GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — On Saturday, November 19, the intrepid hikers of the Klim & Klouter Hiking Club of Graaff-Reinet, set off on their Van der Waltshoek waterfall hike planned for that day.
The small party of six left the farmhouse at Van Der WaltsHoek in the upper Camdeboo, accompanied by farmer Herman van Vuuren’s fox terrier on point.
After traversing about two kilometres of open thornveld, they followed a 4X4 track which headed up a well-wooded valley drained by a tributary of the Moordenaars River.
Before long they stopped for a rest and a hearty self-catered breakfast, where they discovered that the fox terrier preferred lettuce to biltong and dwelt on a short devotion to remind them, that wherever they went, they were under His protection.
Before continuing, the party was enlarged by the arrival of the farmer’s two Maltese poodles who accompanied them as they proceeded further up the valley to the strident call of a Red-chested Cuckoo until they eventually came upon a delightful spot!
This small alluvial terrace adjacent to the river was home to a number enormous specimens of Camdeboo White Stinkwoods, Karee trees and by far the most spectacular wild Olives, which were no doubt already well grown when Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape. Some of these trees were over eight meters in height with a girth of up to 3.5 meters in circumference at chest height!
The hikers continued up the valley for some time before reaching the end of the 4X4 track where they met up with Van Vuuren, who guided them along a footpath to enter a sheer rock-faced gorge bordered by hundred meter high cliffs on both sides.
The going got rougher and thornier due to the density of the vegetation as they made their way towards the waterfall. At one point about seven hundred meters from their objective, they were forced by the terrain to take to the watercourse and negotiate a jumble of massive boulders for some distance up the stream.
Evidence of Cape Clawless otter in the discarded carapace and other parts of freshwater crabs was found on the rocks bordering the numerous pools along the way.
By this stage, the difficulty of passing was giving the Maltese poodles issues with keeping up (the Foxie long having given up!) and their yelps of frustration finally faded into the background. The hiking party noted with amazement the frequent signs of kudu in this apparently inaccessible habitat and their noticeable impact on the Grewia (Kruisbessie) shrubs which grew in abundance here and for which kudu have a serious dietary preference.
Their last obstacle in reaching their objective was a somewhat precarious traverse of rocky scree, where ‘hande-viervoet’ appeared to be the safest mode of progress.
The party was finally rewarded with a rest overlooking a tranquil but ice-cold pool (as one member discovered with a dip lasting about 4.5 seconds!) enclosed in an amphitheatre of rock reaching 104 meters in height to the top of the waterfall.
Even in these dry times, the extensive vleis on the neighbouring farm Houd Constant delivered a veil of water which ensured the continued growth of moss and other mesophytes on the rock walls. A note-worthy feature of the waterfall is the impressive overhang of calcrete built up over decades of evaporation. Just as the hikers were getting accustomed to these wonders they all exclaimed at the arrival of two very tired and dirty little Maltese companions, as evidence that size doesn’t always count!
The hikers were spellbound by the chanting of a juvenile black eagle which left the nest to show itself off between the ramparts of rock to finally land in a classic pose on an outcrop, where it was duly photographed by all who had the required equipment.
The trip back along the same route was dominated more by an interesting conversation about stuff no sooner said than forgotten, rather than on keen observation of their surroundings! After walking about 14 kilometres (according to wrist-worn Garmin technology) including a good bit of “klim en klouter”, the hunting lodge back at the farm house was an ideal spot to conclude the day’s activities with a braai and a cold drink.
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