Think outside, no box required
A local hiking club has encouraged Highway residents to step outside and enjoy the beauty that our local area has to offer.
WITH the ease of restrictions under lockdown level 1, South Africans can, once again, or, if they’re new to the hobby, don their hiking gear and hit the numerous trails dotted across the country.
The Highway Mail met up with the founder of the Amblers Hiking Club, David Hancocks, to find out more about the hobby and the sudden influx of interest in hiking during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The club, which he founded in 2003, was first introduced to the public via a newspaper article. His brainchild was so popular among Durbanites that his phone rang off the hook for days on end.
“I just wanted to put a slightly different spin on hiking, a way to help get people started by doing my research and sharing both the history and the geography of venues,” said Hancocks.
From city tours to local hikes and weekends away, the club, which sits at 300 members strong, shows no signs of slowing down.
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With so much local beauty, it is understandable there are several spots in the Highway area that he thoroughly enjoys visiting, from the Giba Gorge Mountain Bike Park and the longer hikes at the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve to a natural space just on his doorstep in Westville, the Palmiet Nature Reserve.
The 65-year-old first believes the hiking bug bit him when he first climbed the chain ladders in the Drakensberg more than five decades ago.
“I have always been an outdoors person,” he said. “It’s the intense beauty. From trees, shrubs and plants to the meadows, rivers and mountains. In KwaZulu-Natal we are particularly blessed as going outdoors here is just so stunning!”
For those who are just beginning, he advised they first start by walking a few blocks around their neighbourhood, then branch out to the beachfront and then sign up for a hike.
“Some of our hikers are athletes and are superbly fit, so I do recommend that people wanting to join us have some level of fitness,” said Hancocks.
All of the local hikes he organises are 7km and, when they do have the opportunity to travel up to the Berg, the trails range from 16km, upwards.
His two most memorable experiences that involve hiking include Mount Kilimanjaro and a 12-day trek to the Mount Everest Base Camp.
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“We did it in mid-winter. I wasn’t nervous, it was a hiker’s paradise! Such a fabulous high-altitude experience,” he smiled, recalling his time on the frigid mountain.
The Amblers Hiking Club has now hiked along the entirety of the Transkei coastline, some of the sections a few times, and have explored many of the peaks in both the Midlands and the Drakensberg.
“We want to encourage people who live in Africa to get outdoors and see the incredible beauty and offer them the chance to just get away from the stresses of home and work life,” he said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
