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Related posts:

1. Jonkershoek hiking

To quote Cape Nature’s brochure: “Kogelberg…represents perhaps the finest example of mountain fynbos in the Western Cape”. Approximately 1600 plant species of which about 150 are endemic, are found here. The reason for its near pristine condition has been its long isolation from development and agriculture, although in the last decades ribbon “development” of the coastline has boomed, resulting in the unsightly coastal towns that are common on our coast. A prime example of bad taste and low-density sprawl is perhaps Betty’s Bay, with Kleinmond a close second. One of the results has been the increased frequency of fires in the area mostly emanating from human settlements. Although the ecology is fire-driven, the fires are occurring at intervals that are too short and some species may disappear as a result.

Below are Google Earth tracks of some of the hiking routes in the reserve. With time I will add more.

If the track doesn’t appear in the window above or you don’t want to install the plugin in your browser, then download the Google Earth Kogelberg file and view it in Google Earth (download Google Earth)

Related posts:

1. Jonkershoek hiking
2. Walking in Fernkloof
3. Climbing Victoria Peak

This post is a photo journey down the Whale Trail. It was the second time that I walked this wonderful trail.

Related posts:

1. Whale Trail De Hoop
2. Nyalaland Wilderness Trail
3. Groot Winterhoek wilderness

The Palmiet River winds through the core of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. The nature reserve protects the most pristine and diverse fynbos in the Cape Floral Kingdom. There are a number of hikes of varying length in the reserve, but a favourite is a walk up the river. It’s very easy, but beautiful. How beautiful? Here’s a taste…

Kogelberg is now part of a World Heritage Site in recognition of its biodiversity value. The flower photos were taken on 7 November 2004, during a late spring in the Cape.

Related posts:

1. Hiking in Kogelberg
2. Klein River by kayak
3. Sea kayaking from Hangklip to Gordons Bay

Booking the Whale Trail is hard to do – it has become massively popular.

Potberg summit

So when I got a booking for the 17th, it looked perfect for the last 5 days of the school holidays. The dates would enable my daughters, wife, friends who are schoolteachers, etc. to go. It was not to be. Firstly, all hiking buddies dipped out, leaving me with potentially the most expensive hike of my life, and secondly, nobody told me the start date isn’t the first day of walking. So we rocked up at Potberg hut, late at night, with the rain bucketing down after a hairy drive on muddy roads, to find all mattresses taken and a full party of hikers wondering why their first night’s rest was being disturbed. My mistake. Luckily my pals hadn’t come – I would never have lived that down. So we spent an uncomfortable night in a cold bakkie.

But it was prescient perhaps, because it rained the next day, and climbing Potberg in mist and rain would have been less than pleasant. We resolved to hike the last two days in one

Breede River from Potberg

- they looked short enough – so that I could get the girls back for the start of school.

Day 2 – I mean Day 1 - dawns pristine, crisp and clear. The Potberg climb rewards us with spectacular views of the Breede River valley as it emerged from the morning mist. The walk along the watershed alternatively reveals the Breede and Grootkloof, agriculture and fynbos.

After Melkhout River (study the photo of the rockpool on the foldout map, else you’ll pick the wrong stream to lunch at), the second climb to cross the hills to Cupidoskraal is a bit of a slog, making sight of the hut welcome. Like all the others, it’s a great hut – luxurious by hiking trail standards.

Day 2: A short, sharp ascent is followed by a scenic cruise along the watershed down to the limestone hills verging the coast.

Descent to Cupidoskraal

The day is windless and cloudless. The Klipdrifsfonteinspruit in the valley is but a memory of a spruit. The valley is infested with Port Jackson (Acacia saligna), rooikrans (Acacia cyclops) and black wattle (Acacia mearnsii), a bit of Oz in Africa. It’s a lesson in environmental degradation. Where the rooikrans has been cleared, A. saligna is rising like hairs on a dog.

The approach to Noetsie is spectacular. Two whales are performing only 100m from our lapa. At dusk they disappear – run silent, run deep. The plastic flotsam washed up from the sea is awful. John Dunn and his family of 1915, would have seen a more pristine Noetsie.

Day 3: The cliff-top walk to Hamerkop is reminiscent of the Otter Trail, but arguably even better. Caves, cathedrals and cliffs. And whales. One breaches continuously below us, only

about 150m away. A languid half-twist,

Heather on the ecotone

a crooked smile, one eye, white belly…smack! They seem to be heading for Noetsie.

Heather and friends claim a klipspringer sighting. I wonder at what malcontents see fit to shatter the glazed, clay trail markers.

Hamerkop hut is different again, with its “wolweneus” gable and an upstairs verandah. The accompanying party of 5 (later 6) is excellent company. Gawie has everybody in stitches at will.

The huts are outstanding, even luxurious. Renewable resource and energy use is a feature. Solar power, wastewater and sewerage recycling, rooikrans firewood, separation of waste, etc.

Days 4 & 5: We leave before dawn, having to do two days in one, and finish early enough. It’s beautiful, walking on a deserted beach at first light.

We reach Vaalkrans in the late morning. Vaalkrans

Approach to Noetsie

is a stone and thatch fishing cottage, located atop a cliff and cave, and opposite a cormorant breeding colony.

It would be a great place to spend a stormy night. It reminds me of those boys’ adventure books I read once, of smugglers’ caves along the Cornwall coast, the Olde Sea Dog Inn, pints of ale and long yarns. [Three years later I do spend that night].

