40 days ~ 40 hikes ~ Walking 4 Education
The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. ~ C.S. Lewis
We woke to a bright and sunny start at Thendele and the mountain was so close. There can’t be many places where you wake up in absolute awe of creation – it’s big and it’s bold. The children had bunked a few days of school to join us and it was time to get back to reality so they headed off fairly early to get back into the normal routine. We could have hitched a ride to Mahai Camp Site but decided that our mountain adventure was all about discovering the paths we haven’t had the time to hike and so we began our walk at Thendele.
We hiked from Thendele, rather briskly (for me!), towards the old hotel. What a sad state of affairs. This had once been the flagship of the Drakensberg. It had welcomed the Queen and family in the 40’s and some of the buildings and trees are protected but it stands in a derelict space wishing to be restored. Let’s hope that some day it might.
The hike from here takes a gradual climb to Sunday Falls. We brewed our coffee and enjoyed our crunchies at the top and then headed down to the bottom of the falls. What a lovely, secluded spot – perfect for a shower on a hot summer’s day! The climb then continued along a rather overgrown section of path, meandering through the valley until we arrived at the top of Surprise Ridge. We stopped to enjoy the outdoors and had a bite of lunch before descending via Pascoe’s Pool and TV Ridge to The Cavern. Another fantastic day out.
As we walked we decided that this 4-day loop would be a wonderful holiday and that the Northern Berg should really be the Trekking Capital of SA. A while back I was very fortunate to visit Patagonia and what amazed me most was the numbers of tourists hiking the hills. Here in the Northern Berg we are surrounded by immense beauty and opportunity and we really do need to encourage more folk to come and enjoy the great outdoors….
An update to our progress so far…
| Day | Destination | Distance KM | Gain M |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugarloaf | 7.08 | 565 |
| 2 | Cannibal Cavern | 7.75 | 475 |
| 3 | Natural Pool | 2.72 | 87 |
| 4 | Echo Cave | 5.63 | 321 |
| 5 | Witsieshoek | 12.08 | 886 |
| 6 | Amphitheatre | 9.62 | 726 |
| 7 | Mahai Valley | 11.76 | 143 |
| 8 | Back to Cavern | 14.96 | 477 |
| Total | 71.6 | 3680 |