27. Xhora Mouth to The Haven Hotel (Bashee River)

14 November 2023

followed by dogs - through rivers -

into distant memories

“I spent a few moments there, feeling a lump in my throat.”

MAP

A childhood photo with Alfred

Sunrise across Xhora river towards Bulungula

Step counter for the hike

A childhood photo with Alfred

1/28

IMAGES

27. Xhora Mouth to The Haven Hotel (Bashee River)

14 November 2023

the day the dogs didn't turn back - and neither did i

[Xhora Mouth heading south toward PE]

This hike was originally planned for tomorrow, 15 November, to celebrate three special memories on my birthday. However, today marks 25 years since I first met Cathy in Harrismith, and we spent our first night together in the same room. The following day, we had drven in two cars to the Sentinel car park. I climbed the chain ladders to view the "birth" of the Tugela River and to look down at the Tendele Camp far below. I have mind that longs to find the source. My family had stayed there before, and we had done the Tendele hike together and these were an archive of good memories for me. Cathy stayed in the car park, reading her book, and waited for my return before we drove back to Harrismith for a quick Spur lunch. Around 14:00, Cathy left for Johannesburg, and I headed for Durban. It was then that the news broke about a hurricane that had struck Harrismith, causing severe damage. An angel had watched over us, as we had missed the storm completely.

On that day in 1998, I also dedicated my hike up the mountain to Pieter-Ben du Toit, the son of my work colleague, oom Piet. Pieter-Ben was a second-year medical student at Stellenbosch, and he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his lower leg. He was in the hospital that day, unsure whether his leg would be amputated below the knee. I had brought him a pair of "Jesus" socks, specially ordered from Radio Pulpit, just before I left for the hike. Fortunately, Pieter-Ben's leg was saved, but his entire calf muscle had to be removed. I later wrote a poem for his father, titled Voetspore, after a run in Westville. The poem reflected my thoughts during that run about the potential of a person’s footsteps from birth to old age—where do they go, and what do the footprints reflect back to us?

But back to the now, I packed some sausage and a toasted sandwich from yesterday's braai and said goodbye to Cathy just after sunrise. The two dogs followed me to the campsite where my dad and I had stayed in 1972, in a tent. I spent a few moments there, feeling a lump in my throat, before continuing on. I wasn’t sure what the day would bring, so I told Cathy that I would only walk to the first river crossing and back. We were both concerned about my back recovery after the failed operation on 22 August (three months earlier), my heart condition, swollen feet, and stiff legs from yesterday’s hike to Bulungula. The plan was for me to return to Cathy by noon and then drive the 40 km to The Haven Hotel, where I had already booked two nights. I intended to walk from The Haven Hotel to whatever point I reached today, and at least Cathy would be in a safe hotel environment while I hiked.

At 06:10, I took my first photo of the beach and soft sand, with both dogs still following me. About 2 km into the walk, I spotted a blue-painted rock. It seemed out of place in this unspoiled environment, so I stopped to take a photo. I didn’t realize that the rock was actually a painting of the view over the sea with clouds in the sky. It wasn’t until later, at home, when I enlarged the photo, that I saw the artist’s magical work. I wonder what else I look at thinking I have seen it - only to later realise that I had seen only my own limited perceptions of that thing. More open beaches followed, and since it was low tide, walking on the hard sand just above the water line was easy.

I reached the Nkanya River mouth and crossed it easily in ankle-deep water. This was one of the unknown rivers that could have been a problem, but it turned out fine, so I just continued walking. The weather was cool and overcast, and the dogs ran ahead, stopping occasionally to wait for me, keeping me company the whole way. I had had the most interesting companions on this evolving walk - most notably, myself. At 07:25, I reached my first real challenge: a dead-end cliff. While it seemed possible to get around the lower ledge, the rocks were far too slippery and uneven to risk that. I decided to turn back and instead climbed a steep, bushy area to walk around the deep gully towards the next beach. About 30 minutes later, I was on top of the gorge and took a video to send to Cathy, letting her know I was still safe. The dogs appeared in the video as well, and I grew concerned, as I thought they would have turned back by now to return home to their pups.

