Hiking and exploring nature were the order of the day for Grade 000 pupils of Crawford Lonehill Pre-Primary School and their parents as they took on a trail adventure on 11 June at the Hennops Hiking Trail.
This was a social interaction planned by the pupils’ parents as the purpose of the hiking get-together was for the parents to meet other parents on a social level and also form a fun and enthusiastic hiking team.
The Hennops Hiking Trail consists of two trails starting from Hadeda Camp. At the beginning and end of both trails, the route meanders along the Hennops River before veering away into the surrounding mountains. Two unique features on the trail are the river crossing suspension bridge and a cable car. There are interesting historical sites along the trail, among others an old field hospital used in the Anglo Boer War, traces of old settlements, the old dolomite mines and the ovens in which the rocks were heated to melt and extract lime.
A total of 22 pupils and 24 parents took part in the hike.
“Most of the pupils attempted hiking for the first time and were between the ages of three to four years old with some siblings aged between one and 10 years old. We enjoyed our time hiking on the Hennops Hiking Trail as it offered a variety of routes ranging from 2.5km to 16km and the degree of difficulty ranged from easy to difficult,” one of the pupil’s parent, Terisa Hsu said.
The hiking group also attempted the 2.5km dassie route, which offered the parents the opportunity to introduce hiking to their children which they managed to complete within two-and-a-half hours.
“Overall with the joint efforts made by the pupils and their parents, the challenge was fun and exciting, even one of our pregnant mommies in her third trimester managed to complete the route,” Hsu concluded.
Details: www.hennopstrails.co.za
