Hiking Platteklip Gorge - there is no easy way

Pictures and story copyright www.alexaitkenhead.co.za

 Hiking to the top of Platteklip gorge has no mercy for the unfit... this route is just straight up.

— with Juanita Aitkenhead at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 once you get to the top, the view is always rewarding

 we ventured off the beaten track to enjoy a quiet moment with the view and a coffee... unbeknown to us the 'locals' decided to pay us a visit...

— at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 during our escape from the barbarian hordes at the top - who took the easy up the cable car, we thought we were alone...

— at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 once the day-visitors noticed how the 'locals' came to say hello to us, we were swamped the happy snapping tourist like you have never seen before. We went from being in complete isolation (so we thought!!!) to the highlight of the moment ontop of the mountain, as the happy snappers came to enjoy watching 'the locals' swamped us, begging for scraps.

— at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 here you can notice a rather 'swamped' Al' and a happy me. trying to enjoy the view :)

— with Alex Aitkenhead and Juanita Aitkenhead at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

After a very fast run down the cable way, we walked back about 2km to our car. The sky opened and the mountain presented to us and everyone her full glory.

— with Alex Aitkenhead at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 ... perfect ending to a really fun walk up the mountain

— with Juanita Aitkenhead at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

 Table Bay and the foot of Devis Peak in the far distance

— with Juanita Aitkenhead at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

Proteas are starting to bloom and the colours are just awesome!

— at Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.

Crime warning signs for Cape Town beach

Cape Town - Noordhoek Beach in Cape Town is to get warning signs indicating it is a mugging hotspot, it was reported on Tuesday.

The signs come after at least eight people were mugged in separate incidents at the beach since February, the Cape Times reported.

Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said tourists were most vulnerable.

"Specifically tourists don't know the dangers of the area. What we will have to do is put up signboards that say: 'Only walk in these designated areas' or 'Please don't go beyond this point'," he said.

Plato was also looking at the possibility of installing quad bike patrols but said this would not solve all crime.

"Attacks are happening almost any time of the day. If criminals want to attack, they attack."

In the most recent incident, a father and daughter were attacked by a knife-wielding man on the beach on Saturday. The father was stabbed in the right leg and a cellphone and ring were taken.

Table Mountain National Park spokesperson Merle Collins warned people to walk in groups of four or more and not to carry valuables.

- SAPA

 

Related Links

• Robber stabs dad on Cape Town beach
• Hiker mugged, breaks leg in Cape Town
• SA tourism growth exceeds global trendswatch
• Table Mountain patrols stepped up
• Man, 74, mugged on Signal Hill

 Source: News24

Cederberg Wolfberg Cracks Hiking Pictures

 The Easter weekend stumbled upon us and it was a tough decision of 'where to go' or 'what to do'.

My advice, if you want to visit this area, book Cederberg Accommodation or Citrusdal Accommodation far in advance.  Citrusdal info takes you to 22 km away and further from all the main attactions of the Cederberg.  Cederberg Accommodation puts you in the heart of all the action... its up to you.

 This time around, we found self catering cottage at Keurbos about 50km from where we wanted to stay.  The advantage of this was, we were forced to enjoy the majority of the cederberg valley from Clanwilliam, pass Algeria, right up to the heart of the Cederberg. The cost was R350 per night for a cottage that sleeps 5, with electricity.

A very detailed description of the Wolfberg Cracks and Wolfberg Arch Hike can be found in all the posts connecting to this link.

You need a permit to hike this route, and on the permit is the code to get into the gate.  I take no responsibility for information shared on this blog, but I do hope it will help you to enjoy this hike as much as we have always done.  Take plenty of water and always something warm for the unpredictable cold wind at the top.

Once you have parked your car (see the carpark below), the clearly marked path will take you to the top.  This massive square rock is your halfway landmark to the top.

Once you start to reach the rockface at the top, aim for the gap in the centre of this image.  Here you will find a sign to point you to your next stop.  At the sign is a 2m scramble onto a ledge where most people give each other a hand to get onto the ledge.  The ledge will then take you to the right of this image, where you need to immediately climb upward (easy walk) again back in the direction of the middle of this image.

This is me ontop of the ledge heading in the direction of the photographer.  If you look carefully far into the crack by the fallen rocks (of this image), you will see there is a person standing ontop of the rocks.  These people have already completed the route and are heading down already.

