IN THIS ISSUE :   From the Chair;   Annual General Meeting;  Committee Members;  Annual Subscriptions;  Christmas Party;   Kgalagadi Dreaming (final);  Spinney Week-end;   Brian’s Ushaka Stadium Hike.

hh01360_ FROM THE CHAIR                                                                                                        Dave Sclanders

 

Looking back on past newsletters I see that this time last year I was busy packing for my 6 week trip to the U.K -  how time flies ! .

 

Winter has been relatively kind to us this year. Those of us who have ventured into the berg will agree that we have enjoyed some incredible warm winter days, with the nights not being that cold – in fact the nights have been reasonably warm. Snow on the high berg has not – as yet been a hiking problem , though I did hear from friends who went to the top , despite being advised not to over that time because of cold snap coming that were caught in a very heavy snow fall, and had problems in getting down safely . Sometimes plans must be changed.

 

Burning in the berg by EKZN is a bit behind in certain areas, and when hiking in an area, I still advise to check with the staff in the area you plan to go – of the fire and burning situation. In areas where they have burnt some green grass is starting to shoot , a good snowfall now would get the green grass up and away.  On all my hikes this winter we have come across Eland – in the burnt areas, and unburnt areas. It is really a thrilling sight to see these magnificent animals moving across the slopes, especially when they break into a run.  Well worth a week end  just to see that.

 

Club Activities  :  We have had reasonably  good turn outs for the week end hikes , and even more for the day hikes. Those of you who went with Brian to Durban just before the world cup started had a very good outing indeed – with Durban and the beachfront area all bright and sparkling.  Good turn outs are  great for the club spirit as one meets new people, and enjoys the company of friends on an outing. It is also a great motivation for your hike leaders.  I would make one plea to you all – please confirm with the hike leader well in advance of a hike or day walk. We ask that you contact the leader by Wednesday at least if you want to go on an outing. Phoning on Saturday night or Sunday morning about a Sunday walk is really not on , yet it still happens..

 

Rod is always looking for news and photos to put on the web, and he will do this just as soon as you get him your story or pictures. Also , watch the web, new stories and pictures are added, as well as the newsletters and fixture lists.   Our web is  www.gohiking.co.za

 

Club Numbers  : The club membership is now back to 150  members, with a number of new members waiting for the AGM before they join for the New Hiking Year.

 

Your Club welcomes new members Sebastian Szur and Louise Whittal.   We hope you enjoy many a hike and social  in our company.

 

Club AGM : Please diarize the AGM THAT WILL BE HELD ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST the 17th at our usual club venue.

 

The club will be supplying snacks and eats as usual, as well as limited drinks. Please feel free to bring your own drinks as well. More info will follow.  Please make an effort, diaries the date and spend a relaxing evening with members of your club.

 

REMEMBER  :  We need nominations for committee members as I as Chairman and Alison , Vice Chair , will not be available for the new committee. We need new people with new ideas to take us forward into then next year. Please consider who you feel should be on the committee, speak with them, twist their arms BEFORE the AGM, get their consent, fill in the Nomination Paper attached to this notice, and bring it to the AGM, or post it to the Secretary before the AGM.  It is your club, your input is needed to keep it going.

 

Your outgoing committee looks forward to seeing you all at the AGM on 17 August 2010 at our usual venue.

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 

Notice of the Annual General Meeting is attached to your Newsletter.   Please make every effort to attend this usually highly successful event.

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

 

MEMBERS, WE NEED NOMINATIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE.   Every year we ask for these but so far none have been forthcoming.   Chairman, Dave Sclanders has made the decision to stand down after six years in the hot seat.   Vice Chair, Allison Gunning has regretfully had to resign from the Committee owing to pressure of work, although she will remain a Hike Leader.  To all those standing down our grateful thanks for all their dedication and hard work over the years.

 

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

 

Annual subscriptions are due 1 August 2010 and may be paid at the Annual General Meeting – R70 per person or R110 per family.   New membership cards will be issued on payment.   Alternatively in order to obviate having to send out reminders please deposit your payment directly into the Club’s Bank Account - Midlands Hiking Club, Nedbank, Branch Hilton, Code 151925, Account  No 1519007299.   Many thanks for your co-operation.

