Hiking and Camping at Maltese Cross
Maltese Cross Hiking Group
A heavy rucksack of nearly fifteen kilograms, thirty-eight degrees Centigrade temperature, dry summer, and 4.6-kilometre long hike can sometimes reward you with a beautiful sunset, a sky full of amazing stars, and a lovely sunrise. Beauty is a joy forever, and, as I type, I have forgotten the tiredness and the moments when I was short of breath, the silence is broken only by my racing heartbeat. I am thinking about the wonderful experience we had at the Maltese Cross in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa. I just want to go back there again and gaze at millions of stars in the silence of the night.
In February 2013, Zunaid, Paul and I picked the only one day in the whole of the summer when it rained in the Cederberg. We went to the Wolfberg Arch to do night photography, but the weather didn't permit us to stay overnight. It was a lovely journey though, which made my thirst to come back even stronger. This is one of the reasons we came back to Cederberg again, the choice of the day this time was made more carefully. It gave us a great experience of hiking, combined with views of amazing rock formations around us. Zunaid asked his two sons, Salmaan and Luqmaan, and Paul asked Patryk, his colleague, to join the group for the overnight stay.
We decided to stay at the Maltese Cross for only one night, 21 March 2014. The weather forecast for the 21st was clear skies, and cloudy on the 22nd. I was initially disappointed at Zunaid's decision to stay there for just one night because I wanted to capture the sunset the next day, hoping for clouds to give us some colour. Mother Nature was kind to us, however, as the clouds pulled into our unexpected pleasure just before the sunset, which gave us the most beautiful palette of hues, vanishing just minutes after the light had gone as if they had never been there. We laughed that someone had been listening to our prayers, as on our way up we had jokingly complained that it was a pity we couldn't wish the clouds to appear and then disappear on cue like the swipe of a finger on the smartphone.
Going up was difficult considering that we were carrying camera equipment, tripods, water, food, and tents. Distances are usually short for me when I am with my buddies; the company of like-minded people keeps me alive, it keeps me moving, and brings strength to me, but the 4.6 kilometres we covered were taxing towards the end because of my fitness and the extreme heat. The most pleasant part of the journey was hearing the sound of running water and filling our thirsty bellies and bottles with it. The water was fresh and cold, emerging from beneath giant rocks that protected it from the heat of the sun.
Maltese Cross Hiking Map - Elevation - Distance - Time Take
As soon as we arrived, we selected and established our camp site. It was quite important because of not only the comfort and safety, but also we wanted the tents to be part of some of our night shots. Zunaid and I shared one tent, Luqmaan and Salmaan another, and Patryk and Paul paired up in the third.
Paul, Zunaid, Patryk and I finally took our cameras out after pitching camp, and ran in an excited mad frenzy from one side of the Cross to the other as the clouds and the sun played a graceful game of hide and seek. I really enjoyed sharing banter and tips with Paul and Patryk while we were capturing the awaited day-end. Sharing of knowledge strengthens the bond of trust and camaraderie with friends. My brother-in-law, Zunaid, whose pleasant and caring presence is always that of an older brother, and who is usually very talkative and scientific about his love of photography, enjoyed the moment silently that evening.
Maltese Cross, Mad Rush At Sunset
Patryk, The Master Chef of the Maltese Cross, established our kitchen at a propitious circle of rocks that looked designed by a divine hand for the purpose of a camp side supper. The instant coffee tasted like the most perfect brew at that hour of the evening, and the soup and the noodles were downed quickly. The night ahead of us was full of excitement. It had yet to show us a sky full of a billion stars, an amazing streak of Milky Way next to the Cross, and a magical moon-rise. Under the directions of Paul, our night photography expert - from the setting up of our cameras to finally seeing the results of our night photography - each step of the way was full of fun and learning. We all felt the thrill of seeing our images giving us some success and the feeling of contentment that the trip was not for nought like the previous one. For me, Zunaid's 5 hour-long time-lapse video of the continuous shooting was the photographic highlight of the trip. He found the perfect spot to align the south celestial pole right with the head of the Maltese Cross, and his video shows not only the stars following their path but also moonlight painting the atmosphere gradually. I cannot omit to recall the quarrel between the two young siblings that night, as I can still hear in my mind Salmaan repeatedly asking the younger Luqmaan to "Stop snoringggggg!!!!".
A night of little broken sleep was hardly minded, despite being on rocky terrain with jagged bits in our back, for this special journey enabled us not only to view but also to feel, the incredible phenomenon that occurs in the night skies and yet goes unnoticed to us city-dwellers. The impressions are printed in my soul, and the yearning to return to the wilderness is ever stronger.
Supper at Maltese Cross
