Every day I heard these words spoken from Psalm 18v36 which held me steady and sure-footed

“I will broaden the step under your foot”

Hiking the Otter Trail has been on my bucket list forever. We were not disappointed.

Day 1 started in pouring rain, as we weathered the end of a really big storm.  My friend Christa’s whisper through blue lips “I didn’t expect to fear for my life” summed up our first day. The stormy seas crashed angrily on sharp rocks, foam blowing into every eddy and crevice, making our steps treacherously slippery and slow going. With blasts of rain into our eyes, we stopped to adjust our backpacks to assure a more sure-footed step as we bear into the howling wind and rain.

We were blessed to have joined a group with wonderful adventurous spirits-We needed that. Soon we settled into a rhythm arriving late afternoon, hungry and grateful at the dry, welcoming overnight hut. The rain stopped and all was quiet except for the crashing waves. Next to the fire everyone was lost in thought as we planned our departure for the next day. Crossing the many rivers within an hour of low tide became the pace setter every day.

The weather turned to our favor with the remaining days warming up beautifully although the nights were really cold. Sadly the rough seas gave us no opportunity to linger longer in the many rockpools along the way. Looking at these photos, I am flooded with vivid memories of our group clambering up along rock ledges, through forest paths, over the many river crossings. Every blade of grass, every king protea and falcon drifting by on the breeze, etched in fond memories.

Although the distances are relatively short to the overnight huts, the terrain is hard going , climbing down to the beach, to go back up the rocky paths, then back down, then up with the weight of your backpacks. We were thrilled to spot a Cape otter, curiously watching us.

As we cautiously made our way down the broken steps of the last descend, I was overwhelmed by so many emotions of deep satisfaction and a grateful heart. Slowly walking the last stretch of beach to the last checkpoint in Wilderness was priceless time to just absorb every step taken in a wild and wonderful area preserved for our enjoyment by SanParks

Dropping out of sight for those 5 days, into the wilderness.

It was an unforgettable experience.