MIDLANDS HIKING CLUB

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= FROM THE CHAIR = &nb= sp; = = = &nb= sp; = Dave Sclanders

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Looking= back on my last years report, it once again seems as if the rush of modern day livi= ng has “shot the year past us, and many things that we should have liked= to have done have not been done”. Same old story, different year. Some of our members have don= e a lot of hiking, with the club, with Mountain Backpackers, and several private sorties into the unknown.

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The AGM= went off very well, with a good turnout of members. The meeting went off “Quick and Slick”, with all the normal business handled well. The good news was that the club is= in good financial standing, which is great, and with a growing membership list= . The voting on of the new committee= was quick – same committee en block.&nbs= p; Then a very good finger supper and social time was had by all. Here’s to a Fruitful New Hik= ing Year.

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Once ag= ain there are a number of “Serious Events” already planned for next year.= There is the 500 kilometer c= ycle ride, led by Allison. Mountain Backpackers are again organizing the Grand Traverse from Bushman= 217;s Nek to the Sentinel – unfortunately on this eve= nt, participation is by invitation only. Then there will also be a 5-day tenting exploration hike along the t= op of the Escarpment, where one can experience the greatest scenery in the world. If you might be interested in this unique trip, you will need to do some of the long week-e= nd hikes into the berg to qualify. Visit the following web sites to get an idea of this great hike

1. My w= eb site at www.bergfree.co.za, click on Newsle= tters and scroll to News letter 13b – Exploration Hike -= Sentinel to Fangs

2. The = Clubs web site at www.gohiking.co.za click on Newsletters, and scroll d= own to Nov 2005 Newsletter - Mini Tr= averse by Moira Filmer.

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I would= appeal to all our members once again, please support the club events, especially the = day hikes for most of us. E= ven if you have been to a place before, do it again , there is always something different, and something that you may have not seen before. Even the time of year changes things. This last year = I led at least 5 hikes to the same cave in Kamberg, a= nd believe me , each trip was very different, and totally refreshing. I will let you into one= of my secrets about hiking in the berg. Many of the people who I hike= with ask me, “how can I go back to the same place time and time again, isn= ’t it boring?” . I in turn ask them, has this been boring for you? The inevitable answer is “No it has been exciting, interesting, great etc etc, because we have never been here bef= ore!. My secret is this, I only know the route, I do not know what will be around the corner, or up the hill, so the rest of the trip will be just as exciting, j= ust as interesting, great etc. etc.. I make it my business to get excited and interested in the trip, and so live the trip with each visitor, as if I had never done it before..

Questio= n to you is “How many times have you been to a game reserve, and are you plann= ing another trip in the future?” Why?. You have seen an elephant, the next one will be the same- a big grey thing, with a trunk, big ears, pushes trees over, and drops huge land mines. We go back because we expect to see something different. The mountains are no different. Let’s see you on a hike, it w= ill be different.

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Club so= cials have been very well attended, with great speakers, and great topics. Again, please support out club spea= kers, they have a great wealth of experience to pass on, and magnificent pictures= to show. The present venue has proved to be = very popular, and we have booked it for the next year as well. Our great thanks to the ladi= es and gents who are prepared to wash up after each evening, it would be nice to s= e a few more volunteers “pushing into the kitchen to help wash up –= we love volunteers!”

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The new= sletter , and our club web site will give you all the info for you to catch up on the past, and future events so visit our web site at www.gohiking.co.za It is always up to date and changing thanks to our contributors, and our web site managers Rod and Samantha.

