Here Comes Treble: Not A Walk In The Park
...Whales tumble and blow lazily, out in the deep blue sea, waving flippers and tail-fins, keeping pace with hikers as they stride out along a flat cliff-top path, the beach hundreds of metres below...
Isabel Bradley vividly conveys the wonders and delights of the Otter Trail - a South African hiking trail.
The Otter Trail is perfectly designed for passionate hikers. Situated on the southern-most coast of Africa, it covers forty-three kilometres of pristine coast interrupted by seven rivers, with many cliffs, beaches and hills to be navigated over five days. The scenery is at times breath-taking, always beautiful.
Despite short hiking distances each day, this trail is not, as friends beguiled me, a ‘walk in the park’. Hikers need to enjoy traversing vast stretches of boulder-strewn beach, climbing up and down cliff faces and have endurance to carry them along incredibly steep paths.
The four camps are comfortable, set at the base of rolling hills covered in the herb-scented shrubbery known as ‘fynbos’, the fine-leafed indigenous bush of the Cape coast. In each camp are two log chalets containing six bunk-beds furnished with mattresses; they have large verandas looking out over gorgeous vistas; there is usually plenty of fresh rain-water in the tanks for drinking and cooking purposes, wood for fire, icy water-falls under which to shower, and – luxury of luxuries - flushing lavatories in wooden huts with huge one-way windows looking over the ocean – loos with views!
Whales tumble and blow lazily, out in the deep blue sea, waving flippers and tail-fins, keeping pace with hikers as they stride out along a flat cliff-top path, the beach hundreds of metres below.
Little brown birds twitter among bright spring flowers in the dense ‘fynbos’. Gentle, liquid bird-calls come from the trees in green forest glades, where water from still, tea-coloured pools is cool and refreshing; sun-birds dart past as you walk, flashes of electric blue and red, or hover, gleaming in the sunshine while sucking nectar from tiny flowers clinging to cliff-faces; Cape robins flirt their tails, puff out orange chests and seem surprised to see people, with their white eyebrows arching over twinkling eyes; red-winged starlings are eager to feed – from the spoons of hikers, or abandoned pieces of fruit; and the ever-present sea-gulls soar effortlessly above the towering cliffs…
There are several river mouths to be crossed: the trickiest is the Blaauwkrantz. Before starting out, hikers need to check tide-tables and be sure to attempt the crossing only at low tide. This can mean leaving camp at three in the morning – or waiting until after ten. When the tide is high, the pounding surf can pull swimmers under, throw them onto cliff faces or drag them out to sea; to add to the tension, sharks are swept into the river mouth, ready to bite unwary hikers.
In good weather, evenings around the camp-fire are delightful. Clear skies are littered with glorious, twinkling stars. There are conversations about of the day’s walk, tales of historical hikes, ghost stories, or jokes. Creating tasty meals out of light-weight, desiccated food is a challenge and can be great fun. After the day’s physical exertions in the fresh sea air, a good night’s sleep is guaranteed, wrapped in a sleeping bag, lulled by the gentle sounds of the surf and five others sleeping. Unless, of course, there is a snorer present!
The official end of the trail is at a gate, through which the hiker passes – to be faced with yet another perilous cliff-face and two kilometres of beach to negotiate before reaching the village of Nature’s Valley and ‘civilisation’.
Hiking renews one’s appreciation of all sorts of mundane activities. A simple drink of Coca-Cola poured on ice brings heaven to earth; a hot bath becomes a spiritual experience; while sleeping on a real bed, with a pillow for one’s head and a warm duvet is sheer luxury. As for riding in a car – I firmly believe that is what human beings were designed to do.
The Otter Trail is definitely not a walk in the park.
Until next time, ‘here comes Treble!’
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The Otter Trail is the ‘flagship’ of the South African National Parks Board and is the coastal section of the Tsitsikama National Park Hiking Trail.
http://www.antbear.co.za/information/otter-trail.htm
copyright reserved ©
by Isabel Bradley
