Deep into Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve
With much perseverance and determination Santie had obtained a permit to hike to Shamrock Lodge (it's really a basic hiking hut) at Landdroskop, What we didn't know, however, was that the permit was a "special dispensation". So when I arrived at Nuweberg gate, before...
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Zebra stripes and yellow streaks
The MCSA Stellenbosch's first official post-lockdown outing was a weekend hike to Zebra Peak (1458m ASL; Sebrakop on national geo-spatial maps) on Piketberg. It is located on private land on the plateau rim, north-east of most of the cultivated lands. With the...
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Berg River Dam to Jonkershoek traverse
Via Assegaaiboschkloof With Santie having proposed another springtime foray into Assegaaiboschkloof to view the blushing brides in bloom, I misguidedly proposed a refinement to the hike: why not start at the Berg River Dam and continue over Bergriviersnek to...
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Blind Gully and Diagonal, Table Mountain
I was keen to hike Table Mountain again after an absence of more than two years. The suggestion that we ascend via Blind Gully sounded interesting, but I was simultaneously wary given the name of the route. I was concerned about exposed scrambling and negotiating...
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HH Epic Trail
Hepic Trail for short. The Hepic is a private hiking trail that follows the route of the original Epic cycle trail above the railway line that snakes out of the Helderberg bowl. It is located north-east of the Gantouw Pass below Hanskop. Access has to be arranged...
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Three Sisters and Perdeberg
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, Kleinmond I was expecting a stroll with a gradual climb to the Perdeberg lookout, something I have done a couple of times. But I was rapidly disabused of this notion when we veered up onto the Three Sisters ridge and proceeded to scale its...
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Perdekop escape
While languishing in level 4 lockdown, we had been planning our escapes to the great outdoors where mega-social distancing is possible, and even desirable. Undeniably, outdoor exercise, fresh air and sunlight boost your immune system (along with other factors such as...
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Botmaskop fly-past
Nobody said I couldn't fly the drone past Botmaskop while in lockdown, so here's a short clip of a virtual hike: [HTML1]
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Kromrivier Kloof: bucket list stuff
Mountain man, Paul Verhoeven, has been the de facto custodian of my adventure bucket list, although he is unlikely to know this. It was he who pointed out the gaps in my admittedly-very-short list of abseil adventures, and insisted that the popular kloofing trips on...
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Solitude at Agtertafelberg hut
Kevin had suggested a hike that has long been on our list: the Wemmershoek Traverse from Mont Rochelle above Franschhoek across the Wemmershoek mountains to the MCSA’s Agtertafelberg hut. When the designated weekend arrived heavy rain was forecast so departure was...
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