Leopard Trail - 9th to 10th February 2008 'Twas the mornin' of the 9th of February in the year of our Lord 2008 when the intrepid adventurers gathered in the early morning gloom at the Engen 1stop with their trustworthy steeds all saddled up and ready to go on this voyage of discovery (none of us had been there before!). After a short briefing, the small posse of 9 departed at a leisurely pace, passed through the long big hole traversing the Du Toit's kloof mountain and proceeded unerringly in an east-by-north-easterly direction to eventually arrive at the sleepy hamlet of Ashton. After feeding some "hay" to the "horses", a visit was made to the local watering hole (wine shop) to stock up on the necessary fluid refreshments for the weekend. Oom Jan introduced us to the exquisite pleasures of "Oupa and Ouma wyn". We arrived at the beautifully grassed and shady campsite below the nearby farm dam in the midmorning and proceeded to set up camp while waiting for Bruce to catch up with the group. The facilities at the camp are by no means luxurious but more than adequate with a donkey for hot water and a great lapa with a large fire place and good shelter from the weather if needed. After lunch we tackled the mountain section of the trail, which ended in the Marloth Nature reserve and headed high up into the Langeberg Mountains. The views from the trail were magnificent and far off towns such as Bonnievale could be seen. The trail itself is not particularly difficult (grade 1-2) but due to the rules of the nature reserve the bushes may not be cleared away from the trail and there was some dissatisfaction amongst the group regarding scratches to their vehicles. The fynbos was however very green and luxurious with lots of flowers and a myriad of all kinds of insects (and a scorpion or two). After a quick tea stop at the turning point, we made our way back to the camp and due to the oppressive heat; everybody made his or her way to the farm dam to cool off, where lots of fun was had with the watercraft that was provided. That evening we had a communal braai in the lapa and some of the group even tried their hand at a spot of fishing. The hapless fisherman however returned empty handed. The next day we undertook a second trail on the farm, ably led by the local farmers tireless Jack Russell that took us through some beautiful fynbos and riverine forestry vegetation and eventually stopped for a short drinks-break at the Vodacom tower which marked the highest point of the trail. It also afforded magnificent views of the Overberg area, in spite of the occasional rainy squalls. On our way down, Oom Jan gave the poor Jack Russell a lift back to the campsite. After lunch at the camp, everybody packed up. After bidding our farewells, everybody took to the long road home after a very enjoyable weekend. I would just like to thank everybody who accompanied us. The great group of people made the weekend most enjoyable and it was a pleasure to lead this trip on behalf of Russell who unfortunately took ill at the last minute. Greetings George and Susan