Table Mountain confirmed as 5th "Natural Wonder of the World"

Table Mountain confirmed as Natural Wonder: Table Mountain is the 5th New Wonder of Nature to be confirmed, with just two to go for the official list of seven to be complete.

Helderberg Nature Reserve

Helderberg Nature reserve is situated in Somerset West, close neighbours to Cape Town but strangely enough none of us had visited it before. So as part of a mountain navigation training exercise we decided to explore the area.

What a pleasant surprise! Even though the April 2011 fire had devastated a large part of the reserve encouraging signs of regrowth could be seen.

Progress was slow as numerous what if scenarios were played out as we went along.
Our original intention was to follow the pink route to the top of West Peak but due to time constraints we ended up following the Green route. The views of False Bay were spectacular with Cape Point standing out in the distance. The reserve is managed by Cape Town City Council but West Peak falls under Cape Nature management.
Armed with the online map it is relatively easy to find your way around as most of the jeep tracks and paths head off in the general direction of West Peak. The trick is to aim towards Disa Gorge and then look for the path that zig zags its way up the buttress on the east side. We went a short distance up Disa Ravine until reaching a danger sign, shortly before it a clear path goes off to the left; this is the one that we followed.

The Green route eventually joins up with the Pink route and descends the mountain. The Watsonia's are all sprouting along the slope and should give a wonderfull display towards October/November.

False Bay with Cape Point in the distance

It would be well worth a trip just to see their display. There is very little water available along the way so it’s best to fill up at the entrance.
It was a unanimous decision to return in the near future as we had really only scratched the surface in terms of exploring the reserve. 

Guernsey Lily

Links
Helderberg Reserve Fire
http://www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Friends-News-July-2011-email.pdf
Trails map of the Helderberg Hiking routes
http://www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za/reserve/trails/

Zombie mode
Ring any bells? You’ve left the house for a weekend away, driven 2 km’s down the road and you cannot remember whether the alarm had been set or the stove switched off.
Autopilot is great………for Pilots that is.
We operate in Zombie mode for a large part of our daily life. Totally oblivious of our surroundings, think of how much more we can get out of an experience by becoming consciously aware of our surroundings.
Practice! Switch on! Stop; lift your head at the traffic light (robots for us South Africans) look above the façades look at the layers of architecture, grime, and paint. Find the unusual, a gargoyle on the one building and a baboon statue on another.
The very same habit applies when out walking on the mountain. Practice awareness. Consciously take in your surroundings.
The curry smell from the bush you brushed against, the King Protea that’s in bud, the old cement casks (see if you can find that one, Table Mountain, Dams, ok no more clues)
By becoming fully conscious of our surroundings we become immersed in the experience and that bundle of stress we carry with us becomes lighter.

Thoreau

"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society."

Henry David Thoreau

Lifes little rituals

Lifes little rituals
Life is full of rituals, rituals that add warmth and value to our lives. The hiding of the easter eggs for the kids, the saturday braai and rugby, the first cup of coffee in the morning, the ritual of sitting in the pale winter sun and reading. The list goes on. Rituals add to the fabric of our lives.

 How often do we stop whilst walking or driving and immediately write-off our surroundings as boring or not needing a second glance. More often than not we are so wrong with our snap judgement. We go out on a hike and come back physically satisfied but mentally still strung out.

Next time you're out there hiking add another little ritual to your life.

Take along a gas stove, pot, water and the makings for tea or coffee. Find a great spot with a view or sheltered from the wind or sun. Light up your stove and while the waters coming to the boil take in your immediate surroundings.

The little sundews that we normally stride past and give a cursory glance, look at their leaf structure. Focus on that butterfly can you identify it?  Lets break the big five mentality that we have, where only the big and flashy get our attention. Start identifying the "Little Brown Jobs" of the bird world. Stop long enough and the little field mice will become visible. Stop long enough and the chameleons will discover you.

