Blog Header Image

I usually use my favourite images as headers and am always both sad to let the one go, yet excited to post the new ones!  So instead of them just vanishing into thin air, I will post them as I change them for good memories!  This picture was taken on a walk from Eagles to Table Mountain. I remember this day so well.  It was hot and sunny - but I was low on energy almost all the way.  Every time I walk on my hikes, I get reminded on how beautiful a country we live in.

Diagonal Route up, Kasteels Poort down

oh I LOVE my new toy that I got for Christmas!

this little genius GPS tells me distances, altitudes and maps the route for me directly onto Google Earth. yes... yes... we all have GPS's in our phones (and up our butts! ...is sometimes how I would prefer to put it), but this one is great because it downloads the data so nicely onto my computer. I just love it. Thanks to my awesome boyfriend, who spoilt me rotten for Christmas :)

ok, so here's the route... and I hope you will also like to follow it one day too!

Hiking Trail: Pipe Track, Diagonal Route, via Porcupine Ravine & Kasteels Poort
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Camps Bay, Cape Town
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

To start off with, the Vertical profile below shows how high we climbed as well as the total distance covered.



Duration of hike: 4 hours, if you stop to take pictures.



it all started at 5am and a very disalusioned sleepy me waiting to for 'the lights to come on' to make my next move - and that is to decide if I want to hike today - or kite (one of my other crazy mad hobbies). After much debate with my other half... especially the fact that we agreed on a 6 a.m'er and not a 5a.m'er as he suggested, we managed to get our butts out of bed and 'head for the hills'! (it looks like a blown-out day today with no waves anyway).

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, take Buitengracht Road up towards the Cable Way, at the top of Kloofnek Road, turn left onto Tafelberg Road. Immediately on your right is the parking area for the Pipe Track. Take the steps in the direction of Campsbay, and soon your walk will follow a long narrow path the hugs the mountain towards its more famously known as the 12 Apostles.



Where are we going today? he said to me. So I replied with a very comfortable ... the Pipe Track. Its perfect for when you want to bail out of a planned route, as its long enough for a good walk and short enough if you still want to venture upwards.

Best time of year to go: On a cool cloudy day is always good.

What costs did you incur to do this hike: none

How safe is it: This route is as isolated as the rest of the routes on Table Mountain. Make sure you have some sort of protection on you at all times. We ran into tourists that were totally unprepared for the mountain again.

Today our snacks involved 2 apples, packet of peanuts, some banana bread and 4 sachets of instant cuppachino coffee, 2 litres of water each and a flask of hot water. Alex is not impressed with my choice of nibbles lately... but i have to remind him that we are training to get fit and keep in shape and that these snacks are NOT doing wonders to our waist lines at all.



The image above shows the route along the pipe track, which marks the start and end of this route.

Soon into starting our route we met up with a friendly gentleman and his doggie that he rescued 6 months ago from a local pound. He proceeded to tell us all about the Diagonal Route that we are about to follow.



Pets: Pets are allowed, but please remember that your dog also needs fluids and nutrients when you take them with you. The route is very exposed from the heat of the sun and the rocks get very hot. Ive seen how my own dogs got blisters under their paws from fairly short hikes on hot days, so please take care of them.



Walk along the Pipe Track for 2.5km and turn left by this sign which is the start of your up-climb on the Diagonal Route.



The path will zig-zag almost half way to the top. From here the views of Campsbay and the back of the table are breathtaking. I had to take a few breaks up, but was not half as exhausted as my trip up Platteklip Gorge last weekend.



Difficulty: Easy, very little scrambling, but it was 10km in distance.



Soon you will reach a rock overhang, known as Porcupine Cave. It is not a cave, but a mere rock overhang and a perfect spot for a quick break before you start the next leg of the climb.



Once you have head around the face, the path follows directly over the waterway and up into Porcupine Ravine. Halfway up into Porcupine Ravine, keep your eye out for the clear path heading towards the right. Take this route which is clearly marked by two cairns which are packed on top of the rocks either side of the path.



