As Cape Town hits record highs for October, our hiking group set off for a beach walk at Cape Point. One might have thought that this would be the coolest place in Cape Town, being at the edge of the icy Atlantic, but the berg wind conditions decided to extend themselves to the southwestern tip of Southern Africa and cool was not to be had. Perhaps we should have parked down at the beach rather than on top of the mountain - after all, if the path goes down in the beginning, it means you have to climb back up at the end. Another guideline from a seasoned hiker - if the temperature in Cape Town is 30 degrees plus, don't go. That being said, it wasn't unpleasant and a drift of wind did come from the sea, but the arduous return climb did us in, and I'm sure a little democratic discussion will take place in future when extreme conditions come into play. We did settle for the lengthier but less taxing uphill climb and I think only the prospect of a cold beer at lunch got a few hikers up that hill!
It was a snaky sort of day, too, with cyclists reporting many sightings along the roads in the reserve and sure enough, a small cobra lay in the path ahead of us, eventually slipping into a hole just big enough to take its girth. One wonders how many more lay in the cool darkness under our feet!
On a cooler day, the walk from Gifkommetjie to Platboom would be a delight, and we can only hope that there won't be too many of these extremely hot days to come.
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