Whale Trail De Hoop Nature Reserve
By Ralph, on July 15th, 2005
7-12 July 2005
This post is a photo journey down the Whale Trail. It was the second time that I walked this wonderful trail.
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- Morning tea on Potberg. The Breede meanders to the coast below.
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- The trail follows Potberg’s spine.
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- Cupidoskraal hut is a welcome sight after 15km on day 1. Contrast the diversity of the fynbos in the foreground with the drab green of invasive bluegums behind the hut.
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- Protea as far as the eye can see. Who would believe it’s mid-winter? We experienced five warm, windless and cloudless days.
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- Deon above the ecotone where fynbos on sandstone gives way to fynbos on limestone. The bay at Noetsie, our destination on day 2, foams invitingly at centre left.
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- Succulents on limestone in riotous colour. The bright red-green in the valley is alien Rooikrans I think.
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- Noetsie.
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- I thought this looked interesting.
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- Bush cuisine conjured up by Alwyn. Noetsie’s meal comprised springbok and veggies done in foil on the open fire.
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- Noetsie in the morning. All evening and night we heard the whales blowing in the bay.
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- Rugged coast.
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- Leaving the hut at Hamerkop on day 4.
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- Morning on the beach between Hamerkop and Lekkerwater.
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- Blowholes.
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- What is it?
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- Alwyn and Deon plan and visualise the evening’s meal – or something.
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- Last time I promised myself a return to Vaalkrans. Vaalkrans is the Olde Seadog Inn of my boyhood stories.
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- This time the weather provided the perfect ambience for seafaring yarns – fog and crashing seas. The cave under the hut reverberated under the onslaught.
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- A wild scene. For once the whales are drowned out by the din.
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- The morning after, looking east. Later we watched a pod of about sixty dolphins porpoising up the coast.
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- A last look at Vaalkrans.
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- Ingrid prods our environmental consciences. As she said – if each one of us lugged 10 plastic bottles off the beach, that would make 120 each day. I wonder if we could outmatch the rate at which passing ships litter the coast. Perhaps a cleanup expedition is called for…
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- A group on a high: (b) Alwyn, Lorette, Marion, Karen; (f) Deon, me.
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