Now you head in the direction of Barrier Ravine, which also hugs the mountain, until you reach Barrier Ravine.






At the top of Barrier Ravine, we stopped to have well deserve coffee break and picnic.

The banana bread and coffee went down so well. The wind was howling - at least 50km ph - but we managed to get a really awesome spot behind a big rock, with a stunning view of the ocean below. After the apples, nuts and 3 cups of the best Nestle Cuppachino coffee in the whole world, we decided to move on. At the point we made the call that the wind was blowing very strong... in fact too strong to continue our 3km walk to the Cable way (which was closed due to the strong wind), so we decided to rather head towards Kasteels Poort and back down to the Pipe Track.

The path drops over the top and into the Valley of the Red Gods. You could see the Mountain Club huts from here too. Pity we did not spent more time here... but its gonna have to be a definite 'must do' for next time.



I can always count on Alex for finding these stunning Protea's popping up all over the top of the mountain! He was all over the place with his camera. I lost him once, and to my not so surprise, found him up a tree - trying to get to the right angle to get his perfect shot.



This route turned out to be a follow your nose kinda path. Soon after crossing over the top, the path came to a cross road as you head down into this stunning valley of the Red Gods.



Fresh Water: There were small streams at the top, but in summer they could dry out completely.




At the sign - which gave us a choice of left towards Platteklip Gorge (and the Table) and will take about 2 hours to get there, or right towards Kasteels Poort. This is where we decided to take a right onto the boardwalk. Just imagine the expression on my face - when these people walked pass Alex stuck under the boardwalk to get his shot. "eh, ja hey... he is uhm... taking pictures :)" ... which is also part of the reason why I employ him as my chief happy snapper.



The path in the picture below is also known at the Main Road crossing the mountain. It can also clearly be seen in the Google earth image that I attached via my new Garmin GPS which I got from father Christmas last year! what a fun toy to have!



The path ahead of me, is seen in the Google Earth image below as the straight path that marks the point of the Valley of the Red Gods, down towards Kasteels Poort...



Walk about 300m to the next point where the path clearly forks either down towards Kasteels Poort, or can be continued towards the Corridor Ravine and Slangolie Buttress. Here we turned down towards Kasteels Poort to start our descent down table mountain.



A good resting point halfway down Kasteels poort is a beautiful flat rock... pity about the litter bugs and their graffiti that is drawn all over it.



The route down to the Pipe Track took us about 30 minutes.



Shortly before we got to the bottom,we crossed the watercourse of the Valken Buttress. To the left of the Valken Buttress (image below) is Barrier Ravine that we have just hiked through. Nice hey!?



Once you reach the Pipe Track, turn right towards Kloofnek. From here the path takes you 600m to the point where we started out assent into the Diagonal Route. The total distance back to the car is 3km from Kasteels Poort to Kloofnek Road where we parked our car.







How will I rate this hike? We loved this route. It was not difficult to climb and fairly clearly marked out route. The new signage on the mountain is looking very good. My foot was burning underneath from the pain of a car accident a few years ago, but nothing will stop me to come back and do this route again. Today... 1 day later... my legs are super stiff and I know we had a great mind and body work out!

Full Moon. Where to go...

Click here to find out where to go hiking on the next full moon.

Full Moon Calendar

Month/Year	2009	2010	2011	2012
January	10	30	19	9
February	9	28	18	7
March	10	29	19	8
April	9	28	17	6
May	9	27	17	5
June	7	26	15	4
July	7	25	15	3
August	5	24	13	1 & 31
September	4	23	12	29
October	4	22	11	29
November	2	21	10	28
December	2 & 31	21	10	28

The Big Tree in the Tsitsikamma forest

Hiking Trail: Big Tree and Ratel Trail
Name of Reserve / Area: Tsitsikamma National Park
Nearest Town: Storms River Village, Plettenberg Bay
Province: Garden Route
Country: South Africa



Duration of hike: 1 - 2 hours depending on how far you wish to walk. The boardwalk to the Big Tree is a 1km circular walk, from there you can continue along the path for up to just over 4km walk to more big trees and fallen giants.



