The first 200m entailed a possibly 45 degree uphill climb along a concreted jeep track, and many stops were made to admire the view of Camps Bay below us before reaching the relatively easy contour path marking the pipe track.
It was a sparkling Cape Town morning, with the heat of the sun being tempered by the sheltering mountains behind us and the gentle drift of air off the icy Atlantic below. Not a wave broke on the shore, and the swells heaved imperceptibly around the familiar shapes of the granite boulders along the coastline from Bakoven to Clifton. The sound of accelerating motorbikes echoed off the cliffs and then were gone - thankfully replaced by the gentle calling of amethyst sunbirds, sugarbirds, a flock of Cape batis, ravens and a rock kestrel, to mention those slightly more exciting than redwing starlings and rock pigeons.
The recent fire that swept across the Twelve Apostles had reached the area we walked through, and it was amazing to see fresh growth already, perhaps helped by recent rain. The path was rocky and loose in places, with a steep drop where an unsteady step would have spelled disaster with no vegetation to break a slide down into the valley below. As we got into the ravine, it narrowed even more and eventually we were holding onto a chain to haul ourselves along the precipitous walkway underneath the pipes. One can only marvel at the skill and determination of those who chipped away and built the path, stairways and pump houses from Table Mountain sandstone back in about 1900 or earlier. And as for getting those pipes in place...!
Our coffee break took place at the foot of a sign saying No Entry Dangerous Ascent. As if...
The walk back was considerably quicker, and we heard the noon gun firing on Signal Hill when we turned for the final descent to the cars. It was hard to imagine that we had climbed that steep track three hours before. Time on these mountains is time well spent.
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