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Dropping down Cascades

Dropping down Cascades

by Ralph Pina | Feb 15, 2021 | Featured Posts, kloofing, Limietberg Nature Reserve

When Paul suggested a lockdown escape to Cascades in Du Toitskloof, with a little abseiling involved, I thought it a decent idea. I knew that the MCSA often scrambled up it and abseiled down the next day. My conclusion was that if you can scramble up it, it...
Kloofing Visgat

Kloofing Visgat

by Ralph Pina | Feb 13, 2021 | Featured Posts, Groot Winterhoek Wilderness, kloofing

Almost by accident I was nominated to lead a MCSA Stellenbosch section kloofing trip down the Visgat canyon. Visgat is a highlight of the MCSA Cape Town section’s summer calendar and they kindly allocate a few dates to Stellenbosch. The fact that I could have...
Fighting aliens in De Hoop

Fighting aliens in De Hoop

by Ralph Pina | Feb 11, 2021 | conservation, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Featured Posts

My recent post, The Whale Trail in the Pandemic, has attracted enormous traffic, by the standards of my site at least. In it I opine that biological control of Acacia cyclops (rooikrans) in De Hoop Nature Reserve is failing because my – admittedly unscientific...
The Whale Trail in the pandemic

The Whale Trail in the pandemic

by Ralph Pina | Jan 24, 2021 | conservation, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Featured Posts, hiking, trails

As South Africa emerged from the hard lockdown in mid-2020, I became desperate to escape to the outdoors. On the off-chance that the Whale Trail was open, I contacted Cape Nature and easily obtained a booking for the trail in January 2021. The hugely popular trail was...
Mad dogs and Englishmen …

Mad dogs and Englishmen …

by Ralph Pina | Dec 24, 2020 | Cederberg Wilderness Area, Featured Posts, hiking, wilderness trail

… go out in the midday sun (in the Cederberg in summer) Or so the song goes. Except that the hiking group comprised a Belgian, a German, a half-Dutchman, a half-Greek-Cypriot and a boeremeisie – the instigator. All keen hikers and outdoorspeople. Almost...
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Welcome to RalphPina.com

Thank you for visiting my outdoor blog. RalphPina.com documents my experiences over many years of appreciating, and adventuring in, Nature. It celebrates visual beauty, advocates minimal impact, reflects on humans’ relationship with our ecosphere, spans the planet but focuses on the wild diversity of southern Africa. Photos, videos and GPS maps of hiking, cycling, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing and windsurfing..

Recent Posts

  • Dropping down Cascades
  • Kloofing Visgat
  • Fighting aliens in De Hoop
  • The Whale Trail in the pandemic
  • Burnt dogs, no Englishmen
  • Mad dogs and Englishmen …
  • Hike above Kogelbaai
  • Deep into Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve
  • Zebra stripes and yellow streaks
  • Berg River Dam to Jonkershoek traverse
  • Blind Gully and Diagonal, Table Mountain
  • HH Epic Trail

Recent Comments

  • Greta on Grootvadersbosch and Boosmansbos
  • Ralph Pina on The Whale Trail in the pandemic
  • Diana Smit on Burnt dogs, no Englishmen
  • gwilford2012 on Hike above Kogelbaai
  • Ralph Pina on Hike above Kogelbaai

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Analytics

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Friends

  • Peter Groves

Good Causes

  • Fire Information System for SA
  • The Cape Leopard Trust

Hiking sites I like

  • Boots and Fins
  • Ian Webb's Great Hikes in the Western Cape
  • Jacques Niemand – interesting hikes
  • Maps – Hike the Cederberg
  • Mountain Club of SA Stellenbosch Section
  • Mountain Meanders

Parks

  • Cape Nature
  • SANParks

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Dropping down Cascades
  • Kloofing Visgat
  • Fighting aliens in De Hoop
  • The Whale Trail in the pandemic
  • Burnt dogs, no Englishmen
  • Mad dogs and Englishmen …
  • Hike above Kogelbaai
  • Deep into Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve
  • Zebra stripes and yellow streaks
  • Berg River Dam to Jonkershoek traverse
  • Blind Gully and Diagonal, Table Mountain
  • HH Epic Trail
  • Three Sisters and Perdeberg
  • Perdekop escape
  • Botmaskop fly-past
  • Kromrivier Kloof: bucket list stuff
  • Solitude at Agtertafelberg hut
  • Turret Peak mission
  • Hunting in Assegaaiboschkloof
  • A weekend at Zoo Ridge
  • A pristine winter’s day on Victoria Peak
  • A militarised Wolhuter Wilderness Trail
  • Picnic at Hangklip
  • Gantouw Pass
  • Seweweekspoort Para-cycle Tour

Recent Comments

  • Greta on Grootvadersbosch and Boosmansbos
  • Ralph Pina on The Whale Trail in the pandemic
  • Diana Smit on Burnt dogs, no Englishmen
  • gwilford2012 on Hike above Kogelbaai
  • Ralph Pina on Hike above Kogelbaai
Feb 2021
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891011121314
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« Jan    

Recent Posts

  • Dropping down Cascades
  • Kloofing Visgat
  • Fighting aliens in De Hoop
  • The Whale Trail in the pandemic
  • Burnt dogs, no Englishmen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License except where otherwise indicated for some photos. Kindly attribute by linking to this site or citing “www.ralphpina.com”.

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