Directions to get there: From Cape Town, take the N2 towards Plettenberg bay. About 60km pass Plettenberg bay, and just after the turn to Storms River Village on your right, is the turn to the left which takes you to the parking area for the Big Tree walk.



Contact Information:
SANparks - Tsitsikamma Indigenous Forest
Phone: +27 (0) 42 281 1557
www.sanparks.org



This is a 800 year old Yellow wood tree, with a height of 36.6m, Trunk length is 18.3m and it takes 8 adults holding hands around the girth.

Best time of year to go: Anytime.



What costs did you incur to do this hike: R8-00 Adults and R4-00 Children
Free entry (if you are a South African Citizen) for Wild Card Holders (www.wildinafrica.com)



How safe is it: Even though we felt very safe walking through the forest, we are always equipped with a mace pray and a shocker.



Visitors Hours: 06h00 - 18h00



Fresh Water: All running water in the river is drinkable. The brown colour of the water is due to tannins and humic acids leached from leaf litter on the forest floor.



Difficulty: Three routes have been laid out and colour coded with red (4.2km), yellow (2.6km) and green (1km) footprints giving a choice of walking distances. All three these walks are relatively easy.



Pets: No pets allowed in the park.



Permits:
Access to the Ratel Nature Walk (after you have entered the park for the Big Tree Trail) can be obtained by means of self-issue permits that are available at the start of the walk. You are requested to carry your permit with you at all times.




How will I rate this hike? We loved the neatly laid out boardwalks. Its always sad to see only 1 or 2 of the 800 year old trees around, but its good to know they are still standing.



I was so excited to see a Knysna Dwarf Chameleon. He survived a crowd of 8 people walking over him.



These chameleons are a favourite for the very poisonous boomslang that frequents the eastern cape region. The boomslang is a very non-aggressive and shy snake, which makes the risk of a bite very low. We happen to run into a female boomslang later on in our travels, I was so excited to finally see one in the wild - wowee :)

Crime and Self Defense whilst Hiking

Read about the latest stats on Google Groups of incidents of attacks on hikers. Before you read these stats (shown below), thanks to an email from Tony Heher of Cape Town Hiking Club, this is what I would like to add to the subject of Crime and Self Defense whilst Hiking:


I say, unless you like to hike dressed like our friend above:

1. Do not expect to be 'safe' when you go hiking, especially in areas that are surrounded by typical squatting type communities or low income housing. These areas generally are filled with opportunistic criminals mainly due to poverty. (which is most of Table Mountain in this case).
   
2. Take along a shocker (GREAT for chasing away baboons and monkeys). When you get approached by a criminal, baboon or monkey, snap the shocker to make them aware that you have 'safety gear'.
3. Pepper Spray: apparently this does not work too well if your criminal uses it for pleasurable rush to his head on 'off days'. Its possible, but I would rather have it than not have it. Just make sure you have it replaced with a 'fresh' one at least 1/year.
4. Gun: if you have one, take one. The legal ramifications is your problem if you use it - of course.
   
5. Knife: if you know how to use a knife, like maybe you might have done some sort of self-defense course, then take one. I learnt how to use a knife - and trust me, its NOT like cutting a nice piece of cheese :)
6. Bottom line: whatever you take to protect yourself with - make sure it is within arms length (not like me, at the bottom of my backpack!). My hiking partner (he is such a winner!) ALWAYS takes his shocker and his pepper spray - both are in his back pockets. I always complain that it makes it difficult for me to touch his cute bum. Then I get a grumpy mumble of some sort in return about another lecture on safety. Love it! He is so cute when he grumbles like that :)
   
7. Dogs: your pet is a great deterrent for wanna-be criminals.
   
8. Lastly: Know your gear! if you don't know how to use it - tried and tested - then why do you have it? Consider to go on a self defense course, or go to an open field - please make sure its on a windless day, and test your pepper spray, shoot your gun. Know how it works. How far does your item reach - what are the sounds that it makes - familiarise yourself with how it feels in your hand - know where the trigger button is - how messy is the real deal? Don't be intimated by your own forms of self defense, because trust me, when someone else pulls out a weapon, you are going to WANT to have learnt how to use your own gear, to protect yourself and your fellow hikers.
9. Some easy tips for you to consider if you dont have some sort of weapon:

• Elbow is strongest bone in your body. Use it.
• Knee the person in the groin / or the face / side of leg / stomach / ribs / you name it.
  
