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Kloofing Around

Kloofing Around

August 29, 2012989Views

If regular old hiking and climbing are just putting you to sleep, maybe it’s time you stepped up your game to kloofing. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, we didn’t just make it up. Kloofing is an activity that has been known to the modern world since at least 1920, where it began in South Africa as a form of canyoneering. To kloof, one descends a deep ravine or canyon which is deeper than it is wide. While not all kloofs will include water, many follow natural waterways, and in some places the only way to get down is to plunge into a pool below. It is this activity in itself that makes kloofing, well, kloofing.

The word “kloofing” comes from the Afrikaans word kloof, which simply means gorge or ravine. The peculiar-sounding word stuck in the heads of those who were participating in this means of exploration, and eventually became the namesake for a hobby that is growing in popularity today. Those who wish to kloof should most definitely seek out the guidance of an experience kloofer, as many trails are more technical than the average person would be suited for.

 

Image via jking89