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Groeneweide (Red Route) + Silver River

 
Created: 2020jul16thu


Updated: 2024feb15thu

 
Circular

​Google Map

Maximum Altitude: 319m

Total Distance: 17.629km

Total Elevation-Gain: 489m

Specific Gradient: -44.1deg

Slope Length: 18m

Qualitative Danger: 1.5/5

The route has been changed. Certain sections are under rehabilitation, apparently.

It is not particularly technical, but it is one of the longer hikes; set the entire day aside for this adventure. At the Silver River, there are some optional opportunities to swim and do some more technical rock-scrambling above the waterfall, as indicated in the videos below. There are also optional opportunities to swim and kloof slightly farther along the trail, below the waterfall, the turn-off to which is shown in the videos below.

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Previous write-up, accompanying the first, 2019 video at the very bottom here below:

According to the best (questionable) info: ~13km / ~5h20min = ~2.4km/h (incl. ~40min picnic detour)

It's a nice day-hike. It's slightly longer than Tierkop. It has a fairly clearly-marked route, although some of the distance indicators are obviously incorrect. There's nothing greatly technical, except perhaps when crossing the river, and the bits where the route fizzles out in the underbrush. Just use your imagination, and go the way your nose points. ;)
 
Start earlier rather than later.
 
This has probably been the most educational hike I've done in a long time. Afterwards, I learned about old man's beard lichens (not moss!), and that spongy mushrooms seem to be more edible than groovy mushrooms. (I've also learned - just now! - how to spell "spongy" - not with an "e"). I've learned a little bit about the history of the Outeniqua/Tsitsikamma elephants, and how to distinguish cow split-hoof prints from horse V-prints. I've seen little passengers riding on the back of a millipede. I've learned about air roots...
 
However, best of all (for me, personally) is that I now think I've finally figured out a way to make sense of the distance markers along the route, by employing some Bush Maths. ;)
 
I also, now, have a better feel for the Groeneweide map. It's easy to get confused in the forest -- especially when some of the distance markers are incorrectly positioned.
 
I've also had a butterfly come sit on my hand! :D
 
So, it's been classes in Biology, Spelling, and field craft/tracking/animal communication - and Poetry - and distance/time/speed Physics/Maths problem solving, and Geography/orienteering - all in one go! ...and it's all so beautifully quiet... What a classroom! ...what a classroom... :D
 

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