Namibia April 2012

Namibia
Despite a very tight schedule, that required us travelling to Walvis Baai via Windhoek in less than two days - with a day in Walvis Bay and returning to Cape Town in two days - I managed to take some photos, mainly from the moving vehicle. So you are likely to see the odd bug smear on the windscreen.
Namibia at this time of the year is fantastic. The daily temperatures are really pleasant. We even had a thunder storm and rain while in Walvis Bay.
 

The good rains had made the desert look like wheat fields. It’s definitely a country that needs a lot more time spent exploring it.

Even Walvis Bay, which during a previous visit seemed pretty boring, turned out to have some really exciting highlights.

The boat trip out from the waterfront onto the lagoon yielded a lifer for me, a Sunfish or Mola Mola, a rather strange looking fish. Take a large fish head, add a flattened body and a non descript tail ... Actually my description does not do it justice follow this link  Sunfish National Geographic and read all about it. Its diet is plankton and jellyfish which were in abundance in the bay.
Heavyside dolphins, seals, jackal, pelicans and plenty of sea birds added to the days highlights. 

Our route back was via Solitaire, Helmeringhausen and overnighting in Keetmanshoop and then on to Cape Town. 

Solitaire, Apple Pie, Coffee

Solitaire with its quirky entrance and Moose McGregors famous apple pie was a welcome stop after the bumpy road from Walvis.
The first 200 kilometers were rough with corrugations but the scenery fantastic with a fog initially hanging over the landscape.
The Kuiseb river was flowing and there were signs that the river level had been much higher.

We passed a couple on motorbikes just after the Kuiseb Pass and they soon caught up to us. Of interest, they were riding Royal Enfield motorbikes originally a British design now made in India. Both bikes had been converted to diesel prior to their departure from Germany.

The entrance to Solitaire is littered with old wrecks which adds to the atmosphere.

Sossusvlei is close by but time would not allow us to stop and enjoy.
Cape Town was reached all too soon. Future visits demand more time for exploring and chilling in beautiful Namibia.

Little Crake

Lifer spotted at Clovelly, Cape Town
The spotting of a single female Little Crake at Clovelly wetland has created great excitement amongst South African birders.
Read what Trevor Hardaker wrote about the recent sighting on his blog.
Follow link>>>"Our Wildlife Adventures"

Hoerikwaggo Trail

Hoerikwaggo Trail
Great news we have four block bookings for the Hoerikwaggo trail. Read what SANP has to say about the trail. This is one hike that must be on your bucket list. Right at the top!
All you have to do is carry a day pack (and walk). We do all the catering and even lug everything from one camp to the next. It's called "slackpacking" doll!
The trail starts at Cape Point and finishes at the Wash houses above Cape Town.

The overnight camps just get better and better. Look at the list:

Smitswinkel

Silvermine

Slangkop

Orangekloof

Diarise the the following dates:
24 - 28 September 2012
19 - 23 November 2012
7 - 11 January 2013
25 - 29 March 2013
For more information contact us>>>

Change in season

Although the south-easter is still howling in its tree distorting way, temperatures have dropped and the first duvet is on our bed. But who really cares about bedding?
More importantly the cooler weather marks the start of wonderful autumn hiking conditions. Temperatures become more bearable in the Cederberg making it more accessible. Waterfalls start appearing on Table Mountain and the dams start filling up.
Soon we will change around our home's summer configuration and the lounge will be positioned in front of the fireplace. Red wine will be purchased in bulk and thoughts will move onto planning Christmas in July.
This has become somewhat of a tradition in Cape Town. December is so hot that it's uncomfortable to have meals such as a roast accompanied by all its trimmings. So Christmas in July is the time to celebrate with all the tasty treats.
Hiking becomes easier in one way but more challenging on another level. Rain gear, beanies, thermal underwear become normal hiking apparel.
Oh I look forward to the cooler months in the Cape and revel in the invigorating cold.
I'm planning a multi-day hike in the Cederberg for May 2012, let me know early if you are interested as places on the hike will fill up quickly.