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YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO SUPPORT YOUR CLUB. =

The CLUB’S Christmas Social is happening on the SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER at Hilton College. This has always been a fun day, this promises to be “a relaxer”, with no races, war cries, twisted arm= s, legs and what ever - just a very much more relaxed atmosphere. WHAT – no more WAR CRIES – so the shy peeps can now come and enjoy the day. COME AND JOIN US , CANC= EL EVERTYTHING ELSE, AND SUPPORT YOUR CLUB FOR THE FINAL ACT OF 2007 – except of course the NEW Years Eve in a cave with Keith and Margaret..=

See you all at the Christmas tree &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = &nb= sp; Dave

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CHRISTMAS PARTY

The ann= ual Christmas Party will take place on Sunday, 9 December 2007 in the beautiful grounds of Hilton College, at a cost of R20,00 per person. Time of arrival 10h30 for 11h00. For the more energetic a short hike= has been arranged for the morning or members not in the mood for walking can re= lax in the company of like-minded friends or go tubing on the river. Braai fires will be ready by 12h00 to commence preparing lunch. Members please bring meat, s= alads, rolls and drinks or whatever is your fancy, for lunch, plus table, chairs, cutlery, plates, glasses cups, saucers and spoons. Although there is a Boma, members are requested to bring along gazebos an= d/or umbrellas to augment shade from the sun or shelter should the weather prove= to be damp. Toilet facilit= ies are on site. After lunch a further fun event for which each member is requested to bring a sma= ll gift to the value of ±R15 will follow with Santa and his ‘Fairy’ handing o= ut the gifts. Please bring a s= mall plate of cakes/biscuits to share for afternoon tea. Prizes will be awarded for t= he various events plus prizes in a Lucky Draw. Again this year there will b= e the announcement of the winners of the Best Article in the Newsletter, the Phot= ographic competition and the person who introduced the most new members to the Club.=

Directi= ons to the venue are through the main gates, follow the road round left and then turn right, past the Estates Office on the left, beyond the office turn left and continue down the hill towards the river. At the ‘Game Gate̵= 7; please push both gates away from you to gain access and remember to close t= hem again. You will be ente= ring a Game Reserve and it is therefore imperative that we remember to keep the ga= tes closed. Your co-operati= on in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Please advise your attendanc= e to Noël on nfh@satweb.co.za or<= /p>

tel/fax 033 239 5098. We look forward to seeing you there= .

WELCOME

The Cha= irman, Committee Members, leaders and club members welcome the following New Membe= rs to our club: Roy & Rose Glen, Erica Jacobs, Ian & Trish McDonald, Maureen = McKeown, Sue Rowley, Chris & Brigitta Simpson, Barry Stapleton and Dave & Diane Tighe.

OUR TRAVELLING MEMBERS

Aris Hofland is home after visiting family and friends in the UK and the Netherlands. We hope you had a happy time= Aris catching up on family news.

More travellers are Secretary Keith and PRO Margaret who are back from a trip to Madagascar in the company of Mountain Backpacker members. We = hear they spent a wonderful week sailing the sea on a Dhow from one Nosi (island to the likes of you and me) to another b= efore landing on the mainland where they spent the second week enjoying the local hospitality and scenery. If you wish to spend some time with Keith and Margaret you had better hurry up because they will soon be off to the UK for a family wedding.

CLIMBING MOUNT KENYA (cont) &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = = Peter ‘Peg’ Wedge

December, 2006

DAY 5 – SATURDAY, 9 DECEMBER

Breakfast at 07h00 and = away by 08h00 from Shipton’s camp to our next overnight at McKinders Lodge. Geoff had originally planned= for us to camp at American Hut but he had had reports that the ground was very = wet.

A stiff climb to start = with to 4600m over a col with B= ation and Nelion staring us in the face with a lot of= snow and ice. After the col a descent with a view of the 2 tarns and then over another mini col with Nany= uki tarn on our right. This= is quite large with clear water and probably quite deep. We walked along the shoreline for about 700m or so and then a short descent to Hut tarn close by. The old 2 Tarn Hut = is now disused. A final = difficult scree slope to 4300m and M= cKinders at 13h30 so plenty of time to rest and relax. Only 5,6 km covered today but difficult hard terrain. 770m climbed in total.

All of us ready for Peter’s lunch offering – amazing what his team concocted with no meal repeated.

Third series of Gunning= rummy again with Matthew outright winner. &= nbsp; Earlyish retirement to bed ready for the= climb to Austrian Hut the following day.

