Yesterday, Flip and I set out to trek the 12 km Krokodilberg route, which forms part of the Hennopsrivier Hiking Trail. I read about this lovely route on a blog last week and just had to take on the challenge. Although, I will admit that we were both a bit ambitious and while we aimed to complete the 12 kilometres, we only made it to 4 km.
I blame the heat - it was near 38 degrees, even though we set out quite early in the morning. But the 5-hour hike was cut short by midday, when we both sat under a tree - me panting, dehydrated and nauseous. Now, I was fully prepared for dehydration, I had two big bottles of water at hand and some snacks, but no matter how many gulps I took, I just couldn't take one step in the right direction. Luckily the trail is prepared for wussies like me and we only needed to trek about 1.5 km back to the nearest escape route.
As a matter of precaution, I would suggest you either hike the trail in winter, or start hiking at 7 am sharp in summer, so that you are out of there before the beating sun comes down. Also, I think it would be wise not to hike during a heatwave. As my mom put it yesterday, the whole family was hanging on chairs like 'vrot velle' as it was simply too hot to move.
A highlight of the trip was that there is no cellphone signal out there in the hills and we just had a chance to catch up and talk about life and everything in between. A low point was when I walked into a thorn bush and got 'stabbed' in four different spots on my arm and one spot on my chest. This morning I actually realised that I had a thorn in my chest when I saw an angry red spot. One spot on my arm is now bruised blue and has lost feeling. I might die.
Luckily this piece of spectacular nature also comes with a river, so for the really courageous ones there is always a bit of cooling down - however, the current is quite strong, so I would not recommend jumping in, unless you can swim the Midmar.
For the more timid ones, like myself, there is a picnic area with a lush swimming pool. Listen, I jumped in clothes and all - with the exception of my shoes and socks - because I couldn't bear the heat anymore. Next to me, a dainty girl in an even daintier bikini was attempting to slowly climb into the pool and complained about how cold the water was. I just sighed with relief.
The hiking trail, which is about 40 min from Johannesburg on the R511, cost R60 per person. It also had a few stops of interest, like a hanging bridge, Pruimpie se Gat and a few spectacular look-out points. Make sure not to miss the cable car over the river!
If you still feel up to it, you can visit Hartbeespoortdam, which is about 30 km away {I think} and make a day trip out of it.
Me? I took a nap.
For more information on the hiking trail, visit www.hennops.co.za/otherattractions/hikingtrail.aspx