Unfortunately, we have to press on for Koppie Alleen. As we get closer, the whale density increases. You can hear them blow, a sound like failed whistles.

At 1 o’clock we’re at the vehicle. A truly magnificent trail it was. I will be back, even if it is only to spend a night at Vaalkrans.

Related posts:

1. Whale Trail De Hoop Nature Reserve
2. Boosmansbos Wilderness Trail
3. Cederberg – Wuppertal to Algeria

Our judgement impaired by a few beers and a bottle of red wine over dinner one night in the Strand, Ron, Peter and I resolved to try the Cederberg Traverse from Wuppertal to Algeria again – in the heat of December (a previous attempt was curtailed).

This time we got the logistics right. Deon, a friend who enjoys bush cooking, was appointed “base camp manager” and would run the shuttle service to drop us at Wuppertal. However, we

Peter at Kleinvlei

understimated the time required to drive there from Algeria, and consequently only set out into the Dassieboskloof at 10h00.  It was already hot – into the mid-30s.

It seems the locals have misguidedly spraypainted the names of features and path markings on most available rocks for the first 5km of the path. This, allied to the fact that power lines and water pipes, and not a little litter, mark the path, make the sector less than a “wilderness” experience.

Later that morning we shuffled into a “buite-stasie” of the Wuppertal mission called Kleinvlei, a quaint hamlet of about 10 houses and subsistence farming. Surprisingly, we were able to buy ice-cold Cokes. A friendly chat with the local women revealed that the most populous family in Kleinvlei is the Zimmeries clan. My comment that the name sounded German triggered much mirth, as the locals confirmed that an Oupa had always reminded those who would listen that “they were Germans”. Apparently, the Moravian missionaries had indulged in some over-enthusiastic conversion of the Khoi-Khoi…

Our contour map (dated 1981) shows the path up the Dassieboskloof to continue through Kleinvlei, when in fact it snakes up a kloof to the left, away from Kleinvlei, and then veers

Vogelsang valley at dusk

right to enter Dassieboskloof high on the left slopes. The locals pointed out where the path runs, but graciously allowed us to overrule them when we insisted we had to go up Dassieboskloof. Big mistake.

Little Mario and his gang were appointed to guide us up the river. The route quickly became a kloofing expedition, but the rock pools were fantastic. However, we realised that there was no path anymore and we began to doubt our map-reading abilities. The only thing to do was to climb the steep wall of the gorge until we hit the path, but by now the sun was beating down. I promptly lost my Game-filled waterbottle as we scrambled over large boulders, so I had to tackle the climb without it. The climb was an ordeal. The rocks were too hot to touch and the heat was something else. Eventually we dragged our exhausted bodies into some shade, but we knew we still had about 10km to cover to Crystal Pools. While we tried to recover, we wondered where the path was, only to find, when we finally staggered to our feet, that it was 5m away from our resting place!

The path continued upward in merciless sunshine. Eventually we decided, as heat exhaustion started to kick in, to rest in some shade until about 16h00, and then walk until sunset (about 20h00). This was a better decision than the one at Kleinvlei, and probably saved the hike for us. Although, it didn’t feel much cooler, we soldiered on up the interminable Vogelsang valley, crossing a number of vlei’s and streams. We were aiming for the tree and swimming hole near Turret Ridge, having realised that we probably wouldn’t make Crystal Pools in our condition. However, when night fell we found ourselves near the headwaters of the Sand River, still some way short of our destination. A meal, tea, custard and an incomparable view of the night sky

Big Ron and I overheat

restored us, and I enjoyed my best night’s sleep ever on a hike.

Soon after first light we set out again, determined to cover as much ground as possible before the heat took its toll. The cedar tree and the swimming hole, our goal of yesterday, looked idyllic – we will be back to spend time there. There followed a wonderful meander up the lower reaches of Engelsmanskloof. This is surely the one of the most beautiful parts of the Cederberg – sandstone castles and old cedars, valley meadows and sparkling streams.

After a great swim and breakfast at Crystal Pools we set out for Middelberg, down Groot Hartseer, across Grootlandsvlakte, where two mounted rangers – one known to us through our annual cedar-planting efforts with the Cederberg Conservation Group – passed us. We continued up to Geelvlei and Cathedral Rocks and then dropped down to the basin where the Middelberg huts nestle. It was still early afternoon and we believed Algeria was only a short downhill away, so we leisurely savoured lunch under the oaks next to the stream. At this point Peter rediscovered his sunglasses in his rucksack, which he had packed in for the previous expedition at Boosmansbos, and then ‘lost’. I suppose one way of preparing for a hike is to leave the rucksack packed…

Algeria wasn’t a mere downhill away. As we breasted the valley rim, the heat rising out of the valley hit us like a blowtorch. Although we could see the green of the campsite as we zig-zagged down the shadeless slope, we never seemed to get closer, and the lower we got, the hotter the path became. Eventually, at the end of our tether, we staggered into Algeria, attracting uncomprehending stares from the holiday-makers, and fell into the pool.

It was only in the bakkie on the road back home that we realised the Cape was in the grip of a heatwave, and that temperatures had edged into the 40’s.

I think we will spend the summer months windsurfing, and leave the hikes for autumn…

Related posts:

1. Crystal Pools – Cederberg
2. Grootlandsvlakte – Cederberg
3. Boosmansbos Wilderness Trail