 

CHRISTMAS PARTY

 

It is fast approaching that time of the year again and members are asked to please diarise  Sunday, 5 December, as the date for our Annual Christmas Party.

 

KGALAGADI DREAMING (final)                                                                                  Peter Wedge

 

Thursday 30 July – We all had great concern for a cow – we named her Daisy – who had somehow wandered onto the pan and was blissfully unaware of the predators in the area.  How she got there was anybody’s guess but she had a charmed life.

 

All of us, and independently, travelling around the 4 camps – plenty of people around, all in 4 wheel drive combos – not surprisingly.  We walked on to the pan which had a hard crust but soft underneath.  The whole area (Botswana) was once a sea, as indeed was Southern Africa, so the preponderance of pans with fine sand and rounded stones is clear evidence of the fact.

 

At Khiding pan we saw clear evidence of a leopard kill in a tree – dried springbok skin and entrails.  Bird count – black korhaan, kori bustard.

 

Back to camp and Peter doing a bit of Cruiser maintenance – the right rear shock absorber had come adrift and the transfer box needed oil.  You have to come prepared on this sort of expedition.

 

We all spent a good 15 minutes watching Mars – closest it’s been to Earth in 22 000 years and the brightest body in the night sky after the moon.

 

Jackals round the camp from dusk – clearly well used to humans and very opportunistic. Thunder during the night and it rained!

 

Friday 31 July: - Yes, it rains in the Kgalagadi! Honest! Today was drizzly and chilly so most of the morning we sat around camp and in the tent. This was a great opportunity to find out a bit more about each other with Elin and June giving us their life history.  It started to clear in mid afternoon so each of us our separate ways around Mabua camps. Chris and team went down to the watergat and saw clear evidence of leopard with fresh pug marks.

 

Last evening in Mabua with another conflagration! And the last of Margret’s gluwein.

 

Saturday 1 August: - On our way back home today – but with a real bonus on the way out to the western gate access to Mabua. Keith was leading us on the sand road to the gate when we saw a magnificent Kalahari lion walking towards us.  He literally brushed against Keith’s vehicle – gave us a stony stare (I’m the boss around here) and then slowly walked off into the bush.   Marvellous!

 

We arrived at the gate after an hour or so and then 100 km to Thabong but with the first 60 kms in deep sand. This would be impossible without low range 4-wheel drive. The “road” as such is very wide, probably 20m, but with several tracks so you have to judge which is the best to take.  We also had to keep up our speed – about 50 kms/hour.  Difficult to prove but likely that a near disaster for Team Wedge and the Cruiser the following day may well have been caused by the shock absorber failure, deep sand and radiator blockage?

 

After about 60km the road becomes prepared for black topping. Botswana has invested millions in road infrastructure which is good for business but will eventually take away the spirit of adventure and acceptable risk in travelling within the country? We got to Thabong around lunchtime and filled up – fuel in Botswana is quite a bit cheaper than SA and it all comes from SA!

 

Peter doing some minor repairs to the Cruiser again – wheel arch and rear wheel mudguard coming loose – Botswana isn’t too kind to vehicles – even Cruisers!  We were all making tracks to Kuruman and overnight – initially we were hoping to make it to Kimberley but now too late.

 

Team Chris and Team Peter to Kuru-Kuru B&B – excellent value at R300/night.  We were hoping to meet up with Keith and Margaret but his cell phone had gone dead so we couldn’t communicate.

 

Dinner at a local steakhouse – minus Margret’s gluwein – big withdrawal symptoms – and then a welcome bed after 9 or 10 nights in sleeping bags.

 

Sunday 2 August: - After an excellent breakfast both teams (Chris and Peter) in convoy to Jankempsdorp for our first fuel stop but initially over what seemed to be a good dirt road but with overnight rain quite slippery for long stretches.

 

Jankempsdorp is the capital of an incredibly fertile valley which produces a sizeable proportion of the country’s cash crops. Mile after mile of farms on either side of the road. You have to see it to believe it.

 

On to Senekal and a quick lunch and then near disaster with the Cruiser.  Just after Paul Roux the road is being widened and down to a single lane – the Cruiser boiled over – we couldn’t stop and had to keep going for about 8 kms until we found a bay to stop.  Chris to the rescue and then a white knuckle tow ride for about 30 kms to Bethlehem – 3m towrope – no power steering nor braking – plenty of down hills.  Paul and June less stressed than Peter but all of us glad to see Bethlehem!

