Hikers brave the Ficksburg trails

The Jack and Jill Hiking club closed the 2018 hiking year off when they went to Ficksburg on the weekend of November 16 – 18.
The hikers departed from their various departure points on Friday and headed for Ficksburg.
They stayed at Mosamane Guest Farm (so named after the popular ground squirrels that frequent the area) 40km from Ficksburg and 8km from Rosendal.
Mosamane Guest Lodge is located on the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Eastern Free State. It is an eco-friendly, self-catering lodge, offering accommodation in various forms eg. backpackers or family rooms, each room has an en-suite bathroom and a communal living area.
On arrival, they were welcomed by Dirk and shown around the lodge.
After unpacking, some hikers travelled back to Ficksburg to attend the 50th Ficksburg’s Cherry Festival. The Cherry Festival is a widely known and talked about festival, and is one of the jewels in the Eastern Free State.
The hikers enjoyed a stroll around the Cherry Festival, seeing all that was on offer and they enjoyed the live music performances.
On returning to Mosamane Guest Lodge, the other hikers had collected the ordered supper from Rosendal and everyone settled down and enjoyed a lovely chicken dish and salad.
Saturday morning saw the hikers rising early to start the 9km hike, offered at Mosamane Guest Lodge. At the beginning of the hiking route, it forks and it was confusing to know which hiking trail to take. The owner was phoned and they were informed to keep right, a while later it was realised that they should actually have kept left as they seemed to be doing the trail in the opposite direction to the hiking trail indication boards. After a slight backtrack, they managed to find and remain on the hiking trail which took them up mountain slopes to the top of a mountain, where there are holes in the rocks, in wetter circumstances, these would have been splendid water holes.
The main feature of this trail is the geology through which it passes. Sandstone has created many interesting features, shapes and formations in outcrops, overhangs and dongas. The trail moves through these formations, up and down cliffs and through dongas. At the beginning of the hike, the hikers were shaded from the blistering sun but they were soon walking and looking for shady spots to just stop and catch their breath. The further they went, the hotter it got and the trail seems to get more difficult with climbing down ladders, holding onto chains fastened to the rocks to support one from slipping on some places, which made those that have a fear of heights wondering why they were hiking. Ladders allow you to climb into the popular caves known as Owls Eyes, where you are able to take some stunning photos and admire the amazing shapes carved into the rocks by the wind and rain over the years.
The last stage of the trail went through grassland and dongas. By the time the Poplar tree plantation was reached, which indicated the end of the hike, all hikers were relieved and some a lot more relieved than others. It was a difficult hike as there are quite a few steep uphills along narrow paths.
The hiking club held their AGM later that afternoon which was followed by everyone having a relaxing evening, some hikers choosing to travel to Rosendal to watch Amanda Strydom who was performing at the Rosendal Theatre.
Sunday morning saw the hikers up early again.
The fitter hikers eagerly departed on a quick hike to try and reach the Elephants Trunk. Thereafter everyone had a quick breakfast of leftovers from the weekend and started packing up to take on the long trip home.

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