DAY 6 – SUNDAY, 10 DECEMBER

Geoff had said that 3 h= ours should be sufficient to get to Austrian Hut so a bit of a lie in with break= fast at 08h00 and away by 09h00. We encountered a stiff scree climb of ab= out 350m with the snow line rapidly approaching. Then into snow fields proper – quite deep, 300-500mm, with quite difficult walking. The glare from the snow is q= uite severe so without sunglasses you have a serious problem.<= /p>

After a climb of about = 1,5 km through the snow fields we entered a rise and then Austrian Hut looking very welcoming. Lonely Planet describes this as being very basic and it is – but certainly no less = so than the others. There = are 3 rooms sleeping 6 people, quite comfortable. All of us in by 12h15 so 3 h= ours was a good estimate by Geoff. Senior Peter going a bit too quickly following Keith and ending up w= ith a headache again. You h= ave to respect the mountain and the altitude. We were now at 4800m having climbed 550m and only 3,6 km but it felt a lot more.

With plenty of time on = our hands several of the group doing a bit of exploration after lunch – principally to the Ice Cave which was unfortunately snowed in. Margret= K giving everyone a bit of a scare on the Lewis Glacier – this is the= big one at the foot of Nelion – she slipped a= nd Geoff racing after her and then demonstrating to everyone how to brake. Dig in elbows and toes and l= ift stomach off the snow and cry ‘ HELP! ‘ The mountain has claimed sev= eral lives over the years. One particularly poignant memorial is close to the Austrian Hut commemorating a young English guy of 21 who just went missing = in a snow storm. It would be= quite easy to lose your bearings and wander off or fall down a crevasse. It actually began to snow sl= ightly and with a heavy mist coming in we had an almost total white out. This means that the horizon disappears and you have no reference point. Scary!

Back in the hut with an= earlyish dinner and then all of us in bed by 20h00 th= inking about the assault on the mountain summit the following morning at 05h00.

A small team arriving l= ate – 2 French guys and 4 others who were to spend the next 10 days establishing and climbing a new more difficult route up Bation and Nelion. These were professionals with crampons, ropes etc., and obviously very experienced. They were camping in snow so obviously hardy souls.

Very cold tonight ̵= 1; Peter up early with a beautiful clear night. Spectacular at this altitude= . You get a real feel of what = Mt. Kenya means to the local Kikuyu people.

DAY 7 – MONDAY, 11 DECEMBER

All up by 04h00 –= tea laid on by Peter and his team and then off by 05h15 with headlights to clim= b to Point Lenana. This is not for wimps. Heavy snowfields and quite s= erious rock climbing to the summit by 06h45. This was a climb of only 200= m but it takes time. Su= nrise was quite magnificent. = All of us taking our digi pics like crazy and then the incredible sight of Kilimanjaro almost due south and over 300kms away!

On the Lenana summit are several plaques commemorating early explorers – some are q= uite moving.

The Lenana Summit is 4985m say 16400 ft. We all felt incredibly fulfilled to have done it. M= argret K in her excitement started to descend without her pack! Descent was fairly haz= ardous with Geoff having to cut steps with his ice axe to assist us. We descended to scree i.e., the snow line around 4600m taking about 1½ hours. Then an equally difficult descent to the valley below and arrival at Minto’s Camp by 10h45 - 700m descent and 5&frac= 14; hours in total.

Minto̵= 7;s is a tent= ed camp – quite barren although with a tarn close by. Most of us with rubbery legs= from the descent so a leisurely open air brunch and after a short rest Geoff tak= ing us to the gorges. These= are quite spectacular with 250/300m sheer cliffs. A large lake – Lake Michaelson – is at the head of the valley befor= e it empties below via Vivienne Falls – in themselves equally spectacular being at least 150m.

Early dinner at 18h00, = freezingly cold, so all in tents by 18h30. A great memorable day – 700m descent and 5,5 km.

Very cold during the ni= ght.

DAY 8 – TUESDAY, 12 DECEMBER

A long, long night for = us all and not very comfortable. This was probably the least attractive camp we st= ayed in with the immediate area looking quite barren although the adjacent tarn below the camp was attractive.

