When I was a child, this mountainside was our playground, with weathered sandstone boulders feeding the fertile imagination of youth, turning them into boats, cars, castles and such. We were always up there - not so much in summer, because of snakes - but winter was perfect. Perhaps that is where my love of rocks and mountains and scenery was born - you cannot get much more natural beauty than up there on the Flat Piece - where our property ended at the fire break and a natural plateau about 30m wide inspired us to name it for what it was! I hadn't been up there for a good 40 years, so it was quite an emotional 'call back the past' for me, particularly now that Mom and Dad are no longer with us.
Before the big fires of recent years, Trappies Kop was heavily invaded by alien rooikrans, to the extent that it was impossible to access the mountain beyond the Flat Piece, and hence as children we never climbed up there. So it was a tremendous treat for me to plod up the familiar path up to the Saddle towards Kalk Bay - the route we had taken so often when going up to the Kalk Bay caves as teenagers - Boomslang (never again!), Devil's Pit (never!), Oriad's Hall, Amphitheatre - with the mountain streams tinkling nearby. This time we turned right and began a very arduous climb, with many breathing stops, to the beacon in the middle of the summit. And how very worthwhile that labouring was, with views forever, and Fish Hoek bay at a very low tide, revealing a vast expanse of beach, and deep blue and turquoise sea across False Bay, complete with whales!
A puffadder was spotted on the way down, sunning itself after coming out of its winter rest and doubtless dreaming of a mouse. The dogs ran to it, barking, and we would not have seen it otherwise. I was happy my dog was not there! It slithered under a bush and ignored us.
What a delightful morning on the mountain. A windless, sunny, late winter's day in Cape Town.
I could have stayed up there all day.
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