Frosty Peaks Day 5 hike
Day 5 – 4 March Glen Lyon Cave to Balloch Cave. 17 kms
Rain, rain, rain! It rained hard all night. Peering out of the cave in the morning, we saw only mist and drizzle. Sylvia provided room service with bringing us tea. Margret was awake most of the night but survived with a midnight snack and a nip of brandy! Stalwart Kim was there providing breakfast for us. All of us, in as much rain gear as possible, set off down the mountain on the muddy track. Tramp, tramp, tramp, along the farm roads with rivers of water in the ditches and rivers running down our backs.
We met up at the Wartrail Sports Club in the shelter at the tennis courts. Warm tea and eats from our own backpacks sustained us for the next part of the wet journey. Christa and Ali did a rain dance in a big puddle to lift their spirits! Margie Frost came in her vehicle to offer lifts. The wet ones climbed aboard, others persevered
The road took a turn after the sports club and we were now walking into the rain… not pleasant and the road was muddier. Kim came past and rescued two of us, grateful for the lift. Some hardy soldiers marched on to Balloch Cave. Kate, Ali, Sylvia, Carol, Anna and Rhona completed the trail and arrived drowned rats. Carolee and Astrid had set up our tent, a cosy sight. It was Anna, the Camino Queen’s last night of camping and she was grateful for that! Hot showers and hot drinks revived us and the rain abated. Yay! Well done to the intrepid hikers who did the full 77 kms of the F.P’s trail.
We were entertained by the Frost family to a super braai that evening as the sun set on Balloch Cave. Margie’s husband tended the braai – great slabs of fillet steak which we enjoyed with mushroom sauce, salad and a chocolate pudding to give us a sweet departure. Kim and Pete’s 2 cute little children played around the camp, the next generation of this charming farming Frost family.
Frosty Peaks Hiking Trail was an amazing experience. We experienced a warm camaraderie as a group and friendships were forged. By torchlight after the braai, I gave an appreciation of each hiker in our group and presented a small cheese biscuit “medal” to each. I also thanked Kim and Margie for their cheerful guiding and sharing their lives with us and sent good wishes to Bella and thanks for her delicious cuisine. For me, it wasn’t just the superb scenery but the people who made it such a successful hike.