While walking along this ledge there is one section (the size of A4) of rock that is very narrow, where you need to cross the path to continue your way up.  views are spectacular all the way...

After surviving the narrow A4 size ledge, continue to head up the mountian in the direction of this big hole in the rock.  Here you have to again scramble over the rocks as seen in front of me.

Thankfully, as seen above, I managed to get over those rocks and into a section that resembles a rockfall and an amphitheatre.

Aim for left side of the rock in the middle of the image.  Look carefully and you will notice Zita sitting there enjoying her lunch and even more carefully and you will see the white arrow painted on the rock behind her.

Some clever hikers before us painted a white arrow in the direction that you need to follow. Best you put your torch on in here, the very narrow passage has about 5 meters of complete darkness and many boulders to negotiate.

Once you have got yourself through that dark narrow passage, you will reach a sandy patch.  This is where you will find the beautiful wolfberg cracks.

 Dont make the mistake that everyone makes when they get here - and just rush through.  Stop and enjoy!
When you are ready to move on, follow the loooong passage on the left behind me.

This passage continues up the mountain and gets narrower to the end. There comes a point where you need to again scramble over a 2m high rock, so its best you go with someone to give each other a hand.

The final obstacle of this walk is where you need to reverse your body into a hole and wiggle your way under a fallen rock, to get back onto the now very walkable path.

Once you reach the top, again, stop and enjoy the view. 

The way back down is to head about 50m outside of the cracks and then turn left.  Follow the path back down.

From here, give yourself about 1h30min to get back down.

A romantic full moon greeted us as we drove out of the Sandrift area...

Route co-ordinates can be obtained if you contact me.

Alternative Route to get to the Cederberg (and much easier than the other one which I wrote about in my other posts) is the following:

Take the N7 to Citrusdal.
Pass Citrusdal about 25km and then turn right onto the Algeria road.

This road will take you through the Nieuwoudts pass... stunning and easy driving.

 At the bottom of the pass you will see a sign that shows you the direction of the Cederberg.

 This is where you will also pass the Algeria resort, but continue with the road in the direction of the Uitkykpas.

Once you have reached the top of the Uitkykpass, you will be about 20km from the Wolfberg Cracks.

Keep your eyes open for a view of the Wolfberg Cracks in the mountain on your left, which is about in the middle of the image of the sheep above.

Remember to stop at the Sandrift Farm to get your permits during office hours.


Enjoy!

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Half Price

Table Mountain Aerial Cable way, Cape Town, Western Cape 

From 1 November 2011 to 29 February 2012

Half Price rides!

Table Mountain will be offering its very popular sunset to all visitors at half price from today until 29 Feb 2012.

We hope you make the most of your holiday this season and choose to do a romantic picnic at the top with your loved ones for half the price.

Also remember that you can get a free ride if its your birthday, just bring along your ID to qualify.

Sunset Special tickets are valid from 6pm daily from the ticket office. 

Adults pay R97.50 and children just R47.50 to experience the rush of travelling 1067 meters above sea level in a rotating cable car and to enjoy unbeatable views of the Cape Peninsula. 

Table Mountain Cableway also offers visitors a Ride ‘n Dine package that includes a half price return ticket and a Café voucher. The package costs R197.50 for adults and R97.50 for kids at the ticket office. So if you want to nab the best sundowner and dinner seats in Cape Town, this package will suit you. 

Enjoy further discounts and avoid ticket office queues by buying Ride ‘n Dine tickets online. 

Adults pay R187.50 for an online Sunset Special Ride ‘n Dine ticket, and children pay R92.50.

The Cableway operates weather permitting. 

Contact: (021) 424 8181
http://www.tablemountain.net

Chris Bramhall and his family climb Kilimanjaro

Well done to my friend Chris Bramhall and his family for making it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Chris's sister Sue Bramhall, and his dad Paul Bramhall joined each other on a once in a lifetime family expedition. 

Chris's wife (and one of my bestest friends) Cindy, was planned to join them on the trip, but Cindy had to stay at home after finding out she is pregnant with their third son. All round congratulations to the proud family for these celebrations of a lifetime. 

