Imagine only finding out about our breathtaking hiking trails as you arrive in our magical village, while backpacking through our beautiful country. This was the fate of one pack-packing tourist, all the way from Canada!
Just wanting to experience the magic of these mountains, our boy Tom (can’t remember his name, so Tom it is today) made his way to our front desk and checked in for a memorable stay. And then it happened… a hiking group returning from their 6-day life-changing adventure arrived at the front desk for their keys, and I could see Tom’s eyes light up! “What is this life-changing journey they are all returning from?” and the obvious follow-up question “where do I sign up????” And the most dreaded question “when is the next group leaving???”
After Tom was accommodated, he signed up for the next group leaving and started checking his hiking pack list… he did not have any of the required gear! So the next day he set off on a taxi to see Alice in Dikeni regarding some hiking equipment. Now, as almost all locals in Hogsback know, Alice is not the biggest stockist of reliable hiking equipment, so Tom had to make do with what he had!
Food-wise, the booked group had prepped for months in advance for South Africa’s toughest hutted hike! Tom, on the other hand, realized that he would need food for the trail, and proceeded to head to our shopping centre in the village, which only consists of a Savemor shop. Knowing he needed protein and energy, Tom proceeded to stock up on eggs and dates for food… 30 eggs to be precise… he boiled all 30 in preparation, and soon enough Tom the Canadian set off with a well-prepared Afrikaans hiking group of friends from our northern parts of South Africa.
Very intrigued on having a foreigner along for the epic journey, the Hobbits set off on their adventure! Lots of rain and other tribulations presented themselves to the group, but they persevered all the way through to day 4! One of the members unfortunately needed to be evacuated, and I headed out to fetch that hiker. When arriving at the cabin, with weather slightly clearing up after 3 days of rain, I informed a delighted group that I could take some of their belongings back to home base with me – and that’s when Tom popped his head out… “really? You will do that??”
Tom came out with the pair of jeans he started the trail with, still soaking wet from day one’s rain!!! And he had been carrying them wet in his bag for 4 days, never giving any thought to drying them by the fire at night to ease the weight!! Loading all the wet and dirty belongings into the 4×4, Tom came to me and asked what wild herbs he could use, as he had a very constipated tummy and didn’t know why… he didn’t know why, he said… with a straight face, he said it! I showed him some wild herbs (FYI: bramble leaves steeped in hot water helps with mild digestive issues).
After finishing the hike, I had a chat with the group, and the eggs had turned blue on day 3 already, and everyone started sharing their meals with Tom, while sharing in his egg snacks along the trail, finishing the last eggs on top of Hog 1 mountain on day 6!!! Luckily no one fell ill, but it was a good lesson, hopefully!
Till next time,
Adi Forestbeing