Hiking shoes – Keen

As a follow on to my post where I asked what the best hiking shoes are and what I should get.

I eventualy settled for pair of Keen Koven shoes and not boots.  When I tried the boots on, I did not like the way it sat against my ancle. This is what they look like:
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I have done 2 shortish walks over that past couple of days to just walk them in and they feel great.  Now of the the mountains and see how they behave.

They available at Cape Union Mart for R1299.00 … and no this is not a sponsored post at all.

Drone footage – Angel Falls, Venezuela, highest falls in the world.

I am facinated by waterfalls and my favourite hikes are to waterfalls somewhere in the mountains.  This drone footage of Angel Falls in Venezuala is just amazing. I quote from Gizmodo article:

Breathtaking. This drone footage of Angel Falls in Venezuela is exactly that. Angel Falls is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall at 3,212 feet tall and it is totally stunning to see the water makes its way down the side of the mountain and disappear into the mystery below.

On my bucket list to visit one day and see for myself.

 

Hike – Wolvekloof, Franschhoek – 12 March 2016

Joined the Mountain Club of South Africa (Paarl/Wellington) on a hike to Wolvekloof, just outside Franchhoek. What a hike, highly recommended for anybody but be aware, if you not fit and do not like boulder hopping then stay away.  No need for lots of water since there is water all along the hike, but make sure you pack in something to swim in since the swimming pools are just great, cold but great.

Also be aware that you will need to have a 4×4 to get to the starting point of the hike.  We were 12 people with some cars and 2 4×4’s.  The drive to the parking area where we left the cars was not that great but if you take it slow then it will be ok.  We left the cars at the parking area and all got into the 2 4×4’s for a 6km ride up the  mountain on a small narrow track.

We drove past Berg River Dam with the 4×4’s which hardly had any water in it, it is very dry in this part of the world at the moment.

And then we were off
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From now on it was just hopping over boulders and sliding down rocks.   Along the way was lots of small waterfalls and  cliffs all around with vegetation.

Eventually it was time for a breakfast and a nice swim.

After breakfast, the last stretch was ahead to get to the waterfall with beautiful scenery.

We reached the waterfall in time for lunch and well deserved swim.  Seeing the waterfall and just standing and feeling the water fall like little stones on your head made all the effort to get there worthwhile.  It is just magic.

Then it was time to hit the way back down which went much faster, like a magnet dragging you down.  The hike from where we left the 4×4’s and back to it is roughly 5km but it will take you 7 to 8 hours to complete.

 

 

Hike – Majik Forest – 7 March 2016

Did a quick hike from my home down to Majik Forest and back.

Spend some time just sitting next to the dam and reflecting on live and all that is going on in my life.
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While walking through the forrest I took a couple of photos to show the magic of this place.

If you have some time to spare and is in the area, this is a wonderful place to spend some time and have a picnic.

 

Hiking Boots – what to get: Merrell, Hi-Tec or Keen

Currently I have a pair of Hi-Tec hiking shoes but need a new pair since my current pair is coming to the end of its life.  This time around I am looking for a pair of hiking boots that needs to:

  • be water resistant
  • good grip and non slippery
  • good ankle support

Have been looking at the following:

My preference at the moment leans towards the Merrell but I am open to suggestions and recommendations.

Hike – Kromriver – 27 February 2016

Saturday, 27 February 2016 a group of 15 took the road from Cape Town, Somerset West and Malmesbury to go hike the Kromrivier.  This is a hike I always wanted to do but never got the chance and grabbed it when the Gantouw Hiking club got permits to do the hike.

The start of the hike is on the Worcester side of the Huguenot Tunnel just as you exit the tunnel.  At 8.30 everybody was ready and we set of on the approximately 10km hike out and back.

Some photos I took before the hike started while I was waiting for the rest of the party to arrive.