For many people, the approach of their 70th birthday signals a time to slow down and take things easy. Not so for Paul Bramhall, widely-travelled Chairman of the Kleinmond Bird Club. No thoughts of “downhill from here” for Paul, in fact just the opposite. And not just uphill – up Kilimanjaro!
Paul returned this week after sharing an epic adventure with daughter Sue, (44) and son Chris (39) after months of careful planning and preparation while his wife, Pauline, waited for news of their success. Living in Kleinmond, with its many hiking trails criss-crossing the Kogelberg Biosphhere Reserve, provided Paul with the perfect training ground. He walked daily from his home near the mountain along the circular Jean’s Hill route, which he estimates he must have completed about 40 times during training, averaging 40 minutes each time. Having walked this route myself, admittedly at a very leisurely pace, the mere thought of doing it in 40 minutes leaves me a little breathless.

Paul, Sue and Chris’ excursion, organised through Wild Frontiers, left Jo’burg on 01 October. Their small party of 3 was accompanied by 2 guides, 1 cook and 10 porters, quite an entourage. This support group enabled them to focus on the task at hand with meals and stops that sustained stamina and prepared them for the climb. Their experienced guides, Freddy and Clemence, led them at a slow but steady pace and carried out daily checks on blood oxygen levels and heart rates while on the mountain. Fortunately, none of them experienced any difficulties.
After leaving the Keys Hotel in Moshi on day 2, they passed through the Rongai Forest Gate into a  forested area, reaching Simba Camp in the late afternoon. There they enjoyed what was to become a popular afternoon snack – tea and popcorn. On day 3 the vegetation along the route began to change  from forest to scrub as they passed Cave 1, arriving at Cave 2 (2200m above sea level) just after midday. It was considerably colder, too, as Freddy took them on an acclimatisation walk in the afternoon. The cloud cleared en route revealing the majestic peak of Kilimanjaro above. What a magnificent sight. Frost lay on the ground as they set off on day 4 and after lunch and a snooze at Khekula Camp, they were taken up 200m of the path they would begin on day 5. Paul was happy to see many White-necked Ravens and a Langermeier along the way before returning for – you guessed it – tea and popcorn!

Setting out on day 5 on the eastern side of the mountain, the path became significantly steeper and the scrub vegetation gave way to lava fields. As they passed through this rocky barren area they endured drizzle, then rain and finally snow which fortunately didn’t last for long. On their way to Mawenzi Camp, they passed a large group of 40 hikers (together with their support party of nearly 180) who were later unable to summit. In November 2008, a Cessna aircraft crashed on the mountain killing 4 Italian tourists and its wreckage was still visible as they headed for Kibo Camp, which stands at 4703m above sea level. It was early to bed for them all as they planned to begin their assault on the peak at midnight.

The final ascent began shortly after midnight on day 7. In the darkness and wearing headlights, the group  gradually zig-zagged towards the top. Ahead of them, a string of  lights indicated other climbers on the same quest although some turned back, unable to finish. Some 2 hours into the climb, it began to snow quite heavily, oddly seeming to make the group warmer instead of colder. They stopped on the edge of the crater at Gillman’s Point for a much needed rest and mug of tea before the final push. As the sky began to lighten, glaciers with sheer faces of 20m became visible and, as the weather cleared, they stood spellbound at the sight of the scarlet sunrise. On past Stella Point and towards Uhuru, Africa’s highest point, they marched until finally – they were there. Having reached the famous sign their jubilant exhilaration shut out the temperature of -13′C and it was hugs and handshakes all round. Paul described his emotions on summiting in 5 words: elation, awe, beauty, family, thanks. There was a short time for contemplation and wonder before heading straight down once more, a total of 13 hours on foot.

When they finally reached Main Gate in the early afternoon of day 8, the hikers’ unwanted gear was laid out for the porters to choose, in hierarchical order. The choosing over, the porters then sang and danced with Paul, Sue and Chris joining in. Later, back at the hotel, guides Freddy and Clemence presented them with their certificates and the three intrepid adventurers flopped into bed, utterly exhausted. Ten days after beginning his journey, Paul arrived home to an exuberant, proud but no doubt relieved wife, Pauline, who had been a source of encouragement all the way.
Aside from the actual achievement of his goal, Paul’s enduring memory of this journey will be sharing those 10 days and many laughs along the way with his two children. And is he planning another adventure any time soon? He’s thinking about it.

Story source: The Kleinmond Talk