OTHER CACHES ALONG THE ROUTE
This is one of eleven caches hidden on the first part of the six-day Amatola Hike, the one being a bonus cache so make sure to pick up the clue at each of the following caches along this trail to find the Amathole Hike Bonus Cache. Caches with clues are 1) Measuring H2o flow, 2) Trestle Bridge, 3) The Chains, 4) Cycad Forest, 5) Hi-Jinx 6) Amathole View.
INFORMATION
The trail to pick up all eleven of these caches will be a good day’s hike and will cover about 16 kms. So, put on your hiking boots, daypack, sunscreen and hat. Drinking water can be found at a good few places along the trail. To get maximum enjoyment out of this trail, you should be fit and start as early as possible.
A FLASHLIGHT WILL CERTAINLY HELP YOU HERE.
THE PIRIE FOREST
Situated in the transitional zone between the indigenous forests of the Southern Cape and the more sub-tropical forests of the Northern parts of the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Pirie Forest is an excellent example of typical Eastern Cape indigenous high forest. These forests have far more species-rich than the Southern Cape forests, are composed of some 250 woody species (nearly double that of Knysna/Tsitsikamma forests). Also, on account of the dense canopy and sub-canopy there is little undergrowth.
HISTORY
Exploitation of the Pirie Forest began in 1819 when trees were felled to build Fort Wiltshire on the Keiskamma River. In the late 1890’s the sole right to extract wood from the forest was granted to Mr J E Howse and reminders of the era can still be seen more than a century later.
Part of trail entails walking along the track of the 4-km-long narrow-gauge railway line that linked Howse’s sawmill to Timber Square, where, between 1910 and 1917, the logs were loaded onto a 5-ton locomotive and transported to the mill. A section of the original track, hand-hewn lemonwood sleepers, and a trestle bridge across the Stream (at the cache site) can still be seen.
THE CACHE
The cache is placed at the start of the metal bridge on the left hand side. A spoiler picture is attached.