti has done the Otter Trail as a one day run. If you talk about it then it does not sound so tough. But when you are on the trail, climbing a Mega Hill or crossing a river or climbing a rock face or trying to stay on your feet during a steep descent, then you realise what a huge task it would be to run this trail in a day.

Finally we head back to the hut for the last nights sleep. The evening is warm with the glow of the moon shining on the ocean and the lights of Plett clearly visible across the bay. I try to read but the book is like a sleeping tablet for me and I am soon fast asleep.

I wake a few times in the night and see that Anthony is in his familiar position on the top bunk facing the wall and reading in the light of his head lamp. I do the same for a short while but again this puts me to sleep.

We had agreed to leave at 07.00am as there is soccer to watch in PE. Gavin and Matthew W will be going to the Game. We are awake at 06.00 and, unusually, Ally and I are ready ahead of schedule. We leave first as I know that we will be the slowest. Matthew W joins us and we cross the stream and head immediately up the very last Mega Hill of the hike. It is a long slog for Ally and I but Matthew almost runs up. We are halfway when we hear his whistle. He is on the lookout point far above us. We press on and make it to the top. At the top there is a cold breeze and we have to carry on to maintain body temperature.

Ally and I look down and can see Calvin leading the group from the hut. Now we have a reasonable head start and should be able to maintain our position. Or so I thought!. Within minutes Calvin comes rushing past us and catches Matthew. The two of them set up a fast pace which we have no intention of trying to match. The walk today is mainly along the cliff face with a few undulating sections as we head inland to walk the ravines. But having climbed the final Mega Hill there is no major climb after that. Fred and Anthony come past. As we reach the final descent to the Natures Valley beach we see them below. Calvin and Matthew are long gone.

Ally and I walk down to the beach and there we wait for Jordan, Amber and Matthew D to catch us. They reach the beach and, without a pause, they press on. So Ally and I follow suite. Jordan points to where there are Dolphins surfing the waves. Jacqui has separated herself from Hannes and Gavin who are again having a discussion about the trajectory of the moon. Obsession?

We wait for Jacqui, and the 6 of us walk into camp together. There we find Ant, Fred, Matthew and Calvin have already showered. We open the trailer and take out our clean clothes and walk to the shower block were we have a really good soaking hot shower. What a pleasure!

We loaded up and all 12 of us piled into Hannes' combi. He took us back to the Storms River reserve where we collected my car and after a stop at the Bridge for a burger we headed home. Ant insisted he wanted to be dropped off at the Humansdorp turnoff. We tried to persuade him to wait with us. But the last thing we saw of Anthony was this Hobo looking figure walking down the Humansdorp Road just like you would see Kurt Russell or Sylvester Stalone at the end of some action movie. I kind of missed the “Good the bad and the ugly” music in the background. I am sure that he was fine but it did not feel right to leave a fellow traveler on the road like that.

As we drove past the Ladies Slipper hills Fred told me about the cycle that he had recently completed on his own. He had ridden his mountain bike along the rail track to the foot of the Ladies Slipper and then along the dirt road that leads to the north side of the mountain. He then lifted his bike over a gate and cycled up the tar access road to the tower that we could see from the N2. This ride had taken Fred 6 hours. Now I suddenly did not feel bad about him carrying my backpack across the Lottering River any more.

We dropped Fred and then Gavin off and off loaded this huge pile of washing. Gavin, Matthew, our nieces: Julia and Laura all went to the Soccer that afternoon. As much as we had had this incredibly good weather. As soon as we arrived home we had cool wet weather for the Saturday afternoon soccer. Julia and Laura went to the Fan Fest at St Georges park later. Fortunately they bundled up and were not too cold. They come from NY and Michigan and are used to cold evenings.

Ally and I made ourselves a warm supper of Butternut soup and Curry Rice and were in bed early that evening. It had been a real adventure but we are so lucky to be able to come home to warm duvets, hot water and a solid home.


Lessons learned from this hike:
There is never any reason to rush the days except perhaps for day four depending on the tide table. It is nice to be in camp by about 3pm and on this trail time is the least of your worries.
The sun does not always reach the overnight huts after around 3 or 4pm.
Crocs or sandals are essential for this, and probably most hikes. Slip slops or slippers just do not do it.
We were able to have fresh rolls every evening. They are a little bulky as you have to pack them in a special container or else carry them outside of the pack. This is probably only really a possibility during winter.
Ally and I were able to Braai every evening. Sosaties; Steak and Boerewors in that order. Probably the same rule applies for Winter Hiking.
One Braai Tongs for the group and one packet of Fire Lighter for the group is essential.
Candles in the evening make the cabin much cosier than just using the head lamp torches.
Head lamp torches are essential.
A small kettle boils a lot quicker and therefore uses a lot less gas than a dixie.
Pre-book and pre-pay the entry fee to the reserve if possible. The service we received at the office was shocking.
A water-proof bag for cellphones and cameras would have been a great comfort.
This hike is not an easy hike nor is it to be taken lightly. The hills, rock climbing, terrain, river crossings etc make it a hike to be respected.
A splash cover for a Back Pack works like a charm when you have to float a bag across a river.
In summer a One Liter bottle of water would not have been enough. There are days when there is no drinkable water on the trail and you would be well advised to have an additional 500ml bottle in your backpack. Fred had a two liter bladder that he used.


Adrienne has asked me for a checklist for the trail. Please let me know if there are any essentials that I have left off.
Your bag should not weight more than around 8 to 10 kays for the children and if possible keep it to under 20kg for the adults. There are some seriously long hills on this trail.

Backpack and splash cover if you have.
Sleeping Bag (in plastic to avoid a wet night in the event of rain)
Hike shoes or tackies. The Otter is a trail and tackies are fine. Boots are best though.
I will place all my clothing into a "two oceans type" bag.
3 X Socks and U/pants or speedo
I X shorts & hat / cap
slops or crocs
2 X t shirts (if you have the "sweat proof" that is best)
I X tracksuite (best to wear shorts in the day but evenings will be chilly)
1 X light water proof anorak
Beanie and gloves
Small towel Or a Shammy towel that can be bought at a Hike Shop.
soap and toothbrush (Shaver?)
Plate, cup, spoon and knife. (Paper plates make dishwashing easier)
scourer
Dixie and small cooker. Kettles are better for boiling water.
candle and matches; one or two packets of blitz should be okay for all of us.
Toilet paper
Head lamp
I take a "camp master" small pillow but some people will use their sleeping bag cover and stuff clothing into it for a pillow.
sling water bottle.
Camera; cell phone optional as reception is limited.

Food:
sandwiches for day one. And maybe day two.
Braai meat for two or three nights. Vacume packed.
Two minute noodles
Tuna or other tins but remember tins are heavy.
Rice / noodles
packet soup; cup a soup
bread or bread rolls, marg, pnbutter.
Vegetables & fruit
coffee, tea, hot chocolate.
Snacks, roll of sweets,
Alcohol; I think that Hannes might take a full 8 beers while others may take whisky, sherry, wine etc. The Otter trail is not long but is quite hilly.
Crackers, provita, cheese wedges, rusks, biscuits, oats so easy, energy bar, powder cold drink mix (game or tang), marshmellows,

The ideal menu is to end on Saturday morning eating your last breakfast with just one packet of sweets left. You do not need extra in case of emergency
Think about how much you might eat on a normal day. you will not need more than that.
I am sure that you can make up more interesting innovative meals than this.


Peter
14.06.2010