Website Blues

Sometimes the inherent cheapskate gets me into deep trouble. Take the simply exercise of setting up a website........yes I hear your hysterical laughter in the background, SIMPLE it is not. Once you have found a web builder package and the cheapskate screams Freeware Freeware! The options available and the templates and the services and the small print soon befuddle your brain.

Develop your website. Week’s later attempt to publish it and then your service provider gleefully lets you know that your current package does not allow you to point your domain to another site. Scream!!!

Overcome that hiccup with calls to every employee of your service provider (CEO excluded he was not available) to resolve the issue eventually with success.

The sound of the champagne cork popping is still bouncing across the neighbourhood when your mate asks you, "So how did you set up your SEO and have you asked Google to crawl it?" WHAT?!

Help! Anybody! I have a website; I know that I have one I put it all painfully together. Where it lurks and how to get it to magically pop up when a search is made for “Mountain Africa” defies me.

So it appears that I have a way to go before my website is visible. One thing I’ve come to realise is that the money spent on a professional web designer would have been well spent.

Cederberg Weekend

Cederberg Hiking December 2011

Day One

Leaving  Cape Town via the N7 our first stop should have been on the Piekeniers Pass. Despite reading about the ongoing road works I was hoping to pull into the layby and brew a cup of coffee. No joy. The layby is blocked with piles of gravel but we still manage to get glimpses of the farm fields below. The hot summer has faded the once green wheat fields into a tapestry of warm shades of beige and blonde.  The beau­ti­ful blue Piketberg forms a distant backdrop. Once over the pass looking towards Citrusdal, the Olifants River valley lies ahead. The mountains in the distance are a lovely reminder that we are approaching one of our favourite wilderness areas,  the Cederberg.
We take a short stop in Citrusdal for last minute purchases. Being a Saturday the town is abuzz with workers from the surrounding farms. We opt for Thomas Bain’s original route along the eastern bank of the Olifants River, which by a wonderful stroke of luck is a dirt road….yippeeeeeeeee.

Twenty seven kilometres later the terrain changes as we enter the Cederberg, a wild, rugged mountainous region. Thank goodness that both state and private landowners have come together to conserve this large area. The highest mountains live up to their names with Sneeukop (2070 metres) in the Skurweberg in the southern area frequently receiving a dusting of snow in winter, as do Sneeuberg (2027 metres) near Citrusdal and the other Sneeukop (1930 metres) near Wupperthal.
The Cederberg is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis), which has been decimated in the past but is protected now with annual tree planting ceremonies. Cederberg is now the generally accepted spelling for the area, which combines the English (Cedarberg) and Afrikaans (Sederberg) variants.

Our route lies over a series of passes. The first is Nieuwoudts Pass which gives us lovely views of the valley with Algeria in the middle distance and our next pass, Uitkyk Pass, beyond.
Signs of changes since our last visit all too long ago are the paved roads past Algeria. I remember getting stuck in the winter quagmire just before Uitkyk. Hmm that was fun! I am sad to see the Algeria office block has burnt down. A short photographic stop on Uitkyk Pass, the route of the old pass, visibly winding its tortuous way up. It was along this route that we found an old Leopard trap whilst hiking with the Durbanville gang. Sanddrif, a mere 45kms on, is where the cool shaded campsite and flowing river will give us a well deserved opportunity to cool off after the day's travel.

Day Two
An early start with everyone up and ready to go,  no complaints! Note to self: invite this crowd along again.  The cool early morning is welcome but we know it will be a short lived pleasure before the sun and the climb gets us delicately glowing, as my ouma would say. The long climb up to the cracks, with frequent stops to admire the Red Sandstone cliffs of the Valley of the Red Gods and the ever expanding views of the Sanddrif Valley is soon over to everyones relief. A nesting Rock Martin give Dick and Ermien plenty of opportunity to take photos and a little further on a Rock Jumper shows Stella the way.

An altitude gain of 440m over a distance of about 3kms was a good workout.

