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.