• Fingers are excellent to poke into someones eyes.
• Sand is great to throw into someones face.
• Scream - try to let others hear you or know.
  
• Attitude is vital. If you show you are scared, you will be walked over and even maybe raped. If you show aggression, you might be attacked out of pure adrenalin. Stay calm and think clearly of the points above. I know its horrible to consider these factors, but spend some time alone, visualize how you will deal with an attacker one day, what kind of weapon will you use, how will you use it etc.
• When you are done with overpowering your attacker - with whatever you chose to do to eliminate the ordeal - RUN away as fast as you can! if and when they contain themselves, make sure you are not around for their crazy minds to take over and do something stupid again.

Buy a shocker / StunGun at Bid or Buy

Updated Incidents (February 2010)
Signal Hill / (Lions Head is ontop of Signal Hill): (Sunday Feb 14 to Tuesday Feb 16 2010)

Four tourists were robbed there in just three days this week :

• An American man was robbed and apparently injured with a pair of scissors on Sunday morning (14th). R400 was taken. The victim was attacked with a white-handled pair of scissors, causing cuts on both hands.

• A group of three students, studying English at a local language school, were robbed on Tuesday night (16th). A group of three men stepped from behind a tree and threatened to kill them unless they handed over their belongings. Money, cellphones, cameras and watches were stolen. "It was very fast, I think less than a minute. “

Sandy Bay (Saturday 16 Jan 2010 20:30)
ROBBERY – Rocket Road

• Black Male +/- 20 years old threatens walker with a knife. Suspect asks walker to hand over his cellphone and wallet. Walker says no and fight breaks out whereupon suspect stabs the walker in the back and arm and hits him on the head with a rock. Walker taken to Constantiaberg.

ROBBERY Tuesday 2 Feb 2010 14:17 – Sandy Bay (path to Llandudno) -

• Two lady tourists mugged on Sandy Bay beach close to the Llandudno footpath by a group of five males 3 Black males (one in a red sleeveless top and shorts) and 2 coloured males last seen heading toward Kerzner Est. Good response by HBNW, SSP's, Herzner guards and SAPS

Karbonkelberg (Hout Bay): (Friday 8 Jan 19:30)
ROBBERY – Karbonkelberg – CAS 9/1/2010

• 3 colored males, one with a golf club and another with a (toy?) firearm hold up a party of 3 hiking on the Karbonkelberg. They took camera and cellphones. Suspects pepper sprayed by one of the complainants. Mountain was searched by police. Suspects also set fire to the mountain (no case of arson from saps) resulting in helicopter services being activated for many hours, including the next day. All 3 arrested?

Buy your Pepper Spray at Bid or Buy

Year 2009 Incidents:
Silvermine East: 2 Attacks.

• Saturday 23 May 2009: 2 hikers held up & robbed at Amphitheater at about 2.30 or 3pm. Firearm involved.

• Weekend 16/17 May 2009: Attack in the Waterfall area. No further details.

Sandy Bay:

• Sunday, October 19, 2008 19h42 Mugging earlier at Sandy Bay by a group of 4 Bravo males that take off with a bag. Victim reported to be heading to the CSC to lay charges. 19h55 ADT6 detains a matching set of Bravo males with “the bag” at Victoria traffic lights. SAPS asked to attend. 20h22 Long story but as the ‘victims’ never arrived at the CSC, suspects are released to shop another day.

• Friday, February 27, 2009 18h24 Elderly tourist couple mugged, robbed and tied up on Rocket Rd above the dunes. HBNW respond. Two knife wielding Bravo males, one taller than the other carrying a backpack in which the knives were concealed.

