Contour path to Kirstenbosch

Back hiking after the December/January layoff, which I missed greatly, especially while cruising the Indian Ocean! That will be the subject of another blog, but for now, the hike from Constantia Nek to Kirstenbosch must rank as a hiking highlight, particularly as we received some welcome rain showers on the way!
We set off under pleasant cloud cover, a thermos mug of coffee from the coffee truck stashed away in the rucksack for later, and were soon on the uphill climb. The gravel road winds quite far up and some canny hikers take their cars right up till it levels out. However, that is cheating if you are trying to get a bit of cardio (the fitbit reveals 2 hours for me and 11 hours of fat burn!) and we do enjoy a bit of a whinge.
The track winds along the upper reaches of the Newlands mountain and eventually narrows to a pathway only wide enough for one person, with a very steep drop on the right, fortunately with thick vegetation to catch the unwary. At one stage I did turn my ankle on a stone and had to catch myself from falling, which proves that mountains can be dangerous and should always be treated with respect. On the subject of safety, with the current spate of horrendous crime on our beautiful Peninsula, most people are seeking safety in numbers and we passed 3 groups of more than 15 hikers, although at no time did we feel the area was likely to harbour criminals. A mass charge would result in someone falling straight down the mountain and we would probably not be able to make sure only the undesirables plunged through the undergrowth.
The view over the Constantia valley became darker and soon disappeared behind a curtain of rain and before we could scrabble around for our rain gear, it was upon us and we thoroughly enjoyed a bit of a soaking, particularly after yesterday's punishing heat. The jacket was like wearing a portable sauna and I soon shed it to enjoy the last few drops. Rain dripped from the end of my hair and down my neck and a little light shampoo would not have been amiss. With the drought and reduced water pressure, water from any source will do!
The whole hike was an absolute delight, with the uphill sections making for a decent workout without being strenuous, and refreshments in the basin at the foot of the Skeleton Gorge waterfall, currently just a seep, enabled us to enjoy unparalleled peace in the mountains.

Let us care

Let us not be selectively outraged.
Let us be outraged by violence in all its forms.
Let us be outraged by injustice.
Let us be outraged by poverty.
Let us be outraged by domination.
Let us be outraged by dispossession of dignity.
Let us be outraged by cruelty.
Let us be outraged by judgment.
Let us be outraged by inaction.
Let us be outraged by corruption.
Let us care for ourselves.
Let us care for all living things.
Let us care for our planet.
Heal the world.

A Fitbit to get a bit fit

The festive season is drawing to a close and, as anticipated, it was spent mainly working at home, with little inclination for social interaction. Memories of Christmases past, particularly of my youth, which were such joyous, immense family gatherings at home in Clovelly, under the auspices of Mother and Father's famous hospitality, were too hard to bear and a retreat from the world was the perfect solution. Despite threatening to make lasagne for Christmas Eve dinner, I still cooked a traditional spread (I suppose cooking is very therapeutic) and we tucked in with relish, before having an early night.
Although we removed our fireplace many years ago, Father Christmas still managed to squeeze in and leave presents under the tree, and he must have known I am on a fitness drive, as I got a Fitbit! I can now track my resting heart rate, exertion heart rate, calories burned, calories ingested, liquid imbibed, flights of stairs climbed and number of steps walked each day, etc. It also gives a complete graph of my sleeping pattern at night, which is fascinating, as I seem to be awake more often than I realised.
The most interesting aspect is how it records my hikes. When I went to the Cape Point lighthouses and Diaz Beach, it showed that I had walked 5.4km, burned 1073 calories and climbed a total of 540 metres in elevation. Average heart rate 104bpm. But there is more to come! When I synch the information to my laptop, Google Maps pops up and shows my entire route! I will have to remember to turn it off as soon as each hike is over, as it also showed where I had lunch!

Cape Point - two lighthouses and a beach

At last the Christmas break from hiking is over! Missing three walks is not good for the brain or the legs. Today, believe it or not, we went to Cape Point. Now most people are aware that this is the height of the tourist season and the queues to get in are beyond a joke. Sanparks has not yet seen fit to increase the number of pay booths from two in the last 30 or more years despite millions wanting to get into the reserve. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out what the delays are caused by. However, we start early and so avoided the crowds. I went through the gate at 8 without a car in front of me. Within half an hour a small queue had started to form, and by the time we left at 12 noon, the queue stretched for more than 3 kms down the narrow coastal road from Simon's Town, giving the occupants of the cars plenty of time to overheat, need the toilet, look at the (let's face it) spectacular views, wonder about their next meal, etc. Utter madness.
The last time I climbed to the old lighthouse at Cape Point was in May, and it was the instigator of my hiking hobby. I had to stop so many times to breathe that I couldn't believe I was so unfit. Now I made it with only a few rests, along with everyone else, so at least I can gauge an improvement! As always, the views made all the effort more than worthwhile, and being among the first to go up, it was a pleasure to be there. Far below, a fleet of skiboats was catching snoek in Buffels Bay and a few commercial crayfishermen were in the kelp beds right below the Point. Cloud cover, with rain far out to the south, was most welcome, as a brief taste of the sun was too much to bear. 

 

As usual, the descent did not take us back to where we came from, and we peeled off to the right at the top of the funicular to take the track along the steep cliff winding down to the new lighthouse, built after 60 disastrous years of the first lighthouse being hidden in the mist, resulting in multiple shipwrecks on this notorious coastline. The crowds were starting to build, and the narrow path couldn't take double file. It was a steep descent, meaning a tough climb back up (but why else do we hike?) and it's no wonder these are unmanned lighthouses. Towering cliffs soared above and below, spattered white from centuries of seabirds roosting and nesting in the cracks. Again, well worth the effort to see this ancient geology.

Then it was down to the carpark and off to Diaz Beach and the Cape of Good Hope, which is not Cape Point, but a piece of land jutting out to the south with the next continent being Antarctica. Another fairly steep climb back up, but still an endless stream of tourists and sightseers, many quite inappropriately dressed for such exertion! Very little English was heard, so it seems we are still one of the most popular destinations. Sadly, there was evidence everywhere that visitors have no environmental awareness, and plastic and glass bottles, tin cans and tissues, as well as cigarette butts, littered the edges of the pathways, with pathetic attempts to lay them neatly in lines by way of an apology. Funny that they can carry them full but not empty. Ho hum!

A real treat was the sudden arrival, while we were having our coffee and snacks above the beach, of a female ostrich and her brood, standing about 60cm high at this stage and they came close before Mother collected them and gave them a foraging lesson in the fynbos.

As always, the hikes fill me with a joy for living, despite thinking at the time that demise might be preferable. That soon passes and within minutes the hardship is forgotten and the rest of the day is like riding the crest of a wave! I can recommend it!