We awoke to frost and m= inus temperatures but with magnificent views of the two peaks from our campsite.= Off by 07h00 after an early breakfast for the long descent to Chogoria Camp. We quickly descen= ded from the escarpment to have a clearer view of Vivienne Falls and then furth= er descent brought us onto moor land with heather and various fynbos type plants and a large colony of proteas. Lunch at the Chogoria crossroads – 9kms to here and then with Chogoria= Camp in view another 6kms to home descending into forest with evidence of elephant all around. We= also came across hyena droppings. Considering the altitude – now at around 3200m it’s amaz= ing to see such dense forest and variety of flora. Almost equivalent to what we= would find in South Africa at 1000m – presumably equatorial weather would h= ave something to do with such prolific growth?

Arrival at Chogoria camp at 13h45 with hot showers ready within = the hour – bliss! Old donkey boilers doing their stuff. &nb= sp; 15,2kms today and 1200m descent so quite a long, tiring descent. The camp is quite old but rustically comfortable with good views of the surrounding countryside.=

After we all emerged, c= lean shaven and smelling sweet and clean we had tea in the “games roomR= 21; and then a general walk around the camp.&n= bsp; We were fortunate enough to see 3 elephant on the plain below us together with what looked like wildebeest.

A good dinner – f= inal game of rummy again to Matthew! And then the luxury of a proper bed again. Senior Peter slept on a couc= h, still very comfortable and a good night’s sleep for us all. All feeling “Mission Accomplished”!

DAY 9 – WEDNESDAY, 13 DECEMBER

Clear and cold – breakfast at 07h00 and then Allison giving a quick heart warming speech and accolades to Geoff and his team with special reference to Peter and his cooks. All of us giving= a good tip and something from our packs – so clearly all happy.

It had now begun to rai= n so on with our wet weather gear and an 8 km walk to meet the 2 Land“lovers” (Kenyan people seem to have difficulty in sounding their "it’s&q= uot; – hence it was “lining” heavily for the first 4kms or so.= The 2 off road vehicles were= not in the best of condition – we had a hair raising 2 hours on unbelieva= bly bad rutted dirt roads getting hopelessly stuck on at least 2 occasions. If it hadn’t been for = our very willing and helpful porters we would have struggled to have got to Nai= robi that night.

At Chogoria town by 12h45 and farewell to our mountain team – great guys (and one girl). Geoff was a fant= astic guide, really knowledgeable and a real gent. We were met by David and Jos= eph, then 1¼ hours to Embu for a nice lunch i= n a goodish hotel – courtesy of David.

Back at the Jacaranda H= otel in Nairobi at 17h30 after fair roads to the capital – we also went through the diplomatic area which has an English country feel about it.

All ready for the baths/showers and then a good celebratory dinner in the Safari Restaurant – good food and good Tusker beer. Allison then made vario= us appointments to her “cabinet” viz.,

Paul - Minister of Statistics, for his regular updates on distance travelled, height climbed e= tc.

Matthew – Ministe= r of Information, he had his Lonely Planet permanently under his arm and was alw= ays ready to quote necessary info on customs, Swahili, local area etc.

George – Minister= of Entertainment. George always = had something cogent and amusing to say at each camp we stayed at. He also kept us guessing wit= h his dress and maintenance of his gear. <= o:p>

Keith – Minister = for Photography. About 1000= pics from mountain peaks to alpine flowers to all man= ner of detail of the flora and fauna encountered. Also several shots of the te= am caught unawares.

Jenny - Minister for Fa= ntasy, she always saw things encountered in a delightful and magical way.

Margaret A – Mini= ster for Promptness and Timing, always ready for her meals and reminding everyone else – “foods here”.

Margaret K – Minister for Winter Spo= rts, for her escapades on the Lewis Glacier and on Point Le= nana.

Senior Peter – Permanent Under Secretary, as official tour scribe – accuracy of reporting not necessarily corroborated.

All looking forward to another comfortable night but not looking forward to our early morning call= at 03h30 – we had to leave by 04h30 the following day to the airport.