• Sunday May 10, 2009 09h22. Serious incident (rape) at Sandy Bay. Suspect Charlie male, 40 yrs old short/stocky wearing black cycle shorts and a white t-shirt, may be well known in HB. Extensive 3 hour search, nothing found.

• Follow-up to 10 May incident: Sandy Bay - Hout Bay police have arrested a man in connection with the rape of a 50-year old woman on a Llandudno beach at the weekend. Lesch said police had made another arrest last night - a man in his late thirties - in connection with the incident. She said the man had initially only been taken in for questioning.

"We had a few positive leads and we followed them up, this is what led to his arrest," she said. "The suspect left some clothes on the beach after the incident and these will be sent for tests. " she said. The suspect, who is from the Hout Bay area, is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

• Beware also Rhodes Memorial area where bicycle riders are targeted from time to time. Last incident in this area was in March 2009.

Good luck! any other advice from the readers will be great?

Waterfall Hiking Trail (aka Day 1 Route and start of the Otter Trail)

Get your walking shoes on, put on enough sunblock, take lots of drinking water and experience nature at its best!



Hiking Trail: Waterfall Trail (Known as Day 1 Route and start of the Otter Trail)
Name of Reserve / Area: Tsitsikamma National Park
Nearest Town: Storms River Village, Plettenberg Bay
Province: Garden Route
Country: South Africa




This route starts (when facing the ocean) to the far right of the Storms River Mouth Resort, just next to the camp grounds. Wow! this was such an amazing walk we had here.

One is often exposed to only one type of environment... Here we had thick dense forest, some board walks and bridges, shrubbery, rock scrambling, flat open fields, bolder hopping along this magnificent coastline and a nice freshwater pond to swim in at the end... definitely a must do when you visit the area.

Duration of hike: 4 hours if you stop as often as we do to have fun and take pictures. Its a 6,4km route to the waterfall and back. Without stopping, it took us about 45 minutes to walk the 3.2km back to base.




Directions to get there: From Cape Town, take the N2 towards Plettenberg Bay. About 60km pass Plettenberg Bay, and just after the Blaauwkrantz River is a turn to the right which takes you to the entrance of the Tsitsikamma National Park by the Storms River Mouth Rest Camp.




Recommended starting times:
Summer: not later than 14h30
Winter: not later than 13h30




Contact Information:
SANparks - Tsitsikamma Section
Phone: +27 (0) 42 281 1607
Reservations: +27 (0) 12 428 9111
www.sanparks.org/parks/tsitsikamma
reservations@sanparks.org




Best time of year to go: Anytime.

The route is marked with little yellow otter paw prints all along the way...



What costs did you incur to do this hike:
Entrance to the Park: Free entry (if you are a South African Citizen) for Wild Card Holders (www.wildinafrica.com)
Accommodation: varies from Camping to Stunning self Catering log cabins of up to R900 per night in season.
Actual hike: Free when in the park.




How safe is it: We felt very safe walking in the park and on this route. Do not go without water as its is a long walk and there is limited shade from the heat of the day.



Fresh Water: Only at the camp. The walk does cross a stream at various points but its not recommened to use as drinking water.




Difficulty: Due to the uneven & slippery terrain, The Waterfall Trail is rated as difficult and is not recommended for unfit hikers.




Pets: No pets allowed in the park.



How will I rate this hike? The route hugs the cliffs all the way to the waterfall. We experienced bolder hopping and rock scrambling, as well as various flat sections all along the route. At the start we were very fortunate to see a Blue Duiker grazing on the beach below us. The pond below the Waterfall provided everyone with a welcome break from the heat of the day. The Tsitsikamma area is experiencing a severe drought during the time we visited the park (and wrote this article), which explains why the waterfall was so small.



The actual (and very popular) Otter Trail starts on this walk and continues past This waterfall for about 45km in total. It takes the hikers an average of 5 days to complete this grueling but very scenic challenge, and is booked out 2 years in advance.