21. Day 8 (Aug 24) - Featherbed Reserve Overview

After we crossed the lagoon we arrived at the pier for the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the Western Head at the entrance to the Knysna Lagoon.  The boat we crossed in is owned by the reserve, and a guide provides an introduction to the reserve during our ride.  Why is the reserve called Featherbed, you ask?  Well, the origins of the name are somewhat obscure, at least to our guide.  It seems that there is some tree in the area, name unknown at least to me, whose branches makes a very pleasant mattress when stuffed into a sack.  No samples were provided and I’m wondering if there is some other meaning.  But it doesn’t detract from the beauty of the place.  

When we arrive, here is a fairly long pier, a bit of which can be seen at the left edge of this picture. 

Arrival at Featherbed

This photo also shows you the clarity of the water in the lagoon, the main building with the ever-so-fancy name, and a house that is just outside the boundaries of the reserve itself.  We climb the steps and enter the open patio shown on the left side of the picture.   

Below is another picture showing the tables and chairs amid the trees.  We will have lunch here, once we’ve earned it.

Dining Patio

We climb again to the main building where we’re invited to leave any packs, etc. that we don’t want to take on the hike with us.  And we’re also offered poles as walking sticks as they note that the are a number of places on the hike where there are little or no railings as you’re climbing or (more often) descending.  Some of us take poles and others of us have brought poles with us.  Their poles are just smooth wood and better than nothing but I prefer my own walking stick (as will be pointed out shortly).

We are then taken to the other side of the big building where there is a jeep train — or at least that’s what I call it.  It consists of some small vehicles (without engines) with passenger seats hooked together with a fairly impressive looking jeep at the front.  Think Disneyland parking lot without the cuteness.  And right next to where we get onto the jeep train, there is what appears to me to be a helicopter landing pad.  But the real reason for this photo is so you can see the lagoon looking back from Featherbed.

Lagoon View from Featherbed

And then it’s up the hill we go.  At times I worry that the jeep won’t be able to get us all up and that we’ll have to get out and walk.  But they’ve obviously done this several times a day for many years now and I guess they’ve got it down pretty well.  And they do have to get us up high it we’re going to be able to go down — as a sneak preview of part of the trail shows.

How steep is the trail?

But more on that later.

At the top we’re now ready to descend on the Bushbuck Trail.  I’ve got my sturdy walking pole in my right hand (which doubles as a monopod), and that is the Indian Ocean you see behind us.

Ready for the Bushbuck Trail

Now so far, if you’re keeping track, we’ve seen only three wild mammals on the trip — the baboon at the entrance to the Garden Route Park, the rock hyrax in the Garden Route Park, and the very dangerous homo sapiens all around us (and part of us).  So, are we likely to see the bushbuck, a very dangerous animal particularly if you hunt it (which we are not)?  It is the most widely distributed antelope in sub-Saharan Africa although it may have cheated to earn that distinction as there are two distinct species (which can best be distinguished by DNA typing).  If you really care, check out this Wikipedia Article.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushbuck

But, spoiler alert, we don’t find any bushbuck on the trail and I’m glad about that since they have very sharp horns.  Much later, though, we’ll see many of them. For now, the only warning we get as we start the 2.2 kilometer trail is about how uncertain the footing is and how falling could really spoil our day.

Warning Sign

The Featherbed Nature Preserve is principally known for two things: (1) one of the most diverse plant communities as it includes the Fynbos (more on that later) of the Garden Route with the seashore flora as well, and (2) one of the more spectacular seashores.  We see more of each of those in the next two postings.  

I don’t want you to think, however, that there were no animals at Featherbed.  Along the seashore I spotted scrambling on the rocks a lizard that looked just like lizards I see around my garden at home, and about the same size.  But since it posed so nicely for me, I did take its picture.

Common (I Think) Lizard

The other animal I saw was one of the many varieties of dung beetles.  And, no, I won’t further classify it (as if I could).  It was scurrying around the path presumably looking for dung and, according to the source of all information (Wikipedia), navigating by the Milky Way although whether that happens during the day or only at night I don’t know.  Seeing the dung beetle reminded me that I didn’t see any other insects on this hike.  Whether that is true outside of the winter months I don’t know.

Dung Beetle

Now, 2.2 kilometers isn’t that hard a hike, although the steep down paths make it somewhat more onerous especially on your knees, but the Featherbed Company does provide some nice encouragement as you near the end of the trail.

Encouragement Along the Trail

Once you’re reached the well-signed end of the trail, there is also a footpath ready to cool your tired feet, or at least there is sometimes.  Perhaps it’s a summer thing.

Trail End and Foot Bath

Coming up — the crashing sea along the shore of Featherbed.
Link to Full Resolution Photos