A pleasurable easy stroll through Constantia area - De Hel trail

Hiking Trail: De Hel
Name of Reserve / Area: Greater Constantia area
Nearest Town: Constantia, Houtbay, Tokai
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 1 hour 30 min (about 4km, this is a semi circular walk)

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, take the the M3 south towards Muizenberg. Turn right into Rhodes Drive. Follow this scenic windey road until you get to a circle in the road. This is known as Constantia Nek. Turn left and drive down into Constantia Main Road. About 750 meters from the circle, you will find a small car park on your left. This marks the start of your walk onto the De Hel trail.




Best time of year to go: Any time is good. This path is covered with thick forest and schrubs and makes for a comfortable walk on a hot summers' day.

What costs did you incur to do this hike: none

How safe is it: As always, I make sure I have some sort of protection. In this case, my only source of protection was my man and his doggie Zues, the 5 year old doberman. Lucky for me, Alex remembered to bring his pepper spray and his shocker too. I was covered from all bases. I would not take this walk on my own though.

Fresh Water: The little stream along the way provided a good supply of water for the pooch, but we did find a runners' fountain right at the end of the walk by Southern Cross Drive.

Difficulty: very easy stroll. Great walk for beginners, elderly and your fat lazy / old doggie.




Pets: Allowed (fat ones, thin ones, old ones, the works!)


From the car-park, turn right at the De Hel signpost and follow the narrow path down into the beautiful valley.

(the above image was taken along this route, and can be saved as a wall-paper if u wish to do so)

Soon the path will make a sharp turn to the left and eventually you will find yourself walking next to the stream below.





Ignore the first wooden footbridge crossing over the stream on your left...



...as well as a large fallen tree over the stream , just a few meters further.



Both these offer paths to our destination at the top, but do keep right and continue to enjoy the scenery until you find the second wooden footbridge at the bottom of the path. This is a great spot to sit and enjoy a relaxing picnic whilst hearing the water flow below and the birds chirping above. Turn left and cross over the stream onto the wooden footbridge.



Soon after you have crossed over the second wooden footbridge, the path will fork again.

You have a choice of going left - the easy stroll to the top, or right over a third wooden footbridge - which is a more fairly difficult inclined walk with some steep steps to the top.


We took the more easier option going left and followed the narrow path up the hill.



Either one of these routes will take you in about 10 minutes to the jeep track above.



Turn right at the jeep track and follow the almost level gravel path all the way to the end of this route at Southern Cross Drive.



Here you will also find a water fountain for you and your pooch to enjoy some fresh cold drinking water.



Turn back and retrace your steps all the way until you get to the path you just came up from. Ignore going back down the path, but continue walking along the jeep track. This jeep track will bring you back to where you parked your car in Constantia Main Road.



How will I rate this hike? It was not the most spectacular I have been on, but I rate it as a must do. If you need some time out from your hiking due to an injury or ill health, this walk will be a pleasure to use as a 'get-back-into' things again.

Things to do - Saturday 24 October 2009

Support 350.org's International Day of Climate Action on Saturday the 24th of October, along with WWF and hundreds of other partner organisations around the world as you

Vote for Earth!

Show your vote on www.wwf.org.za and help create a global mandate for a fair and effective climate deal in December in Copenhagen.

What is 350 all about?
350 is the number that scientists have indicated is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.
Source: Love Our Environment


Hike up Table Mountain this Saturday!...

TABLE MOUNTAIN HUMAN "350" (08h00-13h00)
Join a hike up Table Mountain via Platteklip gorge. We will be forming a human 350 on the table top which will be filmed from a helicopter to send out a powerful message to the world. We are meeting at 08h00 at the Lower Cable Station, Table Mountain Road. Wear Red, Orange or Yellow to symbolise global warming.


Take your ice blocks to Muizenberg this Saturday!...

MUIZENBERG MELTING "350" (09h00-16h00)
Join us on Muizenberg beach and gather around the number 350, set up in giant ice blocks. Use blastic lined cardboard boxes and 5L ice cream tubs to make ice blocks. Bring your ice blocks, be part of the photo, or take your own pictures from the beach or up on Boyes Drive.


