Peter Giddy Guided Tours. Hiking the Zuurberg Trails September 2018

Come Hiking with Peter Giddy Guided Trails
peter.giddy@gmail.com

Other tours include
Addo Elephant Park
Daniel Cheetah Project and Addo Elephant Park Combo
Two Day -- Addo Elephant Park;  Hiking Trail and Kragga Kamma Wildlife Reserve
Garden Route  --  Cape Town to Port Elizabeth
Garden Route / Tsitsikamma -- One or two day excursions
Airport and Hotel Transfers
City; Cultural; Township and Historical Tours

Peter invites you to join him on a Hiking Trail around Port Elizabeth.  Meet locals and see some of the natural trails of the area.
Bookings at peter.giddy@gmail.com

Zuurberg Hiking trail -- September 2018

The signboard at the Ranger station describes the hiking trails.  A map is also available.
These hikes all start at the Ranger Station near to the Zuurberg Inn.  There is this terrible 16k road to the Inn.

We leave from Port Elizabeth at 6.45am. The drive to Zuurberg is about 90km and once we have registered we begin our hike at 08.30am.  It is best to start reasonably early to avoid the heat of the day.  This trail is best done in the months April to September as the valley can become extremely hot in Summer.

Beautiful pin cushion protea

13 Hikers in the group this morning.  Our Group Leader is Rob Witte who is family of Cheryl who I know from Tourism.  Ralph; Jurgen; Andrew; Dave;  Sally and her friend from Cape Town,  Tracey,  Dave and Naomi,  Ian Andrews who kindly gave me a lift today; Flo, Val and Paul make up the group.

We regroup just before starting the descent.  Below are some magnificent views of the Valley.
On the trail today -- Rob is our Hike Leader;  Ralph; Val;  Dave and Naomi;  Flo;  Sally and her friend from Cape Town, Tracey;  Jurgen;  Dave;  Ian who kindly offers me a lift there and back; and Paul who is a regular hiker in this group.
There are 13 of us altogether which makes for a good number -- everyone gets to know your name and there is a good flow of conversation for the duration of the hike.

A long descent is ahead of us.

The pathway zig zags down to the river below.

The picnic area is cool and a welcome break.  I am quite shaky and need something to eat.

Crossing the river after the picnic break.

Paul admires the Otto Pool and rock faces.

The first part of this hike takes us up to the pathway that leads to the ridge from where we see Antelope (the Hartebeest) and some of the most magnificent views across the valleys below.  The descent into the valley is long and tough.  By the time we reach the stream below I am feeling quite low and am glad to be able to take in something to eat.

The break is at the Otto Pool and river crossing.  A bench table and comfortable rocks makes for a good place to recover in the shade.
After the break we walk for an easy two km to the Blougat Pool where I am the only one who takes a swim.  The water is cool and refreshing... Definitely not freezing.

After the Otto Pool we are on the Addo Trail Run pathway which leads to the Blougat pool where I have a swim after a challenge by one of the walkers.

The river runs strongly into the pool after recent heavy rains.

After leaving the Blougat Pool we have to cross the river something like 15 to 20 times.  It is a really long section of the hike and should not be underestimated.

On the path we are mainly in the shade which helps as the day has become quite warm.

Sally and Flo try to avoid getting wet feed.

After the Blougat pool we walk along a pathway that crosses the streams 15 to 20 times and continues uphill.  This section is long and can be quite tiresome.
Then we start the climb upwards back to the ranger station.  The climb from the last crossing of the stream takes us about an hour. We decide to take the Left Turn at the intersection so as to get the benefit of a bit more shaded walking as well as the exhilaration of the rock climb at the end.  This way is a bit steeper but, in the opinion of the majority of walkers, is the better of the two options.

The final rocky part of the trail. Fortunately it is not too hot and there is a cool breeze. With Dave and Sally bringing up the rear.
We summit the climb and from here we can see the Zuurberg Inn as well as the ranger station where our cars are parked.
Back at the cars we have a short break before driving home. Some of this road is extremely poor with bumps and potholes.  We get back safely and have the joy of completing a really worthwhile hiking trail. 
The total distance is about 14km and the total time that this hike took is about 4.5 hours.  However we set a reasonably quick pace and the smaller group made going easier especially on the river crossings. My phone tells me that I have walked about 25 000 steps during the hike.