Finally I had time to do a B+graded hike! My first one since Pimple Traverse and that was 3 months ago! O_O I hadn’t realised it was that a long ago until I checked my blog. Has life really been this busy?! Anyway, things are slowly but surely returning to normal so will have time to do my beloved adventurous hikes again ^_^ In addition to rock-climbing, trail running and taking the Beginner group on easy routes once a month ^_o
The last time we were in this vicinity (See Bos 400 Shipwreck it was hot as hell so this time I froze my water and as Duiker Ridge is a 7 hour hike, in addition to my koesiesters (which my son raided before I left the house) I brought raisins and fruit plus Black Insomnia (See I survived the World’s Strongest Coffee)
6 of us met at the Sanparks parking lot in Eustegia way and made our way up to Sandy Bay Nek at around 6:45am with an ETA of 3pm and its cold! Not what I expected as the weather apps predicted 25°C but I didn’t take wind factor into account which chilled the air but when there wasn’t any wind, it was warm.
Along the gravel path/jeep track, Shaheen and I are taking a gazillion photos of the various fauna and flora with the rest of the group nowhere in sight lol. I also had to answer the call of nature before catching up with them at the turn off to the Harvest Cappella and Oude Schip wrecks but these shipwreck are not our destination ^_^ neither is the Bos 400 mind you but that would be our breakfast stop.
We turn left to the old Lookout, we first have a moment and recollect how ‘wrecked’ we were the last time we were here and merrily continue on our journey chatting up a storm and taking even a gazillion more photos. When I spotted a beautiful unknown white and purple flower, I said that I don’t care what it takes as I am going to get this photo! My camera phone doesn’t focus on what I want it to in the shade and the wind made taking a photo of this flower, all the more harder. Shaheen and I probably took about 50 photos of this flower but she did manage to get a focused pic J (after holding up the group of course but I said I don’t care – let them wait lol)
Making our way to catch up with them (but still stopping here and there to take photos lol) Rashaad was making his way back for us haha! And took even more photos where they were standing ^_^
We get to the Bos 400 and can’t not go take close-ups and only Shaheen and Kareemah joined me with the boys deciding to chill on a rock. Off we go and I have to look for the path from a different direction from last time but I do find the way to the wreck. The only problem is that The Spot, is covered in shade so the photos are not going to come out the way we wanted but alas we make do with what we have hey.
It’s back to the boys and we have breakfast before making our way up Duiker Ridge which is a very little used path with not many people knowing about it. When I googled the route, I couldn’t find much about it, only that there are many species of alien vegetation which needs to be cleared. This was basically a recce hike as Anwar hasn’t done this route in forever so had to follow the maps he brought with noticed lots and lots of holes along the route. This is after all Puff Adder territory. In the Bos 400 blog I wrote about the snake that crossed my path and I screamed like the girl I am, well at that time, I didn’t know it was a Puffer!
Anyway its up up up the 600m ascent of the Ridge and after a few scrambles and noticed that my technique has improved somewhat (after watching Reelrock 11 and taking note haha) and when we saw the views from one section, I said that I’m sorry but I have to take a moment to appreciate!
After a few more scrambles, we reach the summit but this is not our breakfast spot and Anwar says we still have to go to the top of the steep section which looked quite daunting with some more recceing and find the actual sort of path that once was but we did find it and up we go. With Shaheen leading us up, at one spot, she screamed thinking that she saw a Puffer but it was a Mountain Roach and I’m like really?? But then said not to worry as that was me a few years back hehe. I take a photo of the Roach and Anwar says look down at the back of my thigh and I screamed when I saw a head but looked again and it was a worm on my thigh lolz.
We get to the top of the Karbonkelberg and see the views and have to wait on the rest and asked Anwar if we can go and explore while waiting and he said yes. Off Rashaad and I go and the Ruins are amazing! It’s like a village out there! Abandoned for a reason and where horror movies are made of haha! Seeing the one building, I recalled that I was actually there 6 years ago from another route up.
After exploring and taking photos, we go back to the group and they are on top of the peak. More abandoned buildings and took several photos before settling down for our brunch lol. Way to go Mountain Men for defacing a part of our history with graffiti (rolling my eyes)
After some chilling it was time to make our way back to the cars via Suther Peak. Shaheen and I are once again behind as we have to take a gazillion more photos and spot the rest of the group at a lake. An ephemeral vlei actually. Come the middle of summer and it will no longer be there. It’s filled with tadpoles with dragon flies buzzing about and probably other creatures and what seems like a random boulder just placed there. Beautiful!
Well to get to Suther Peak, we have to go up some more! WHAT?! WHY?! We are descending the mountain! My legs did not like that one bit but at the top there’s a forest which reminded me of Tranquillity Cracks so shut my mouth.
The views just before going down the ridge was phenomenal! Gawd, we have such a beautiful city! How many get to see what we see???
I’m leading the way down now and the wind picks up again which cools us down and I’m grateful and happy and sore with another 2 scrambles down before getting to the gravel path again and recalled the way down from there and cackled like a witch after Rashaad decided to follow me after doubting me lol.
We reach the cars around 2:15pm which was a great time actually despite the gazillion delays caused by Shaheen and I with all the photos that we took ^_^
Doing a 7 hour hike after such a long hiatus, I knew I was going to be sore so soaked in a seaweed bath that I bought at a Spa. You know, when you go to the hairdresser and they try to sell you promoted products? I fell for that at the Spa as well as they told me it has detoxifying properties and will get rid of the lactic acid to come.
After uploading photos and sitting for a while, my thigh muscles pulled stiff and after loosening the muscles, I rubbed deep heat tonic on it. When I woke up this morning, my thighs had an allergic reaction to something as it was inflamed with a steroid like rash. It must have been a combination of factors. Being scratched by various fynbos with all the bushwhacking that had to be done, the seaweed bath and the tonic sigh
I again have time-constraints this coming Sunday so haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet….I haven’t done a solo barefoot Platteklip in a while 😛 (While uploading pics to this blog [yesterday] someone requested that we do an easy hike on Sunday, so that’s what I’m going to do lol)
Until my next mountain adventure, thank you for reading and ciao for now.
fatsmountainadventures 