March with your own banners down the street in Stellenbosch this Saturday!...

STELLENBOSCH "350" march (13h00-16h00)
Join us for a 30min march through Stellenbosch, starting on campus and passing through the historical centre. We will meet in the car park outside the General Administration Building B of Stellenbosch University on Victoria street and leave at 13h00 sharp! Draw 350 on your face or t-shirt and come with home-made 350 flags or banners. At the end of the march, we will gather on the grass in the shape of a big 350 for a final picture.

For more information on these and other actions happening in your area, visit www.350.org or contact 350.org Africa Liaison, Samantha Bailey on samantha@350.org


(Click on image for larger version)

The Official New 7 Wonders of the World

The Official New 7 Wonders of the World, as announced in random order at the Official Declaration Ceremony on 07.07.07, are: The Great Wall of China, Petra, Chichén Itzá , the Statue of Christ Redeemer, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. More than 100 million votes were cast worldwide. The New 7 Wonders are all equal – there is no rank among the list.

Next: New 7 Wonders of Nature still needs to be voted for and finalised.



The New7Wonders of Nature latest rankings can be found here. To date Table Mountain is ranking at no 7!!!!

Read the easy to follow 2 Options to Vote in this article - vote now! And please tell you friends to vote for Table Mountain too! Time is still on our side - jeay!

Hiking Wallpaper picnic at Silvermine

Summer is starting to find its way back to the Southern hemisphere.

Get your sunblock out and your costumes ready and head for a pic-nic at the Silvermine Lake just above Constantia. This is a must do for your summer calendar.

I took this picture on my hike to view Elephants Eye Cave. Click here if you would like to read more about this hiking route.

To save above image on your desktop, do the following:

• right click on image
• open in a new window / new tab
• right click on image again
• save as desktop / wall paper / back ground (depending on your software version)

Interviewing Newly elected MCSA President

Its refreshing to see that the MCSA's newly elected President will be focusing on bridging the age-gap of its membership. The Mountain Club of South Africa is really an amazing club for one to belong to, but its natural for people to want to associate with their peers.

The current membership base have aging members with hardly any youngsters wanting to come on board - for various reasons (non of which are bad, mostly because they cant find relation to join - so they end up joining other smaller or maybe even more 'commercial' hiking / climbing groups). The members have the knowledge and experience that younger generations would love to learn from. I trust that the leaders at MCSA will find ways for their current members to pass on their wisdom, experience and knowledge for the generations to come.

PS: The MCSA have a kick-ass website going live soon, and even better communication technology which they are putting together to keep the communication channels open for its members. All of this is headed up by Tony Heher and his team of IT volunteers. Well done to all of them for a great amount of effort going in to proving to be great results!

See Interview for the New MCSA President below.


Source : Mountain Club of South Africa - Cape Town Section

Interview with the newly elected President of the MCSA, Dave Jones September 2009

Bill Turner, a Cape Town Section member of long-standing, was asked to interview the newly elected President of the MCSA, Dave Jones, who he has known for some years.

Bill: Congratulations, Dave, on your election as President of the MCSA. We have read an account of your mountaineering activities in your CV for the UIAA, published in our national newsletter. Despite your disabled leg as a result of the accident when you were a student, you have engaged in many hard outdoor activities in addition to carrying your children and family rucksacks up and down the mountains. Please tell us about your marathon running.

Dave: I have always pretended that I don’t have a disabled leg. I used to be a marathon runner until the wheels came off permanently. I enjoyed the challenge of it.

Bill: What marathons have you run?

Dave: I have run two Comrades and about seven Two Oceans, and all the qualifying marathons that go with that. It was only for about a 10 year period, and then the crocked leg said “stop!”

Bill : You also have an interest in sailing and canoeing...

Dave: When I was younger there were not so many outdoor activities as there are now. I have always been a sailor. When I was a student I enthusiastically planned to join the UCT Mountain Club. Then I got hit by a car and so sailing was the other thing that I could do. As a student I was part of the UCT Yacht Club and I have been an active sailor ever since.

Bill : And now you are the Commodore of the George Lakes Yacht Club, where you and I have often crossed tacks while competing in our respective Laser dinghies.