DAY 10 – THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER

A ver= y early start with a call at 03h30 and tea biscuits – some of us had a full breakfast in the room – and David/Joseph at the Hotel by 04h20. David could not have been mo= re helpful or caring, his company is a real professional outfit. To Nairobi Airport by 05h30 = for the mid morning flight back to JNB. &= nbsp; Kenya Airways again giving us a comfortable flight – a long de= lay at JNB getting our luggage and then the PMB contingent having to wait until 18h30 for the domestic flight but no real matter – we had plenty to t= alk about and discuss.

SUMMARY

A truly memorable exper= ience for us all – Kenya was quite a refreshing and positive outlook on Afr= ica – industrious people, generally well educated and fascinating countryside. For most o= f us this would be the ultimate climb – it won’t get much better than this – if ever! B= ig thanks to Allison for creating the opportunity and to Malcolm Pearse for putting flesh on the bones and making it h= appen.

Himalayas,= Karakoram, Andes next anyone??!! = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Permanent Under Secretary

Senior Peter = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;

KWELAPHA COTTAGE, PA= RK RYNIE &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; = Mary Clover

9 – 12 August<= o:p>

Early o= n Thursday afternoon Mark and Mary met up with Lynn, Linda and Geoff at the fair at TC Robertson Nature Reserve in Scottburgh. A part time employee of the Reserve showed us around, indicating possible walks for us to take, and where the b= ird hide was – very suitable for sundowners! We all drove a short way along the= road to Park Rynie, to Kwelapha= Cottage, a lovingly restored 3-bedroomed cottage one block away from the be= ach.

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After t= ea we walked along the beach to Rocky Bay. We had heard about the damage to the South Coast caused by high tide= s, and it was incredible to witness the immense power of the sea first hand. At Rocky Bay the sand level has be= en dropped by 1.5 meters, leaving the concrete boat-launching ramp hanging in midair. Much of the sand that= was removed from here was deposited a little further along the coast, providing= the Rocky Bay Campsite with a marvelous sandy beach.

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After a= leisurely breakfast on Friday (this was a holiday after all!) the five of us set off = for an easy two hour walk up the coast to Scottburgh, again awestruck by the damage to structures along the coast. Although the sun was shining, there was quite a cool breeze blowing, making sunbathing a bit chilly, but no one was too cold for ice creams. A good swim in the se= a did wonders for appetites, and we ended up at Wimpy for a lunch before making o= ur way to the Railway Station to catch the train back to Park Rynie, one stop down the track.

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Margret and Chris arrived late on Friday afternoon, and we all walked down to Rocky Bay again, reveling in the beaut= iful sunset on the way home.

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On Satu= rday we left fairly early to walk south to Pennington. Although it was near to low tide, = there has been so much movement in the sand along this coast line that there was = no firm sand to walk on, and our calf muscles took a bit of strain. The long, wide curving beach at Ha= ppy Wanderers has been completely eradicated, leaving brand new shiny rocks whe= re before was sand, and a newly built timeshare block in imminent danger of falling into the sea. From Pennington we backtracked to Kelso Station, which was the last station on t= he Durban/Scottburgh line, and caught the train ba= ck to Park Rynie.&nb= sp; Margaret and Chris still had enough energy to go for a bike ride in = the afternoon, then we relaxed around a braai fire, serenaded by music coming from a party around the block from us. Later on we went for a walk around= the streets of Park Rynie to discover the source of= the music, and very nearly lost Margaret down a storm water drain.

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On Sund= ay we all piled into Geoff’s double cab and drove to the E= mpisini Nature Reserve near Umkomaas. We followed the well kept paths th= rough the coastal forest, past a high tree house sleeping about 8 people, and up = to higher ground giving views down the gorge. The indigenous vegetation was carefully protected, and trees had identification labels. Geoff then drove = us on a small tour to view the damage done to the Umkomaa= s coastal road, then home for lunch and to pack up.

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The fre= sh sea air and good company made this a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. We will definitely repeat it next = year.

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TO ALL OUR CONTRIBUTORS: &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = &nb= sp; =

Thank y= ou to all those who have contributed to the Newsletter over the past year. Without your efforts there w= ould be no Newsletter to distribute to other members. Cheers!