I followed a cattle trail that led to a gap in the trees, and soon I was back on the beach. The walk was easier than anticipated, and my feet and legs felt good. I passed the rusted skeleton of an old fishing trawler that had stranded on the beach and continued toward the planned turnaround point at the next river. The Ntlonyane River was my biggest challenge in planning this hike. GPS maps indicated an open mouth with a steep rocky bank directly on the beach. I had walked almost nonstop and was on schedule, so I decided to take a break and refuel. I gave most of the meat to the dogs but ate the two boiled eggs I had prepared the night before. I also took a photo of my rucksack, where you can see the river mouth just ahead, with some cottages in the background. Those cottages are located at Breezy Point.

I resumed walking and was surprised to find the river only waist-deep. After negotiating some slippery green rocks on the water’s edge, I crossed easily. The poor dogs were running up and down before the "mommy" dog, still carrying milk, jumped in and swam after me. The other dog followed, and I became really concerned—these dogs wouldn’t be able to get back once the tide turned. I had planned to get there at low tide, but there was no turning back once I crossed the river. Soon, I crossed another river at waist-deep water and climbed a short grassy slope, following the path towards Breezy Point cottages. Both dogs swam through again.

Reaching Breezy Point just after 09:15 meant that I was still fresh enough to walk the remaining 7 km to The Haven Hotel. I had successfully navigated the challenges of sea tides and unknown rivers in this remote stretch of coastline, and I didn’t have to walk again the next day. There were two cottages occupied at Breezy Point, and some local builders were fixing a roof. I asked them if they had any water for the dogs, and they directed me to a locked tap. When I told them I didn’t know what to do about the dogs, they just smiled and said, "Don’t worry, it’s not your problem." They fully believed the dogs would follow someone else back home later. However, the foreman stepped forward and explained that I was about to enter a restricted nature reserve called Dwesa. He warned that if park rangers saw the dogs, they would shoot them. I spent about 10 minutes there, hoping the dogs would stay behind because there were people and buildings nearby. As soon as I started walking, the dogs followed again. Within 45 minutes, I crossed the last small river and entered the reserve. I tried “not to worry” about the dogs being shot.

On top of a hill, two wardens were waiting for me in their nature reserve 4x4. They did indeed ask about the dogs, and I explained that I didn’t know what to do. They noticed that one of the dogs was still nursing and told me to report to the hotel, where someone would take care of the dogs. I hadn’t even seen the puppies at Xhora Mouth, and I didn’t know the dogs’ owners. The only water I had was in the "bladder" of my rucksack, from which I drank via a suction tube.

It was getting hot, and I followed the two-wheel car track for the next 3 km to the lighthouse, and then to the hotel entrance, arriving around 11:00. I met the hotel owners and explained that I needed a lift back to Xhora to fetch Cathy and our car before I could check in. They arranged for the lighthouse caretaker to take me in his vehicle for R800, which included the dogs. However, I had to wait until 13:00 when his lunch hour began. During those two hours, I walked around and sat by the swimming pool. The hotel seemed rundown, and we were the only guests booked for the weekend. A cow even walked up the stairs and started drinking from the pool. That’s when I decided it wasn’t worth paying R1,450 per person for such poor surroundings (we had a similar experience earlier in June 2023 at Mazeppa Bay Hotel, which has since closed).

The caretaker, Michael, finally arrived, and after another hour on an extremely bad road, the dogs and I reached Xhora Mouth. I quickly told Cathy about the poor hotel and the road conditions, and we decided to drive to East London and stay in a proper hotel. I phoned The Haven Hotel to cancel our booking, explaining that it wasn’t worth the cost, effort, or risk of driving that bad road again. They fully understood, and at 15:00, we left The House on the Hill at Xhora Mouth, with the dogs running alongside our car for at least a kilometer. I had to speed up until they could no longer keep up. We never gave the dogs names, but like most souls that have walked alongside - they are remembered.

Final Note:

This stretch of coastline must be hiked at low tide. The walk was completed during the spring low tide, as seen in many of the photos showing wet sand.