PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - A young German couple endured several hours of darkness after getting lost in the forest near Nature's Valley on Thursday 3 April - and they have expressed their gratitude to the Plett First Responders for rescuing them.
Megan and Julien (they requested that their surnames not be used), first-time visitors to South Africa, had tried to return to Nature's Valley via the Grootkloof trail (which was closed, but they weren't aware of that), after hiking the Groot River Trail.
Instead, they got hopelessly lost in the forest and spent nearly six harrowing hours awaiting their rescuers.
Thanks to the First Responders voluntary group that mustered a rescue party and used their iPhones to provide location pins and a "bread crumb" trail on a GPS, the two were returned to their car and safety close to midnight.
The two have now completed their South African adventure and returned to Germany.
'Lost the trail'
Recounts Megan, "We hiked the Groot River Trail and wanted to return via Grootkloof. The trail was good at first, but quickly became invisible. We lost the trail and walked straight through the wild forest.
"After some time we wanted to go back to the Groot River Trail, but we couldn't find the way back, so we went deeper into the forest.
"After two hours we were scared, disoriented, helpless and did not know what to do because it was getting late and dark and we had no idea where we were.
First Responders rescue team wending their way through the forest to get to German hikers Megan and Julien.
"After walking through dense bushes and up and down a river, we luckily found a trail again, which we followed until it got dark. At 18:15, we decided to call 112, because we didn't see how we could get out safely. They told us to call 110.
"In that moment of complete darkness and all the night noises of the forest, we felt unsafe, especially when we thought about the baboons."
Calmed down
After "30 or so heart-pounding minutes", people started texting them on WhatsApp. They were reassured that everything would be fine and that a rescue team would save them.
"We stayed in contact and they really calmed us down. So we waited in the dark with our cellphone lights on and had some deep conversations to distract ourselves from the situation."
About two-and-a-half hours later they saw eight lights on the hill.
"We could not believe that so many people got up to save us," said Megan.
"They gave us water, candy and headlamps. Such warm and loving people who really cared about our well-being.
"It was a team effort to find our way back because there was no trail.
"Throughout the hike they were talking to each other and to us, making jokes and creating a good atmosphere. They were all volunteers, but they seemed like professionals."
Couldn't sleep
Once at their lodgings, they could not sleep, so they stayed at the fireplace for a long time and talked about what had happened.
"We were safe because of the great work of these volunteers - we are eternally grateful."
Any tips for hikers following their experience?
"We strongly recommend that you never go on a hike without downloading a map so that you can better navigate without a cellular connection, no matter how easy the trail seems at first.
"They told us that the Grootkloof hike was closed and no longer maintained, but there was no sign where we entered the hike. Be on the lookout for closed trails; even if there is no sign, you should always check."
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