| DATE: | 17 – 19 OCTOBER 2008 |
| TYPE: | BASE CAMP |
| AREA: | MACHADODORP / BADPLAAS Half way between Carolina and Barberton |
| Distance walked: | Day one 12 KM and Day two 7 Km |
This hike was booked in place of Idwala. We shared the camp with 6 hikers from IBM hiking club and were glad to welcome Aileen with some of her family. There were 16 of us in total. The weather closed in on the Friday evening and the last few hikers arrived in the rain. The camp had not been “waterproofed” as water came in everywhere. Unfortunately some of our bedding got soaked. The water also poured into the kitchen/dinning area, and upon opening the one door the water gushed in like a raging river. Once again I have to take my hat off to the Florida hikers – they handled everything as if it were a daily occurrence. Florida hikers – you guys are once again STARS!!! Maybe it is the age thing!! The trail was well varied and as we had done a hike – Bermanzi in January – we knew that the area was lovely. This is a new trail and in places we were a bit concerned that erosion would most definitely be a problem in the not too distant future. We also felt that not all the bridges were necessary over the river. Maybe just a very well secured cable would have sufficed. We were very lucky that we had cloud cover for the entire Saturday, as some of our newies battled a bit. Thankfully Aileen played the roll of sweeper. The 6 of us who hiked on the Sunday were not that lucky. The sun came out and we really felt the heat and humidity. The camp was laid out in amongst the rocks. The huts were double storey with access to the top storey via ramps and scrambles up rocks. There was lots of creosote on the mattresses as well as the floors. Some of us were unlucky enough to get this on our kit bags and sleeping bags. The Florida hikers did not let anything stand in their way of having a good time.
In Summary
A very beautiful hike with lovely views. A nice, varied hike.
Flo Smith