Hoare Hut Hike

Welcome back everyone, I've been pretty busy lately (and hence quiet here) but I have a whole bunch of new posts that will be getting published over the course of these next few weeks.

We've been doing quite a lot of walks and hikes recently, which is lucky, since rain has now settled in Cape Town and looks like it will be here comfortably, until next summer.

One of the hikes I did was to the UCT Hoare Hut (I've been trying to find out the relevance of the name, but haven't won yet). This was my first overnight hike ever, and I really enjoyed it!

Some of the members of our party bravely set off on Friday afternoon, carrying an incredibly large water tank strapped to their backs, arriving at the hut late Friday evening. When you see the size of this water collecting tank, you'll understand why the hike took a bit longer than normal! The rest of us decided to rather leave early on Saturday morning and hike up so that we arrived in time to help with the afternoon work.

Sunrise on the way to Waaihoek

The view from the bottom

Frosty and I

King Protea (South Africa's National flower)

Halfway Hut

There are a few parts of the hike that are very steep - but they're
definitely worth it!

There were 5 of us in total who hiked up together and it took us about 5 hours to reach the hut (if I remember correctly). When we arrived, we finished off the rest of our lunch and unpacked. We then got to work. Some of the guys focussed on getting a platform and drains up for the water tank, while the rest of us cleared the ground around the hut of grass and other things that could burn.

After a good afternoon of work, we took a walk for sundowners and were able to see the sun setting over the sea, even though we were a good hour or so inland! It was incredible!

The work team and Hoare Hut

Another hut on the top of the mountain, on the way to our sundowners spot

Romantic window shutters <3

Marc decided to stage a sneak attack...

Group photo - thanks Marc for organising and thanks everyone else
for a great weekend away!

The famous water tank!

After getting back from sundowners, we were treated to an awesome dinner (along with pudding) that was enough to ensure that all our tummies were full and happy (thanks to the cooks!). We were lucky that the river was flowing and were able to take refreshing baths in the river which was cold, but lovely!

The next day some of our party left early and the rest of us did a little bit of work at a hut that is a short walk from Hoare Hut (for the life of me, I can't remember the name!). 

All in all it was a great weekend away!

Some interesting info: 

• it took us just under 5 hours to get up 
• it took us about 3 hours to get down
• there should now be fresh water at the hut when you need it (yay!)
• there were 11 of us and we all fit into the hut comfortably, with room for even a few more!
• there are mattresses, a few blankets and even an old guitar at the hut
• it's quite a steep climb and not too many flat sections; if you haven't done this hike before, know your legs will be sore by the time you get home
• if there's enough snow, people often go skiing and stay at the hut overnight - I think you need sign up UCT Mountain and Ski Club (Frosty went last year and had a blast!)
• there are long drops with the most amazing views of the mountains