What is your vision for the MCSA in the future?

Dave : I find that a very interesting question. I have been a member of the Mountain Club for over 40 years and I have never actually had a view - I haven’t felt it necessary. As an ordinary Mountain Club member I've had lots of opinions, but vision? That was for the high and mighty, I always thought.

Bill : Nevertheless, you must have some ideas about certain really important aspects, one being our access to the mountains...

Dave : Yes, you are quite right, Bill. I mustn’t be flippant about it. I joined the Mountain Club for many good reasons. The main reason was the access it gives you to wonderful mountains. The importance of the Mountain Club in my life can’t be underrated.

Bill : And this of course ties up with ownership of mountain land by the Mountain Club...

Dave : Yes, this is a very important aspect of the Mountain Club, although it has an element of concern for me. The responsibilities that go with any land ownership are becoming more and more significant. I hope, as the Mountain Club, we can weather possible storms that may lie ahead. I am confident we shall. Certainly I am in favour of the Mountain Club owning mountain land, it needs to be protected and we are the best to do it.

Bill : How can we improve our relationship with authorities in charge of mountain land?

Dave : It is one of the sad facts about our recent history that we have lost stature as an association, as a mountain club. We were consulted by government bodies in the past. Now, if anything, we tend to be ignored, and I think in some ways it has been our own fault. We have continued as if there was no need for change, and yet the country has been changing. We haven’t been contributing enough actively to broadening what we do with the greater community. What I mean by that is there are considerable opportunities for job creation and skills training - especially in the tourist industry - for people who are experienced and know the mountains. I don’t think the Mountain Club is doing what it could be doing to exploit these opportunities. I think if we were a bit more proactive we might be listened to a bit better.

Bill : Of concern is the perception that the Mountain Club is dying of old age. How can we attract those many younger active climbers, who are at present not members, to join the MCSA?

Dave : The fact that we have an aging membership and virtually a static membership in the Mountain Club is a matter of concern. What many people forget is that it actually is a reflection of the population group that traditionally the Mountain Club has served. This group is also aging, and their numbers have fallen. If the Mountain Club was more attractive and offered advantages, or training, and offered accessibility to job opportunities, I think we would see a very different demographic makeup and a very different age makeup. At this stage of our development the people we should be attracting are the people who are in the game, particularly the young climbers, because young climbers often become very good older, mature hikers in the Mountain Club. I think that the Mountain Club has at this stage to really make itself accessible to the young and adventurous. So I, personally, am all in favour of new developments like competition climbing, although I have never done it. If we are going to represent mountains and mountaineering in this country, we should be actively seeking to represent sports climbers on the international stage. I think they are our future.

Bill: Why do you think we really need a mountain club?

Dave: You need some sort of direction in any activity. We need some sort of representative body. Individuals can join or not, that’s not really relevant. Unless there is some sort of central vision, almost control, we’ll be like a whole lot of wanderers in the darkness. So I think a unified body in a country like South Africa, which has beautiful mountains and has people active in climbing and hiking, is essential.

Bill : Going on to the world stage, how important is the UIAA membership for the MCSA? After all it is rather expensive...

Dave : I personally think it is one of the most important developments in the Mountain Club. After a period in the wilderness in the bad old apartheid years, we became reaccepted into the international community. Previous presidents - I think Andre Schoon was the front runner here - made sure that we were not only accepted internationally, but accepted as full members of the UIAA, the International Alpine Association, and I am very proud of the fact that we are active members of that association.

Bill : Do you intend to attend UIAA meetings?

Dave : Yes, if we are members of the UIAA we should be contributing, we should be attending the meetings, so, yes, I am. I’ll be going to my first one in October this year and I am looking forward to it, not because I can make a contribution yet, but because I should become au fait with what it is all about and how it works, so that I can contribute.

Bill: Finally Dave, in a nutshell, how would you like to see the club develop during your term in office?

