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A Table Mountain circuit

Ralph — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:51:13 +0000

Bakoven from Kasteelspoort

In all the years of walking on the mountain I have never climbed Platteklip Gorge. At Peter’s suggestion we parked at Kloof Nek and tackled the 15.4 km circuit up Platteklip, through the valleys of Isolation and the Red Gods, to the reservoirs and down Kasteelspoort, and back along the Pipe Track. It was two days after Christmas and the mountain was topped by the table cloth (which made the steep Platteklip climb a whole lot easier). What struck me, however, was the high number of young people walking on the mountain and how representative they were of Cape Town’s cosmopolitan culture. Twenty years ago most hikers on any given day would have been members of the white middle-class; now there are kids from the townships, the Cape Flats, the suburbs, all obviously wanting to be on the mountain, all celebrating this wonderful place and all visibly enjoying a day out in nature. I can’t help but wonder whether the SA National Parks’ “people in parks” programme is actually working …

A Google Earth track of the walk and some photos follow..

Table Mountain cableway from the Pipe Track

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Or download the track of this walk and view in Google Earth

Platteklip Gorge (up) and Kasteelspoort (down) track profile

Peter at Woodhead reservoir

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Cape Point’s east coast

Ralph — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:41:32 +0000

The 13 km walk down Cape Point’s east coast from the gate to the restaurant at the point is possibly the most scenically spectacular hike in the country. Besides the vistas across False Bay, the precipitous drops to the rocky coast below and the way the peninsula unfolds as one skirts Judas Peak or Die Boer, the weather can be very diverse too – wild and windy or tranquil and impossibly blue on any given day.

A Google Earth track and photos follow …

View Larger Map
Or download the Google Earth track and view in Google Earth (the track also includes the west coast trail)

Da Gama monument

Classic kombi camper

Rooikrantz ("red cliff")

Pirate of the Cape

On the edge

Lighthouse

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Simonstown to Smitswinkel on foot

Ralph — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:10:21 +0000

Swartkop to Hangklip and beyond

We took the Old Mule Trail up to Blockhouse Gap where two old blockhouses, apparently built at the beginning of World War I to guard the eastern approach through the nek to the naval ammunitions magazines that scar the high valley above Simonstown, slowly weather away. From there a breathtaking walk along the Swartkop Ridges, up to Swartkop peak (678 m) and south to the spur north of Smitswinkel Bay afforded stunning vistas of the Cape Peninsula as well as across False Bay to Hangklip and beyond to Gansbaai. We left a second vehicle near the Cape Point gate and reached it about six hours and 11.4 km later. Photos and a Google Earth track follow …

As you can see from the photos, it was one of those azure days, illuminated by diamond light, that only the Cape can conjure up…

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View Larger Map
Or download the kmz file for viewing in Google Earth

www.flickr.com

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Photos of Table Mountain walks

Ralph — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:15:32 +0000

The Cape-based members of the Patagonia group are training for the trek through the Andes by taking regular walks in the Cape Peninsula’s Table Mountain National Park. Here are some photos from those walks along with some older ones…

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Baboons matter

Ralph — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:59:58 +0000

On the Cape Peninsula there are few people who are neutral towards the local Chacma baboons: you either love them or hate them. The remnant troops of the Table Mountain National Park which now protects a large portion of the peninsula, range from the southern table of Table Mountain down to Cape Point. They form an isolated population surrounded by an urban conurbation in the north-east and the ocean elsewhere. Experts estimate that the 250 or so remaining animals face extinction within 10 years as their habitat shrinks, their gene pool becomes less viable and they suffer persecution from the human inhabitants of the peninsula.A few weeks ago we went “walking with baboons” in the Glencairn area with the guide from Baboon Matters, an NGO that runs a Baboon Monitoring Project. The project aims to prevent conflict between humans and baboons. Baboon Matters is part of a larger Baboon Management Team (BMT) that comprises SA National Parks, Cape Nature, KEAG, the Baboon Research Unit, other NGOs, primatologists, etc. and whose objective is to ensure the long-term conservation of baboons on this beautiful, but contested, sliver of land.

Cape Peninsula baboon distribution (source: Baboon Matters)

Getting close to the Da Gama Park troop as they descended from their roosts to feed was an enlightening and humbling experience. Unconcerned by our presence, they proceeded to play, groom, mate, gather food and noisily sort out a few hierarchical issues. We spent most of the morning with them and our garrulous and informative guide.

www.flickr.com

National Geographic recently did a piece on these baboons in which some telling points are made:

Many residents of the Cape see the primate as a pest.

But the founder of Baboon Matters says what many humans forget, is that baboons gave their lives for medical research.

Jenni Trethowan, Founder Baboon Matters “And now where’s the gratitude? People can have heart transplants, and liver transplants and kidney transplants, what do we owe back to the animals that we practiced on for so long?”

My view on the matter is that given that the Cape Peninsula is a national park and world heritage site, if you choose to live there then you should recognise that you are living a) in a fire-driven ecology and b) in proximity to wild animals. This isn’t suburbia in the usual sense; it requires a sense of place, a spirit of custodianship and a willingness to adapt. There will be fires near your house every decade or so. The baboons will come calling – they were there first after all. Adapt your living arrangements to live in harmony with the place and it’s traditional inhabitants.

Cape of Good Hope Trail The Cape of Good Hope Trail starts at the main...

Cape of Good Hope Trail

Ralph — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:04:30 +0000

Erica hut and Platboom

The Cape of Good Hope Trail starts at the main gate to the Cape Point section of the Table Mountain National Park, and ends there 33.5km and two days later.

Day 1 features a spectacular walk down the False Bay coast. There are commanding views across False Bay and over the peninsula south towards Cape Point. The distance is only about 13km, depending on the route option one takes at Kanonkop. But spend time lingering on the peaks and investigating the shoreline.

Overnight in one of three huts near Cape Point. We stayed in Erica Hut, which was part of the Dias Battery Observation Post in World War II. As you can guess, the views towards the north and west from the hut and the nearby emplacement are unhindered and command the Atlantic coast as well as the peninsula to Table Mountain in the distance.

Day 2 is far longer, about 20.5km. It follows the Atlantic shore and offers none of the rewarding views of day 1. Points of interest at the Hoek van Bobbejaan include ancient Khoi-San shell middens and the wreck of the Phyllisia (1968). When we walked there the area had been scorched and it was hot work. When the veld recovers, the fynbos will offer rich, flowering rewards.

Download the Google Earth trail track, or view the 3D map below:

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