Roman Baths, Kamberg, 4 September
ROMAN BATHS, Hike Leader and Author Dusty Shaw
A stunning day presented itself for this wonderful outing on a well known hike to Roman baths. The group was made up of thirteen hikers who were all keen to get going before the forecasted heat of the day set in. (Pic 1)
Once all registration etc were completed we all got back into our vehicle and moved down to the old hatchery, parked the vehicles, shouldered our gear and finally we were on our way (Pic 2). Looking back Gladstone showed us a perfect side view of his nose, a former prime minster from the UK (Pic 3)
Continuing along the jeep track we noticed a lot of Eland droppings but unfortunately none were seen on this outing but we were watched closely by the circling Cape vultures in the distance. Game Pass Shelter an iconic overhang with magnificent bushman paintings dwarfed us as we discussed that we need to add it to the list of to doo’s in the future. (Pic 4)
Goldilocks and the three dwarves was the next feature to show itself (pic 5) with its three buttresses varying in size and Goldilocks being the point of the mountain.
On the opposite side of the valley stood Thwalitshe (Pic 6) which means carrying a stone in Zulu. We continued passed the old remains of a farm house where once upon a time was a toilet which was the only remaining standing portion but this was now also rubble.
Our first river crossing was done with no mishaps near where it joins the Mooi River (pic 7) no one volunteered to fall in as I was on point to catch the shot. Watch out for the wobbly rock
Our line of hikers stretched out (Pic 8) as we made our way up to the pool (Pic 9) where we had lunch & some had a quick swim in the crystal clear water of Roman baths (Pic 10)
About an hour later we packed up and started our way back, Dave suggested that we should try following an old path through the grassland above the pools back to the jeep track. Luckily the grass was burnt and one could vaguely see the old path back. As the day had warmed up quite a bit, we stopped regularly for a break and catch our breath until we finally managed to get to the shade of the massive Oak tree near the old farm house. (Pic 11) We discovered behind the Oak tree lighting damage that had deeply scarred the stem of the tree and still managed to survive, (Pic 12)
After a quick rest and refreshing drink of water we pushed on to the final 1.5 km back to our vehicles that were waiting for us in the sun.
In summary it was another fantastic day in the Drakensburg spent with likeminded people sharing ideas and knowledge with one another.
I leave you with this final quote
“To trace the history of a river or a raindrop is also to trace the history of the soul, the history of the mind descending and arising in the body. In both, we constantly seek and stumble upon divinity, which like feeding the lake, and the spring becoming a waterfall, feeds, spills, falls, and feeds itself all over again.” – Gretel Ehrlich
Additional photos courtesy Dave Sclanders
