The second part of the Otter trail experience...

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We eventually stopped for breakfast as the sun started to rise after which we had a long section of rock-hopping ahead of us. It was along this section where we had our first and only accident. Morag, trained as a nurse and best qualified to handle such a situation, was unfortunate to slip on the rocks, injuring her face and arm. Being a trooper, she directed the first-aiders how to apply the bandages to the cuts on her face, watching their movements in a mirror! For the rest of the day the guys shared carrying her pack and she finished the trail without too much complaint. We only discovered how hardcore a chick she really is on returning to Cape Town: she had actually broken her elbow in two places!! Respect...!

The Bloukrans crossing turned out to be ok for us. Most of it could be walked across with the waters below knee level on a sand bank. However this suddenly dropped off and one had to swim a short section while dealing with waves, a backpack in a (hopefully) 100% waterproof bag at the end of a rope and very, very cold water. Thanks goes to those who brought their hip flasks out on the other side!

The rest of the day was relaxed and we could walk at a leisurely pace. We stopped off on a beach for a lunch break, where I dozed off in the sun for a good half hour - bliss!



Luckily the weather was warm enough that evening so that we could all sit together at the braai area and cook dinner together, being the last night. Stories were already being shared about experiences on the trail. I think the most common theme through it all was mud: there had been mud everywhere, every day to various degrees. Sometimes unavoidable, and many times one slipped where you thought it was safe. A couple of shoes were nearly lost in it, but it provided a fair deal of laughter.



Another comment that was passed often was the state of the trail. On days 3 and 4 we had passed workers in the process of fixing the paths, carrying logs down to replace steps and filling holes with fresh earth. It's a bit weird when there is no one around, yet you can see (and smell) that you are stepping on untouched soil. The people were extremely polite, obviously having had been told to make way for the hikers, some took it to the extent that they nearly ran away into the forest to leave us walk in peace. I just wanted to thank them for making our trip such a pleasure!



Day five came with a touch of sadness, yet joy at a lighter pack (almost all excess food had been consumed the night before). At a short 7km, we relaxed, taking it all in and enjoying every last moment. Most of the trail followed the tops of the cliffs with dramatic 100m drops, waterfalls, crashing waves below, fynbos and a warm, friendly sun. Such a beautiful day! Eventually one gets to a point where you look down into Nature's Valley. We stopped here for a bit to relax, and then made our way down to the beach for a refreshing swim. The sea water being warmer than the rivers, it was a most welcome change! With a combination of the sun, invigorating swim, knowledge of the end of a wonderful experience, and thought of a cold beer nearby, we took off again with a feeling of joy and lightheartedness that was palpable.



A trek down the beach led us to the cold beers, some cheesy garlic bread and fantastic greasy hamburgers. The whole week's worth of detox going down the drain... A taxi ride back to Storm's River took us to a warm shower and cellphones, slowly edging back into civilisation again.



Many thanks to Nick Lain for organising the entire expedition. He was the reason we all went skydiving last year, so I wonder what adventure he'll co-erce us into doing next year...

And hats off to SanParks for maintaining such a wonderful trail. If you ever get the chance to do it, cancel your plans and say yes!

And to the other 11 Trotters, thanks for being such a great group and sharing a magic time together!

Inky