Swiman Hut, Southern Drakensberg
Report by Hettie Randall
Keith and Margaret Ashton, Johan and Christa Van Dyk, Hettie Randall
What a week of walking!! How many times does a man walk down… we found crystal pools all along the rivers, Bushman paintings still awesomely detailed, found another hidden cave ?!?, surrounded by snow clad mountains and the bluest of blue skies showcasing the magnificence of the Berg – Rhino Peak standing proudly prominent at the entrance to the Mashai valley with The Monk superimposed in the foreground, resembling another castle albeit slightly more modest compared with its neighbour on the other end, the mighty Garden Castle.
We were met on our first day by a party of 9 of 11 hikers who were walking to Swiman from Winterhoek, having been on the conventional route of the Giants Cup Trail. Unfortunately, 2 of their group had taken a bad fall and had to be motored out from Winterhoek. This had called an end to their trip, so they were going home and not spending the night at Swiman and walking out at Bushmans Nek as planned. Another reminder of how vulnerable we are at the mercy of nature in the mountains. One of these hikers certainly looked the nomadic type with a shawl and no shoes!! (see photo below) Very polite and friendly chap who was so delighted that he had met us that he has given his word that he will soon join us at Midlands! Should be a treat!
Otherwise, we had the Hut to ourselves. Absolute luxury!! Hot water and lights, an indoor fireplace and an outdoor braai area with lots of wood supplied – no charge! Luckily I was supported by very competent and experienced campers, I also got lots of boiled water for my coffee mug and a gas stove to warm up my meals – seriously – this is the life!!
My team took so many pictures that I would never be able to put into words so I leave it to them to tell the whole story.
Thank you to Keith for a very informative hike as always, to Margaret for making sure no lambs were lost, to Van for his sheer competence at everything and Christa for such wonderful company as we filled the gap in the middle!!