 

After some debate as to what to do (in terms of us all getting home – and leaving the Cruiser at the local Total Garage – big chance!). Chris offering to take all of us – yes 7 – back home. This was a 300 odd km journey, most of it in the dark, and incredibly uncomfortable for those of us in the rear (4!). You get to know each other well in such circumstances!   Much appreciated Chris.

 

A great and memorable trip – another well planned adventure by Keith – some unforgettable experiences and great company.  Where to next – Angola?

 

Footnote from Keith : Photo’s (including lion, leopard & cheetah) to illustrate this write-up are included on the club web site – www.gohiking.co.za

 

SPINNEY WEEKEND                                                                                                                                  Stella Wells

15/16 May

 

It was a glorious day as we all headed off to The Spinney, two delightful self catering cottages, located next to the Mkomazi Reserve and just 14 kms off the tar road, where we were welcomed by Jan and Russell, the owners, who turned out to be the most delightful hosts.  Those who had arrived earlier in the day did some exploring and then in the evening we all gathered at the main house where a delicious meal of chicken casserole, vegetable tart and rice followed by plum panecotta ,chocolate pudding and cream was provided by Jan at a very nominal cost.   Not even this team of hikers could devour the full spread placed before them.   After lots of chatter and merriment we all headed off to our individual accommodation where everything from linen, crockery, cutlery and cooking facilities together with unlimited hot water and electricity was available.   As we walked the sound of the wind rustling the trees was very prominent and this did not bode well for the next day. During the night the wind escalated and brought the rain.   We woke to heavy mist but, after some debate, decided we would keep to plan and venture out to MacKenzies cave with Russell in the lead.  The mist and rain showers persisted throughout the day and whilst we were not able to take in the scenery we were still able to enjoy the last of the spring flowers and the variety of grasses not to mention the awesome rock formations.   After walking for more than 3 hours, crossing several streams and climbing some 600 meters it was unanimously agreed that we would forsake having lunch at the cave and head back to base.   Two hours later, after hot showers and donning clean, dry clothes we were again welcomed to the house where hot, homemade soup and tea and coffee was waiting.  The group then assembled various salads,   Rose and Christie plied their skills and produced the most enormous and colourful fruit salad and the fun began.  The thought of braving the elements again was not negotiable and if you have never heard of braaing meat on the hearth - well we did!   Again a good evening was had by all.

As nature would have it Sunday was delightful and Jan offered to take us on a short walk to view some bushman paintings.   En route we had a beautiful view of the mountains that had eluded us the day before.

The weekend over we all headed back home with more happy memories.

Thanks to Mary and Mark for coordinating and to the whole group for making it happen.

 

BRIAN’S  USHAKA STADIUM  HIKE - 2010.05.22                                           Roseanne Dix

17 hikers - 13kms

 

On a beautifully balmy Durban morning, we met Brian at Ushaka for our walk to the Stadium returning along the beach.   Interestingly our meeting coincided with a Toddlers Walk which was well supported by every tiny tot in Durban, so it was quite a feat to manouvre our group through the wobbly crocodile of enthusiastic small  people!

 

We took a leisurely walk along the promenade where huge construction vehicles and busy workers beavered away to complete this enormous project in nineteen days.

 

The Stadium is certainly an impressive venue - and we felt “Proudly South African” as we walked around the extensive manicured lawns.. 

 

The 'SKY WALK' was heavily booked so only a few of us could climb the numerous steps , so (with a certain amount of relief) the rest of us took the 'SKY CAR' which offered the exciting feeling of racing over the edge of  a waterfall and hurtling off into space.   The view from the top is breathtaking even though the day was too hazy to see into the far distance.

 

Later the "SKY WALKERS" joined us, brandishing their Certificates confirming that they had 'Conquered the Sky Walk', and we all celebrated a lovely experience by sitting on the warm steps in the sun enjoying huge ice creams - like a happy bunch of typical tourists.

 

What a wonderful fun day providing us with an easy 13km walk and ending with refreshing dips into a crystal clear ocean.

Durbs is “Definitely OK”!   Thank you Brian.