Dave: I should like to see the MCSA strengthen its position as a unified, central voice for all mountain related activities, for conservation and for mountain access; that it continue to forge international links by active participation in the UIAA; that it seek to regain some of the stature it appears to have lost with the authorities as a legitimate consultative body in Mountain Policy Planning; that its membership become more inclusive; and that it pay more attention to aspirations of the young and adventurous to encourage them to become members.

Bill: And now I’d like you to join me on a canoeing trip down the Breede River .

Dave : Good idea. When?

Miss Cape Point 2009

It was a tough one this year, but the judges decision is final.

Update: Tokai Arboretum walk

In response to my original article about the sad state of the Tokai Arboretum, SANPARKS responded.


1 September 2009: Feedback Received from SANPARKS:

I am delighted and thankful that SANPARKS responded with a great response. We will update the blog as soon as we can take them up on their offer!

Juanita,

we have a booklet with a list of 1555 trees in it. It has 4 columns - number on tree, the corresponding scientific name, common name and origin.
I do update this booklet every 2 years to make provision for dying off, wind falls, etc.

The booklet is available at the office and at the Tea room.

We can unfortunately not display the tree names on each tree, but we have the map in the Arboretum and we have the booklets.

The tree in the photograph with your article is Eucalyptus botryoides, the one with the knobs...

And the other one that looks like a candlebra is a dead Pinus radiata.

I will soon display name boards specifically on these 2 trees.

When you return to Tokai Arboretum for your 'proper educational walk' please invite me and John Green, the chair person of our Friends association, to accompany you on your walk.

Regards,

Chris Botes,
Tokai Plantation, TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK,
P.O.Box 30088, TOKAI. 7966 Tel: 021. 712 7471 Cell: 082 411 3544

Karbonkelberg Erosion Warning

Hiking Trail: Kapteins Peak / Karbonkelberg
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Houtbay, Llundudno
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 2 hours 30 min

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, follow the beach road which hugs the mountain via Campsbay towards Llundudno, then drive into Houtbay Main Road. Continue straight with this road through Houtbay all the way pass the Houtbay Harbour. Take the first road right up towards the mountain. At T-junction turn right into Karbonkelberg Road. 2nd road right again into Bayview Road. Follow Bayview Road all the way to the top. This road is very windey, but follow your nose in a upward direction and you should not go too far wrong.

Best time of year to go: Any time is good. This is a very exposed route with no trees for shade on a hot summers day, so do be careful if you wish to choose this route in summer.

What costs did you incur to do this hike: none

How safe is it: from a security point of view, I would not recommend that you go up here alone. This is a perfect easy walk for the dogs, so we felt safe having the Dobies to protect us.

Fresh Water: none

Difficulty: easy stroll to the top, but once you reach the eroded sections it becomes a dangerous walk. We did not go all the way to the Karbonkelberg, we only went to Kapteins Peak, and this was perfectly safe.

Pets: Yes. Remember to take extra water for the doggies. On our way down, we happen to pass a lady and her 7 unleashed dogs... (3 were large dogs) all wanting to sniff the dobermans. Lady please... PLEASE do not do this again if you can not control your unleashed dogs. This was not a very pleasant sight for all involved. For me to control a doberman who is being attacked by an unleashed dog proved to be impossible. Had they gone on any longer, there would have been no way that I would have been able to stop them.

I just fail to comprehend what goes on in a persons mind when they think this sort of activity is acceptable. Then again, I could be sarcastic and say that owning 7 dogs is just as questionable.

How will I rate this hike?
We wanted to find Kapteins Peak, which we did. It was fairly easy as it was the first hill on your right, as you start to cross over the steel mesh humps in the path going upwards.



To the left of the main path going up is known as the Long Drop (that we did the last time we came here) which gives you the most stunning views of a very isolated part of the coastline below.



But in our attempts to explore further, and maybe even go all the way to the old Radar house, built on the edge of the real Karbonkelberg, we were very much surprised to see how bad the path on this route was eroded.



It was so bad, that we decided to give it a miss for good, or at least until it could maybe be repaired. This path is still in the process of collapsing, and is in fact at its most dangerous during this time.



Lovely walk, but very dangerous at the time of writing this article - if u wish to go all the way to the top of Karbonkelberg - it is not recommended.



See my other article of The Karbonkelberg hiking trail.