Kings Kloof: A Trail of Beauty and Quiet

Reflection time

Spontaneous hike it was, what a nice way to start the year! I was minding my own business not even thinking about hiking any time soon. A friend of mine called me late Friday and said lets go hike. I quickly said yes, say no more, where are we going. Tossed a few names around and we finally decided on Kings Kloof. It was exciting for me because I hadn’t been to this hiking trail, two times I missed out when my crew were hiking on this trail. I don’t know about you, but after hours of staring at office emails, typing kind regards, happy holidays when other people are on leave; my body was more than ready for something a little more… revitalising/refreshing.

Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.

Kings Kloof immediately went straight to my top favourite hiking trails. It is close by, yet it feels like you have left Gauteng. We hiked 12km trail, easy and moderate. The property has multiple trail options, ranging from 6km to 21. I am looking forward to going back to hike 21km. I quicky forgot about the kind regards as soon as we started hiking. The air was cool and fresh, the ground a little damp, and the landscape… wow. The plants were so green and lush, it felt like I had walked into a different world. Every corner of the trail seemed like a new shade of green – it looked like someone sprayed the plants, they were so green and shiny. The whole experience was cinematic and had nice dramatic feel to it. But let’s talk about the trail’s real magic – the unexpected surprises. The first one that hit me was the gentle sound of water trickling in the distance. As we followed the trail, the sound grew louder, until we were greeted by a beautiful, serene stream weaving its way through the forest. We briefly quietly sat by the water stream and listened to the soothing sound of the stream. The water was crystal clear, gurgling over smooth rocks as if it was happily going about its business, unaware that it had just stolen the show. But the best surprise for me was A waterfall. Yes, a hidden gem tucked into the woods. It wasn’t one of those dramatic, roaring waterfalls but it was flowing so nicely, you could hear the sound coming around the corner.

Anyone who hikes will tell you the best weather to be hiking is when is, not raining, not cold, not hot, just perfect. The rain had been playing peek-a-boo with the clouds, and let me tell you, it was magical, fabtastic. I am emphasizing on the gorgeous weather because I was reflecting on how just few weeks before this persistent rain, it was so hot in Gauteng. Plants were brown, it was dusty and horrible. Yet the few weeks of rain had changed all that into the opposite. It made me think of how the same applies to human life. 😊 Today can be a bad day and tomorrow turns around to be the best month or year of your life.

When you trying to explain the reflection of clouds in the water 😜

The kind of peace that come from being fully immersed in nature, away from distractions is priceless. It’s easy to forget how much we need that recharge, that reflection, that moment to step out of our bubble and just exist in the simplicity of it all.