The Magic of Hogsback

In the Amatola Mountains northwest of East London lies a very special place called Hogsback. It's a small and out-of-the-way spot known mostly to those pursuing peace of mind.

The name of the area derives from three high rocky ridges that soar high above the village. Vertical dolomite rock formations that have survived eons of erosion are said, when viewed up close, to look like the prickly hairs on the back of a hog.

The Hogsback area is unique in South Africa, a micro-climate of Afro-montane cloud forest which results in a very large and regular amount of rain. The unpredictable and often cool weather yields not only a moist and misty atmosphere a lot of the time but snow that can occur ten months of the year!
The famous writer J.R. Tolkien spent the first several years of his life in Hogsback. The locals claim that it was during these formative years that he developed the memories that led him to write The Hobbit. This idea is used heavily to promote business and tourism.

The backpackers' lodge in Hogsback is called Away with the Fairies. It has been decorated throughout with murals that match the image that Hogsback tries to promote.

Nancy and I stayed at a lovely chalet called Never Daunted. Found at the end of a lonesome and convoluted roadway, the scene was idyllic, like being in an English garden full of azaleas, rhododendrons, oak and walnut trees, hydrangeas and fuchsia. Needless to say, there are countless walks throughout the area and a buffet of lovely waterfalls. The first one shown below is called the Bridal Veil. The second is named the Madonna and Child because one is supposed to be able to see the faces of Mary and a child in the falls. When the picture is enlarged, these are clearly seen.

Each of the trails in the Hogsback area is meant to be indicated by a series of painted hogs. Such is not always the case. Many of them start off well but then seem to either change their mind or get caught up in the beauty of it all and forget their purpose. We got lost at some point during every one of our four days of hiking, but each time it seemed to matter less and less... Hiking through the mountains provided us with an unforgettable experience. There were pastures of lilies, glens alive with the sounds of exotic birds such as Cape parrots, butterflies, samango monkeys, as well as many other sights and sounds. Wild horses and worms that are six metres long even inhabit the area! Parts of the trails are through ancient indigenous forest with virgin vegetation. Tallest of the trees is the yellowood. The largest (simple referred to on the map as the great Big Tree) is approximately 800 years old, thirty-eight metres high with a girth of eight and one half metes. Hogsback actually has an army! These are the many volunteers who wage an ongoing battle against the waddle tree. It's a lovely species of tree but doesn't belong here (was imported from Australia long ago) that displaces much of the local vegetation.

One of the really interesting attractions at Hogsback is an eco-shrine built by Diane Graham. Diane is a deeply spiritual woman whose love of nature and art is very intense. She spends her days painting panels that she then exhibits in monuments surrounding a pool in her garden. On the front of each form is a painting connecting nature and humanity; inset on the back of each one is a traditional San (bushman) mosaic devoted to a similar theme.


Hogsback has some very quaint buildings, especially its church and the library shown below, which is located on a path leading towards Never Daunted.
Most of the people at Hogsback are Xhosa who work in forest or a related industry. They seem to be a friendly lot; the ones that we talked to were clearly very proud of the low crime rate in the village. Nancy and I were assured that walking home at night from one of the restaurants was perfectly safe. Even Hogsback, however, is not without its crime. Occasionally, people (black and white) are murdered. There was an elder in the black community who was highly respected by both his own people and the whites in the area. He often served as an mediator in any disputes that arose. One day he was attempting to resolve an argument outside of the post office and was stabbed to death...by his own son.

So many of the local people in Hogsback went out of their way to help us. When we arrived, our bags hadn't even left the driveway before a man named Mike took us for a one hour drive to show us as many of the trailheads and pathways as he could. A couple that we met named Ken and Sonaya spent an afternoon hiking with us and driving us up to the alpine meadows to look for wild horses and Jackal buzzards. We'll have a photo of them to share at a later date. The owners of Never Daunted were exceptionally kind and hospitable. Saying the traditional farewells ("Stay well" followed by "Travel well"") were very difficult for us. But what is life if not a complex chain of hellos and goodbyes?

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