Kroon se Bos
This
is another of those SawaSawa bonus caches which you can pick up
while en route to (or from) other caches in the area! - in this
case the numerous caches in Silvermine East. I placed the cache
whilst returning after finding one of these – MnCo’s
easily accessible and highly recommended Megaliths
(GC25WM4).
This
little wood (the "Crown's forest" also called Amazon
Forest
on
the Peter Slingsby Maps – the origin of both names unknown),
is a genuine patch of indigenous trees (some rare and some ancient)
nestling in the damp shelter of the upper end of
Echo Valley.
These include:
Rooiels
(Red
Alder, Butterspoon or Butterknife Tree, Cunonia
capensis)
The
tree has reportedly used to treat nervous complaints and the
fine-grained relatively hard and heavy wood has been used to make
furniture. For more on this tree see http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/cunoncapen.htm
Cape
Beech
(Rapanea
melanophloeos)
The
grey bark or sometimes roots are used to treat respiratory
problems, stomach, muscular and heart complaints. The bark contains
tannin and is used as iNtelezi (a charm to protect against
evil spirits) by the Nguni. Its hard wood is used to make furniture
and violins. For more information on this tree see http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/rapanmelan.htm
White
Milkwood (Sideroxylon
inerme)
Bark and roots are used ‘to cure broken bones,
to treat fevers, to dispel bad dreams, and to treat gall sickness
in stock’. The very hard and fine-grained wood is used to
build boats, bridges and mills. Ripe purple-black berries are said
to be edible, with purple, juicy flesh and sticky white juice. See
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/sideroxinerm.htm
for more details.
East Indian or
Real Yellowwood (Podocarpus
latifolius)
South
Africa's National
Tree and one of the most valued timber trees - apparently it has
been used more than any other South African timber. It is the only
yellowwood occuring naturally in the Cape
Peninsula.
Floors in the old Cape
homesteads
were made of this wood. Its soft yellow colour contrasts
beautifully with dark-coloured stinkwood (Ocotea bullata)
and the two timbers were often used together to make furniture. It
is excellent for tables and cupboards, as it polishes up very well.
The South African Railways used to use the timber to make railway
sleepers and in the old days it was used to make wagon boxes and
coffins. An unusual use was that of a butcher's block because the
wood is hard, did not chip easily, had no scent, and so did not
taint the meat. For further details of this tree see http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/podocarplati.htm
Please
stick to the wooden boardwalk for the sake of the trees. As always
seems to be the case with such things, there was some resistance to
the construction of these walkways by purists who felt that they
were "not natural". Of course the path itself is not "natural"
either and to keep the mountains natural would mean banning
geocachers, other humans/muggles and their mutts too!
To reach the
cache:
1.
Park in the small lay-by on Boyes
Drive @
S
34 07.501 E 18 26.866.
Walk a few metres south to the trail-head steps by the
Echo
Valley
sign
post.
2.
Follow the trail NE along the contour then upwards alongside the
babbling brook (seasonal) to the first trail junction with a stone
sign plaque at Wandering Willy’s Weary Wait (Weary
Willy’s – who was he?!) @ S 34 07.293 E
18 26.770.
This
is the location of a small weir in the stream with some huge old
Wild (or Bitter)
Almond trees, Brabejum
stellatifolium, a member of the Proteaceae family and related
to the macadamia.
Don’t
try the rusty-brown, velvety almonds as they are very poisonous,
unless soaked to destroy the strychnine before boiling and
roasting! This tree was the culprit in the first recorded case
in South
Africa of a
human death by poisoning when one of the members of Jan
Wintervogel's 1655 expedition died from eating too much bitter
amandelen. This
tree is also famous in South
Africa for
being used to make Van Riebeck's Hedge, the first formal boundary
marker between the new Cape
colony
and the indigenous people of the Cape.
The early Cape
settlers
took over from the Khoi the practice of soaking, boiling, roasting
and grinding the fruits to make a coffee substitute. The timber is
red, reticulated and hard to saw. It was used in joiners' and
turners' work, and was once popular for ornamental work. It was
also used to make bowls, the heels of Dutch shoes, wagon felloes
(rim of the wagon wheel) and brake blocks. The bark has been used
for tanning. See http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/brabejstell.htm
for more fascinating and historical information on this
tree.
3.
From here take the Echo
Valley
trail
heading straight on NW up the valley. After some 10-15 minutes you
will pass Cavern Rocks (Hungry Harry’s) – who makes up
all these names & what do they mean?? This is a good spot for a
rest and shade/shelter if you need it while you check out the
precarious support of the top boulder!
4.
Carry straight on along the rocky trail up the valley past the
Jojolu Track junction (which heads left and up towards
Cave
Peak)
until, after another 10 minutes, you enter the forest.
5.
The cache, a cylindrical camo-container with small trade items is
located some 50m down into the forest from the top end of the
boardwalk and just SW of the boardwalk in a deep wooden
niche.
Note:
GPSr accuracy at this point was only around 9-10m due to the
influence of the tree cover in the forest.
6.
From here either head back the way you came or - much better
– carry on to the top of the valley with access to the
wonders of Silvermine East - and its numerous caches!