Today's warm berg wind blowing down from the interior, though almost imperceptible, raised temperatures sufficiently to cause discomfort on our hike up to Wolfkop and Steenberg Peak. In fact, the hike itself caused discomfort as we followed our intrepid 85-year-old leader up the steepest part of the mountain, instead of taking the anticipated gentler route along the jeep track with a steady climb to the back of the peak before descending the rather rocky front slope. We should have expected it, of course, as he loves nothing more than a stiff climb without a water break at a cracking pace, rather than a more sedate hike as envisaged by the group, inaptly named Slowly Up The Hills. To be fair, we always achieve much more than we thought possible and can be proud of the heights we scale, particularly those will into their three score years and ten! And the flowers, birds and views make it all worthwhile. It was just the heat that got to us today.
The lack of wind brought out the birdlife and we were really treated to close up views of a fluffy neddicky, a sickle-winged chat and numerous orange-breasted sunbirds. Despite over-excitement at these sightings and having my camera set to 'moon' instead of 'birdwatching', I managed some acceptable shots as they sat quite contentedly on rocks and the tips of sturdy grasses while I pressed all sorts of inappropriate buttons, and for that I thank them. Bird photography requires lots of patience and preparation, and I was trying to squeeze it in between micro photography of myriad flowers, interspersed with landscapes. You have to pack in a lot of activity on these walks.
This very exposed section of Table Mountain sandstone has been weathered into fantastic shapes that capture the imagination - there seem to be many views as to what each battered boulder represents!
The hike up to the ridge and along to Wolfkop involves quite a bit of rock scrambling, and should be undertaken with circumspection if you are not confident of your fitness. We were unable to do the extra bit up to Steenberg Peak as the walk would have extended to around 5 hours, and our Intrepid Leader was seen gazing wistfully at the upward trail where it forked off towards the peak. I know he would have gone on if it weren't for mutiny in the ranks - a little sad, but we had definitely bitten off more than we could chew for one morning!
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