We gathered for a pre-hike dinner at The Toad, which was a hilarious occasion where the infamous “Green Mambas” set the tone for the strategic planning of the event. The weather prediction was not looking favourable and was forecasting torrential downpour for the entire day. There was talk of postponing the event due these harsh conditions, but as it was an adventure hike, we decided to go with gut instinct and stick with it. This decision was supported when Ingram spilt red wine over Graham’s treasured map, which made an ominous red stain that looked distinctly like a cold front approaching from the South-East, but with closer examination of the stain, it appeared that the weather would be clearing up during the course of the day. So with this as a sign, it was a definite go.
At 04:30 the next morning, still with the distinct taste of Jaegermeister, we were questioning our decision as the rain in Scarborough was bucketing down; and the thought of a full day of this would be pretty tough. Despite this, 12 of us gathered at Camel Rock and set off at 05:00, in the dark. The weather began to clear and the stars came out. It looked like the prophecies could be right. We hiked along the Scarborough beachfront and headed towards Slangkop. Climbing down towards Kommetjie was beautiful, looking over the bay and the town lighting up early morning sky. Once we got to Noordhoek beach, morning light was starting to break. After 3 and a half hours, we reached Base 1, which was the end of Noordhoek beach and the start of Chapman’s Peak climb. We were 16 km into the hike by now.
3 more keen adventurers joined the hike and one got called back for home duty (which I suppose understandable, considering his wife was about to give birth at any moment – one definite rule is never mess with a pregnant woman). We devoted the Noordhoek Peak climb to Yvonne Casey, who sadly passed away at the beginning of the year. It was awesome to summit Chapman’s peak, we had spectacular views of both the Atlantic and False Bay. It was quite a push to get to the top, and I promised what lay ahead to Hout Bay was a contour path and pretty much a super highway, which we should do in no time. Unfortunately, in our excitement, we took the right instead of the left path and ended up climbing most of the way up Constantiaberg Peak. At this point, I was not very popular, and there was a moment where mutiny was looking quite possible. Nonetheless, we pressed on and managed to find our contour and headed up along the upper ridge that runs along the cliffs along the Silvermine Range, leading to Hout Bay, which is absolutely spectacular; with waterfalls and beautiful views and at points where you feel you could be in the middle of nowhere. 5 members of the team called it a day at Hout Bay, after completing a very respectful 30 km hike.
The rest pressed on towards Vlakenberg. After having great weather conditions, the mist and rain pulled in and for the next two hours, we were drenched. As we approached Constantia Neck, the heavens opened up again and some sun came out, which lifted our spirits. After 12 hours and over 40 km of hiking through a range of conditions, the rest of the team, very satisfied with their achievement, called it a day, except for 2 stubborn mules who knew that their wives would not allow them home unless they reached the top.
So as the sun was starting to set, we set off towards McClears Beacon. It was a steep and steady climb from Constantia Neck up to the reservoir on the Table Chain. By the time we reached this point, it was getting dark and for the next two hours we hiked in pitch black conditions, aided by torch and the luminous glow of the city lights, which were spectacular. It took us 3 hours to reach McClears Beacon from Constantia neck and was a high point of the adventure (what we go through for small moments of pleasure). We enjoyed being at the beacon for a few minutes, but the rain and heavy wind kicked in again, it was getting freezing and we were pretty tired. We put on all the dry and warm gear we had remaining and headed towards Platteklip. At one point, traversing over the top of Table Mountain, in the pitch black, we lost our path as it reached a precipice on one side and a rock outcrop on the other. After 20 minutes, which seemed like an hour of searching, we managed to relocate the track and we managed to make it to the top of Platteklip Gorge. We then had a wet and slow decent, but were relieved that we were on the final straight now, as weariness kicked in and our legs were starting to take strain.
We finally got down at 23:45 in the night and sadly to say there were no screaming fans waiting to greet us, but thanks to Wilco, a seriously enthusiastic participant, we were greeted with hot tea, the best I’ve ever tasted and a much needed sense of humour and lift home.
We completed the course from Scarborough to Table Mountain, staying exclusively in the mountains and beaches, covering over 50 km and taking nearly 19 hours.
Overall, it was an amazing day and a wonderful opportunity to spend time with some great people in these incredible places that are right under our noses and hardly ever utilized. And to top it all off, we were able to raise over R2000 for Kommetjie Pre-Primary School. Thanks to you all for participating and for your wonderful support.
We look forward to seeing you all on the Nottdog Trail next year. Please call Grant Notten for further details – 082 553 9457
To view pictures of the day, please click
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