What's in a name? Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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The cache is situated in the garden of Ouma Sannie se Winkel in Gamkaskloof, 57km from the top of the Swartberg Pass. The road is rocky in places and a vehicle with suitable clearance is required. The cache was placed with the permission of the owner who has promised not to assist any geocacher seeking the cache.
Those people with strong ties to the area know the valley as the Kloof or Gamkaskloof. The name refers to the Gamka River that flows through the valley. “Gamka” is a name used extensively in the Karoo and is the Khoi word for “Lion”.
Many people regard the nickname “The Hell” or “De Hel” as abusive and undeserved by such a beautiful piece of paradise. A stock inspector, Piet Botha, is widely credited for the name. He often used the steep pass to get into the valley during the 1940s before the present day road was built. If anybody asked him what the trip to Gamkaskloof was like his usual reply was “Hell”. However, in 1902 the Anglo-Boer War soldier by the name of Deneys Reitz, already referred to the region as “The Hell” in his diary, where he recorded how he hid along with other soldiers in the Kloof.
Today the largest portion of Gamkaskloof forms part of the Swartberg nature reserve, managed by Cape Nature Conservation. The valley was declared a National Monument in 1987. At the reception building at the end of the road into the Kloof is a small museum that is well worth a visit. Here you can learn about the history of the Kloof, its inhabitants over the centuries, geology, fauna and flora.
Refreshments and food are available at Ouma Sannie se Winkel as sustenance for the tortuous drive back to the Swartberg Pass.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ab uvag.
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