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Foothold (3 Aug 2008)

chain ladder01.jpg, 130755 bytesA quick note to thank Tanya for organising this hike which had its high notes and its low notes....literally and figuratively. We all met very punctually and after the usual hanging around doing not a lot, we finally set off, and as pre-warned, started a fairly immediate upgrade with not too much of meeting at crossroads and pointing in different directions, as is our wont, and eventually got to the chain ladder gully where we heaved ourselved up over boulders by knotted ropes to reach the chain ladder which is spectacular.....74 vertical steps up a very narrow gorge, much enjoyed by all. (That is a very long sentence!)

Once on top, and once the views had been duly admired, the hike became somewhat of a non-event - a long flat bundu bash over endless polletjies of grass. We eventually abandoned the idea of the rock pools as being too far for the lack of interesting features en route and digressed to a small stream where lunch was consumed and then the long plod back where the event was once more enlivened by the descent by same chain ladder. The walk back to the base seemed endless (to me, anyway) and I literally hobbled in like a granny. In retrospect I realised that I hadn't drunk nearly enough water on the hike. A lesson.

Anyway, it was a lovely outing, and we already look forward to the next one...also this month - an All Stars first - two hikes in one month!!!

Thanks again Tania, and also to Allen, always at the ready to rescue damsels in distress!!

the rest.jpg, 123408 bytes We look forward to more happy days in the not too dim and distant future.

Jenny
over the top.jpg, 54139 bytes Now, what was this all about? Foothold? Some years ago the Johannesburg Hiking Club bought this small piece of farm on the south side of the Magaliesberg. Owning this property gave them access to the top of the mountain, and this is what it was all about, a foothold on the mountain. It is situated towards Rustenburg, Bergheim is on the north side of the mountain.

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