My son and four friends (two guys and three girls), all in their 20s, decided to go hiking at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in Stellenbosch Saturday 14 January.
They decided to do the 2,5 km hike and started at 09:30 and factored on finishing at 12:00 or 13:00, depending on stops, etcetera. They each took along two one-litre bottles of water each.
Unfortunately it seems they took a wrong turn and by 14:00 had run out of water. My son sent me their location pin at 14:30 while they were trying to make their way towards the second waterfall, but they were still a long way off-course and the terrain was not great.
A call was made to the rescue services, and my husband and I made our way to the nature reserve. The emergency services were already there when we arrived at 16:15, preparing to go in. The big concern was water, as they were still a long way from the second waterfall.
It was a very stressful time for all as we could not obtain much information on their progress as it was load-shedding, so they could not radio the rescue services for information and lost cellphone signal.
Adriaan, one of the community workers who lives close by, was actually one of the first on the scene and he hiked up to the young group to give them water, while waiting for the rest of the rescue crew to arrive. As he lives close by, he is normally first on the scene and has rescued many hikers on the mountain over the years.
To cut a long story short, at 19:30 the rescue crew eventually got them down after using drones for their location. They were sunburnt, dehydrated with sore muscles, but thankfully they were okay after spending 10 hours on the mountain.
As a concerned parent, I urge all hikers to prepare adequately for the unexpected when going hiking. Perhaps consider the following tips:. Take enough water when hiking. The guide they used said they should have had at least three litres of water on them, and not two for that hike.. Plan for the unpredictable, so factor in for extra time in case you get lost.. Have all the numbers of emergency personnel with you and don’t wait too long to call them.. Have some sort of compass on hand just in case you get lost, as cellphone signals are not reliable.. Pack in energy snacks and jackets in case you end up staying longer than anticipated.
Finally, I just want to also give a big shout-out to the rescue staff. We hear so much negativity and not enough positive information.
The woman who mans the booth at the entrance to the reserve, Yanelisa, what a lovely supportive young woman she is; she was very concerned for their safety and tried her best to give me whatever feedback she could.
Thanks to the rescue team who spent hours on the mountain, helping our children back to safety.
