Winter walking on Table Mountain ...

Yesterday winter arrived in the Cape with a vengance. A big wet cold front swept in during the day. But damn it, Gigi and I ALWAYS (well almost) go walking in the forest above Kirstenbosch on a Friday evening. Our customary Friday walk friends decided to give it a miss due to the weather. But not to be put off Gigi and I decided to go and play like kids in the mud! What the hell is the use of having all theat beautiful rain gear for 'just in case'? And what a beautiful walk. Unbelievably the rain let up just long enough for us to make it back to the car without getting soaked.


Window stream was quite a torrent, too wide to jump across as we usually do. I managed to jump across some boulders upstream without getting my feet wet but Gigi wasn't having any of that crazy stuff so ....















Gigi drying off her feet and looking up at Window George - what a sight, water pouring off the mountain everywhere.


















Window george. Window butttress on the left and Fernwood buttress on the right. It had already started getting dark and I struggled to hold the camera still enough to get a clear enough picture.















And here is the view all the way from the upper gorge to where we crossed the stream.

















By the time we got to the Skeleton stream waterfall it was getting really too dark to take pics but I gave it a go anywhere. If you look carefully you can just discern the waterfall behind Gigi. Crossing the base of the fall was really quite fun as the spray was very thick and the waterfall was generating a strong wind rush at the bottom.












It was so dark after that that there was no point in taking further pics. We walked along the contour path, crossing Nursery 'stream' at the base of Nursery ravine by hopping from wet boulder to boulder in the spray and having to clamber the last section on all fours across an old rotten and slippery tree trunk that was conveniently bridging the last three meters of rushing water.

The view of the city lights from the contour path was stunningly clear after all the rain. Of course we didn't see another (mad) soul that evening. We walked down through 'our' special garden in the pitch darkness. Even the security personnel who know our routine well were amused when they met us at the end of Camphor alley in the dark. But damit, at 8pm in summer it is still before sunset and often above 20ºC - hard though that is to to believe now in mid-winter!

Last night was really cold. Snow fell on the inland mountains and there was rain and sleet in Cape Town. The weather cleared somewhat during today. But as I write this the family are all together in front of the gas heater in the lounge watching Michael Palin's 'Himalaya'.