Hiking Magoebaskloof (Dokolewa Waterfall route)

[@ervinslens]

Just wow, you had one great adventure.Some incredible views.

[@MarnoKirstein]

Thank you for sharing in the experience, @ervinslens. I’ve enjoyed looking through some of the beautiful footage on your channel, too!

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Nice hike Marno. Some beautiful views along the trail. You have a wonderful day.

[@MarnoKirstein]

Thank you for checking in, and to you too. Happy hiking!

[@dougf7097]

I enjoyed that poem. I have done that trail a few times and it is very apt. Who is the poet?

[@MarnoKirstein]

Hi @Doug F, thanks for watching the video. The poem is my own love letter to this place.

[@dougf7097]

@@MarnoKirstein Wow Marno - I really liked it. i have been scouring all the English poets I could find, and the web did not produce anything, which puzzled me. I have done most of the trail a few times with different groups of kids. I am setting up to do the last unexplored leg Seepsteen to Dokolewa n a few weeks. Please may I get a copy of the poem. I would love to use it (if you ok with that) with the kids I take. Perhaps even attach it to the video so it is undeniably yours? I once lived in an indigenous forest very much like Magoebaskloof for a few years, and it speaks to my fondest memories of my many wanderings in the forest.

[@MarnoKirstein]

@@dougf7097, I had to go digging (thought I'd deleted all the project assets already), but the poem follows. I'm not too fussy about attribution; I make these videos for posterity (as a hobby). If it can help kids fall in love with the outdoors, that would be very cool. Be blessed. Magoebaskloof Where old man’s beard and drippings sway And verdant’s veiled in shrouds of grey, Cicada sirens and silent swathes array. There, there my feet did stray. When wet descents through rusty clay Follows climbs to opal in heaven’s day, All while silks spread, snag and play. Even there, there my boots whiled hours away. Tributaries, meandering brown, part way Through carpets thick in pine trees’ hay; Beside, layered greens suffuse the lay. There, there my tramping mainstay. Waters chatter, thrushes natter, loeries bray, buzzards bleat, sunwaves beat, cuckoos pray. Calm mossy smells, bishops’ silver bells, cascading spray. Midst rugged towers and teeming flowers the soul’s cares fray. May I there lace up again, Shoulder my pack, lift my gaze, Endure the hours of trudging pain And then, once more, drink deep the haze.

[@dougf7097]

@@MarnoKirstein Love it!

[@maritzaahlers3753]

Hi there Marno, We will be taking the trail in October. Is it safe for 4 ladies to do it solo (with no guide) Did you have any concerns leaving your vehicle? I did see some baboons in your clips? Any other dangers we should look out for? Thank you for a great video!!! Very helpful!!

[@MarnoKirstein]

Hi @Maritza. The paths are very clearly marked and Safcol provide a map of the route when you make the booking. No guide needed. Make sure you keep the emergency contact details with you in case someone falls and needs to be evacuated (the trails are pretty remote, but all the huts can be accessed by road). There are sections of the trails that are very steep and slippery, so make sure you have grippy footwear and perhaps even a trekking pole. With the exception of the Waterfall hut (which seems to attract some local day visitors), I have not seen any other humans while on the trail both times I've done the hike. I've had no qualms about leaving my vehicle, but note that there are no car guards. Your car will be unattended. Don't leave any valuables lying out in the open on the car seat, for example. We did see the baboons briefly from a great distance, but they showed no interest in us. I have dealt with problem baboons on other hikes where people have clearly fed them, but the ones at Magoebaskloof stayed far away from us. Don't feed any of the wild animals and be wary of ticks (tick bite fever is no fun!). I hope you have a wonderful hike!