When Life Gives You Thorns
go! - South Africa|December 2020/January 2021
Getting lost on a tough hike is sometimes the best way to find direction, writes Milton Schorr.
Milton Schorr
When Life Gives You Thorns

We had been fantasising about breakfast even before we started the walk. Now, halfway up Chapman’s Peak, the thought of the impending meal was running through both of us.

“It’s a full, full plate,” I said, gasping a little at the steep gradient. “There’s no chance you’ll be hungry after.”

“Speak for yourself,” grunted Daniel, my son, clambering up the side of a rock in front of me, his 16-year-old back like a man’s beneath his clinging T-shirt.

Beyond him lay the curve of Hout Bay, a bowl of wind-tossed blue where pleasure boats churned out to Seal Island and its barking seal pups.

“Did I tell you that I took a trip to De Rust in December?” I asked.

“Yes, you did.”

“I went for a walk there, just like this one…”

I’d gone to De Rust in the Little Karoo for a three-day break. I’d seen a trail mentioned online – one that weaves to the foot of some fabled red hills. When I’d arrived at an adjacent wine farm to collect a permit, the woman there had given me a sheepish smile.

“No one has been in there for years,” she said. “I don’t know what the trail looks like.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I replied.

She looked at me, then she shook her head. “Don’t worry about paying,” she said, sliding the permit and an old printed map over the counter. “I don’t know what I’m selling you!”

This story is from the December 2020/January 2021 edition of go! - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2020/January 2021 edition of go! - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM GO! - SOUTH AFRICAView All
The wilder shore
go! - South Africa

The wilder shore

The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
A river runs through it
go! - South Africa

A river runs through it

Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.

time-read
10 mins  |
February/March 2024
TAKE A HIKE
go! - South Africa

TAKE A HIKE

Harkerville's mini Otter

time-read
5 mins  |
February/March 2024
Sweet & juicy!
go! - South Africa

Sweet & juicy!

This issue's recipes all include lush seasonal fruit like nectarines, plums and apricots. Enjoy!

time-read
6 mins  |
February/March 2024
Big mountain magic
go! - South Africa

Big mountain magic

On a clear day, as you approach the Cathedral Peak Hotel, it happens involuntarily: You start to grin. You'll be standing up there soon, gazing over this valley, and the scuttling of ground-level life will seem irrelevant. Join us on a five-day adventure into the heart of the high Drakensberg

time-read
9 mins  |
February/March 2024
Your next weekend away
go! - South Africa

Your next weekend away

A self-catering house in the Tankwa, a campsite next to the Orange River, a guest farm near the Drakensberg... Toast Coetzer travelled a lot last year: Here are six of his favourite places to stay if you're planning a road trip or weekend escape.

time-read
6 mins  |
February/March 2024
A life through binoculars
go! - South Africa

A life through binoculars

If the name Hugh Chittenden sounds familiar, it's probably because you see it every time you use your Roberts Bird Guide he's one of the co-authors. He lives in Mtunzini on the KZN coast and birding is as much part of his day as a cup of coffee.

time-read
7 mins  |
February/March 2024
Wanderlust in the park
go! - South Africa

Wanderlust in the park

All great cities have great parks, writes Dara Kell: spaces where you can exhale and slough off the stress and grime of urban life.

time-read
5 mins  |
February/March 2024
The Kalahari remembers
go! - South Africa

The Kalahari remembers

The Kalahari is a place of magic and heartache, where drought is an ever-present threat. Drive a loop from Upington to the Kuruman River and discover soulful landscapes, brilliant skies and resilient people who never give up.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/March 2024
Take a Hike
go! - South Africa

Take a Hike

Hug a baobab in the Bushveld

time-read
3 mins  |
October/November 2023