A thirsty thirty kilometre figure of eight, salty temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius, at least 1300 m of accumulated ascent, hours and hours – up to eleven in total: walking in from Troutbeck to where the Menzi valley meets the Gairezi below the end of the ridge; crossing the Gairezi river just above John’s cabin; following the riverside path flowing down to the Dazi bridge crossing; painfully plodding back up the never-ending slope to the 2100m watershed, followed by more mundane, 7km, energy-sapping plodding back home in time to be fifteen minutes late for the family Zoom call.
In using the phrase ‘riverside path’ the reader should take it to mean an almost secret passageway meant for some types, but not all types, of wanderer, that does, more or less, follow the Gairezi river and which does, at times: descend into presently dry river channels; employ ladders at points with no other way out; oblige the use of ‘bridges’ of up to two, even three, poles width, with or without worrying handrails; stretch the nerves through steep exposure on this riparian road with no good outcome should the worst tragically occur; and, in a variety of other visually spectacular ways, present a most entertaining day out for those brave travellers willing to move beyond the afternoon snooze and closer towards their inner Jack Russell. {Just completed a double dose of Hard Times and Great Expectations and evidently the effects are lingering longer than might be hoped for…}
This river ramble is rather surprising, if not astonishing, and is to be recommended for a day’s recreation. Your exact line will depend on the seasonal level of the water; exceptional sections will hungrily screech ‘slippery’ to you in the event of recent rain.
People might wish to say ‘make haste’ and believe that picture photographs would tell this story far more eloquently than mere words could portray but why waste space on the page with pixels when it may be flatteringly used to communicate a confounding collection of commas, colons, and semi-colons; demarcated with diction, enunciated with eloquence and followed finally by a full stop.
As wonderful as ever – the descent into the Menzi valley is not to be missed
Tree ferns and Mufenje on the descent into Menzi
Menzi valley houses and plots
Menzi valley lower level crossing towards the stream – ahead the end of the ridge jutting out close to the Gairezi
Fisherman at the Gairezi crossing point above John’s Hut / John’s Shack
Falls on the Gairezi at John’s Hut / John’s Shack
Falls on the Gairezi at John’s Hut / John’s Shack
The amazingly steep sided Gairezi river valley
Have I talked about how steep the river valley is and how precarious the path feels?
Have I talked about how steep the river valley is and how precarious the path feels?
Gairezi
Spectacular boulder in the middle of the Gairezi river
Spectacular boulder in the middle of the Gairezi river
Spectacular boulder in the middle of the Gairezi river – ladder on the left
Flatter section of the Gairezi river above Dazi bridge
Approaching Dazi bridge
View downstream from Dazi bridge
The Gairezi river valley below Dazi bridge
Views from the road up out of Dazi bridge going back to Troutbeck
Menzi cattle dipping station – Mount Nyangani as background
Walking back up the valley side to 2100 m and the watershed with Troutbeck
All the pictures and more: click for full screen gallery:
Amazeballs. ‘Amazeballs’ leapt out audaciously from the Apple dictionary – for some unknown reason. Mr Dickens fortunately forewent this tortuous form of cruelty, or so we may hope based upon the derivation: “early 21st century: humorous alteration of amazing.” Oh yes – laughing all the way to
Eastern Highlander 