There’s nothing quite like doing something ridiculously reckless in mountainous terrain to make you feel giddy with glee. Or at least that’s how I felt when three of us decided one Friday night, rather rashly I might add, that we wanted to climb Table Mountain the next day, come rain or shine. Cape Town’s winter weather can chop and change as erratically as a little child in a sweet shop who has been told that he can only choose one sweet. True to form, while the weather on Friday night had been clear, ...
Questions plagued my mind before deciding to join this remarkable event, the Peninsula Paddle. Was my time on the Black River going to end in sickness? Was I "shooting myself in the foot," as the journey would take place during exams? Or was it going to mark another boring environmental event that lacked excitement and (worst of all) "dulled" the senses? None of these questions prepared me for what was to follow! The Peninsula Paddle was started in 2010 as a test run. Was it possible to paddle from ...
On the morning of Good Friday, I volunteered my services to be a belayer for a patrol of Scouts conducting a rock climbing expedition in the Higgovale Quarry in Oranjezicht. Rock climbing is certainly not my forte, if anything, I suffer from vertigo, so it’s needless to say that I didn’t know much about the world of climbing. Belaying is surprisingly easy to pick up, and as I was required to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground, it appealed to me a lot more than scouring the quarry walls for hand ...
I have read many articles about the caves which can be found in and around the Cave Peak, Kalk Bay area in the hopes of finding out where exactly these wondrous excavations may be located. Some of these articles seem to almost discourage too many people from caving in the area due to their destructive natures. That was at least my interpretation of what I assume was the hidden message behind the text. I suppose I can agree with them, at least partially. Many of what could be beautiful settings around cav...
Two things generally always happen when I'm at a braai/houseparty/thing:1. I take on the role of braai master.2. I swim in my jocks.Number 2 is fairly self explanatory and if you've arrived at the level of inebriation at which you need help to do this then you probably can't read this page and definitely don't want to- you're good to go buddy. Becoming the braaimaster on the other hand is a slightly more exact science that requires a bit of coercion and a cool demeanor under pressure.One can become the b...
The wonderful adventures of geo-caching are just that: adventurous! I took on the challenge to track down the geo-cache hidden away on the out-skirts of Cape Town stadium, previously known as Greenpoint Stadium. It was a fruitless task, and to be honest, somewhat embarrassing walking around in a flowerbed trying to "look natural." Fortunately, this wasn't the real treasure to be found, as a short walk down the road soon proved far more rewarding. As many Capetonians will point out, the Cape Town Stadium...
As with most public holidays, Human Rights Day for the regular Joe is a day to break from the norm, sit back and relax. The significance of the day falls to the wayside, and the day is spent doing things that have nothing to do with what the day represents. However, there are many South Africans for whom the day will forever hold great meaning, as they know it instead as Sharpeville Day, a tribute to the Sharpeville Massacre of 21 March 1960. This marks the day when the police, under Apartheid rule, op...
Isn't it peculiar that so often tourists see and do more of the famous or well-known attractions in Cape Town than some residents? I've always wondered why this is so often the case. Thus I've made it my mission to see more, do more, and experience more. Hey, I mean doing something I'm not necessarily going to love could only build character in the long run right? If you don't try you'll never know! One such mission to prove my Capetonian roots came in the form of a short hike up to the King's Blockhou...
Today’sexploration of the Kalk Bay Echo Valley area was similar to that of our lastventure into the Valley. We started hiking with the intent of merely divinginto Boomslang, Ronan’s Well and Robinhood Caverns. Lately, however, most ofour expeditions have started with one thing in mind, but ended with usexploring something else in the area. Joining meon this caving trip were André and Mike, the Camera man from our last venture. Wehad a late start as we only got to the base of the trail just after 11:00....
