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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Little Hikers

Above is Brandwag (Sentinel) a huge mountain which stands guard over the park. The children climbed this mountain from the other side (see post below)



Our young grandchildren on the first half of the hike up to the Brandwag


Last weekend John and Debbie took the family to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. You can read here about one of the many trips my husband and I have done into this park.

A short but steep hike in the park, is from the campsite to the top of Brandwag, (Sentinel) a huge monolith of a rock which stands senitinel over the park.

Above the young intrepid hikers, haul themselves the last steep 20 metres up to the summit



This hike is reasonable easy although the last twenty metres to the top is a steep gradient which many people need to use the wire to pull themselves up.


Made it! The children on the top of Brandwag


No problem to John: he took our two grandchildren (6 1/2 and 3 years) on this hike on Saturday. Above, the two intrepid little hikers, scale the top of the Brandwag.


The night we brought them home to the children, our grandson slept with his hiking boots on!


Seeing these photos on the laptop a few days later, my husband decided to bless both children with hiking boots. We set off for the city last week to shop for them. This is easier said than done. There aren't actually hiking boots available in children sizes. While browsing in Woolworths, we came across the next best thing: sturdy trainers. And viola! There was one pair in grandson's size and one in granddaughter's size. On the way home my husband said that he knows that our grandson would be so thrilled with his new footwear, that he'd wear them to bed. I chuckled, thinking this unlikely.

Imagine my surprise, and my husband's "I-told-you-so" expression the next morning when our granddaughter came into the kitchen where we were enjoying a morning cuppa, and said: "Gran, Boetie (Afrikaans/colloquial for "little brother") slept in his hiking boots last night"!

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4 comments:

  1. Looks like a sandstone bluff, gorgeous. And the grandkids did good. I'm not surprised that the boots were slept in. They'll be ready for the next hike.

    Still no visa?

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  2. Ooh - so sweet!!!!! Julle is 'n wonderlike Ouma en Oupa vir jul kleinkinders!! Leer so baie by jou - hoop ek en Henk gaan ook eendag die voorreg hê om sulke spesiale dinge vir hulle (die kleinkinders van eendag!) en saam met hulle te kan doen.

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  3. Wow, you have some strong, athletic grandchildren! I love that your granddaughter is hiking up the mountain wearing a dress.

    It's so cute that your grandson wore his new hiking shoes to bed! He was probably climbing mountains in his dreams.

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  4. What a neat hike, I sure your grandchildren are very adventurous too. Great photos.

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