Nesting Rock Martin

Resting Ermien                              

So after a bit of debating about whether we should climb up onto the ledge or go under the impossible looking boulder, Ermien and I opt for the chockstone route while the rest follow Helen who has already climbed up on the ledge and is hauling up backpacks.

A wriggle under a chockstone, a short ledge to traverse and we are in the fabled cracks. To explain the experience will never do the cracks  justice.
All the dickybirds line up on the bridge with our photographer Dick having set the camera and making a mad dash to get into position of nonchalance. Much oohing and aahing and even more photos before we started up the funnel towards the postbox. I had a knot in my stomach and a rope in my backpack as the last time we were here I could not fit through the postbox and Charles hauled me over the top leaving a trail of skin along the way. Well despite my concerns I FITTED and wriggled through, a first for me. The only explanation is that someone must have excavated under the rock.

We stop for a tea break and to admire the Skurweberge in the distance. Wolfberg Arch lies a further 4kms away with a gain of about 120m in elevation. So most of the terrain is fairly flat but the day is steadily getting hotter.

A pair of Klipspringers en route both studiously ignore us as we stage whisper and take numerous photos. 

Glimpses of the Arch in the distance can be seen along the route as it gets steadily bigger and bigger. This monumental arch has been carved out over the centuries by wind water and heat.

The return trip is a fantasy of rock castles, dragons and other imaginary interpretations of the rock shapes. Our descent via the 1^st Crack is a much easier route. The cool shaded camp beckons down below and the inviting river waits to cool us off.

A lamb knuckle potjie and copious amounts of wine round off a wonderful day.Dick has us literally rolling on the ground with his hilarious demonstration of a Dutch air force drinking game.

Day Three
After breaking camp we take a short drive to the Stadsaal Caves and marvel at the San rock art of elephant. Elephant in the Cederberg? Yes believe it or not in the 1660’s elephant were plentiful in this area.

Another short drive (the heat at this stage is far too much to even contemplate a walk) takes us to

the Stadsaal Caves, a labyrinth of sandstone  tunnels, caves and overhangs.

The historic graffiti with some prominent historic figures leaving their mark on the rocks, is easily found. A little higher up  the names of prominent National Party leaders can be seen, their names well on their way to being obliterated by stone throwing objectors. At what point does graffiti become of historic importance? My advice: don’t be tempted to add your name to the list, the Caves are a National Monument and are protected by law.

We drive out passing the historic Maatjiesrivier where the office of the Leopard Trust is located. The Leopard Trust was set up to protect the Cederberg leopard and has made large gains since its establishment.

Cederberg Oasis provided a wonderful refueling stop with fresh toasted sandwiches and a dunk in the pool being most welcome. We can see a noticeable difference between the vegetation on the one side of the road compared to the other. On the left we have the Rooi Cederberg Karoo type of vegetation and on the right Cederberg fynbos.

The drive through Grootrivier Pass, Blinkberg Pass past Houdenbek and Op de Berg down the Gydo Pass and into Ceres is a reminder that we promised to visit the Tankwa Karoo soon. Any takers on a trip?
The next in a series of beautiful passes is the Michells Pass built by our old friend Andrew Bain in 1846 heading in the direction of Wolsely. This pass follows the Hex river as it winds its way through the Hex River Mountains.

The next pass to bag is Bains Kloof Pass. The route that was to become Bains Kloof Pass was discovered by Andrew  Geddes Bain in 1846, while he was supervising the building of Michell’s Pass. On completion of Michell’s Pass, Bain tackled the Bains Kloof Pass which was completed in September 1853. The 18km Pass runs from Wellington over the magnificent Limietberg and high above the Witte Rivier. Today’s road retains much of the original road as its foundation.

A last stop on Baines Pass gives us the opportunity to admire the view towards Wellington and in the distance Paarl Rock and then it’s the last leg home.
A wonderful trip with many highlights and beautiful memories to last a life time has come to an end.