Here is a Google map of the route we walked and at some point you will see the zig-zag as we crossed the river.  If you plan to hike this then ensure you have good hiking boots since most of the way is over boulders and river rocks and a couple of sections is very slippery especially when climbing up via chains to the waterfall and big pool to swim in.

Photos on the inward hike.
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And then we made our way up to the waterfall and a swim in the pool.  Be warned, this water is very, very cold.

And then after we had lunch and relaxing time at the pool, we made our way back to where we started.

I have now done a couple of hikes and must say this one is one of the top ones that I have done.  Recommended to anyone that just loves to get out and enjoy nature and it is a fairly easy hike. Last comment, it can get hot in the “kloof” so take lots of water and drink a lot.

Happy hiking and remember, what you take in you also take out, no litter and leave nothing behind.

Virgin Kite Surfing Armada, new World Records – 415 kiters

On 30 January 2016 an attemp was made to break the Kite Surfing world record that was held by Spain at Blouberg Beach, Cape Town.  The previous record was 353 kiters which was broken with the new record now standing at 415 kitters.

It was a perfect sunny windy day with perfect conditions for the kitters.
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At 1pm the 400 plus kitters set off from the beach in front of Dophin Beach hotel up to Doodles restuarant, a stretch of about 1km.  When all was counted and verified, 415 kitters were in the air/on the water at the same time.

Photo Gallery:

More abour the event and the world record can be read on News24 and Traveller24.

Walk: Majik Forest and back

I was off sick for the past week so weekend and Saturday hiking had to take a back seat.  Having sort of recovered I took a short 5km walk from my home down to Majik Forest and back.  If you stay in the area and have not visited Majik Forest then do yourself the favour and spend some time there.  It is Majik 🙂

I also started to use Wikiloc to track and record the route that I walk/hike. It is an ideal tool if and when you want to share a route with somebody else or finding a new route to walk/hike.  Here is the route for my walk:
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The link to the route in Wikiloc:  http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=12034718

Hike: Newlands Forrest and Rhodes Memorial – 9 Jan 2016

On the morning of 9 January 2016, a group of 16 of us from the Gantouw Hiking Club hiked from the Newlands Fire Station in the Newlands Forrest on a circular route past Rhodes Memorial that brought us back to the Fire Station.

As can be seen from the route board there is various routes one can take:
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After some deliberation, a route was picked and we set off.
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The route was about 10km which took us about 3 hours to walk.  The start was at 96m and the highest point that we reached was 470m.  The hike is mostly in the shade under the forrest trees.  It is a very gentle hike.  Here is the route from Runkeeper that we completed.
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After the hike we went to the Rhodes Memorial Restaurant for some well deserved drinks.  Photagraphs taken with my Canon Powershot SX20 IS.

Hike up to Thomas Hut – Hexrivier Mountains – 31 Dec 2015

I greeted 2016 on the top of the Hexrivier Mountains at the Thomas Hut that belongs to the Worcester section of the Mountain Club of South Africa. Here is it on Google Maps:

Access to the hut is through the Fairy Glen Nature Reserve where we arrived at the car park just after 8am on the morning of the 31st.  Access must be pre-arranged through the Nature Reserve.  On the drive through the park we saw some wild life:

We started our hike up the mountain at 8:45am on a very hot day, around 35 degrees celcius for most of the hike. In hindsight, this was way to late and the ideal time to start would have been before 6am. Here is the route map of the just over 7km hike rising from 444m to just short of 1400m.
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Normally the hike should be taking around 3.5 – 4 hours but for us it took just short of 6 hours due to the heat and lots of stops along the way.  Our first stop was about a hour in when we found this pool for a dip.
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When we arrived at the top, we were greeted by this outside shower.  Heaven on earth to have a cool down shower with probably the most perfect view one can find anywhere in the world.
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Our home for 2 nights.
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On the morning of 2 Jan 2016 we started at 6am with our way down and was back at our car before 9am, less than 3 hours for the hike down and that included a swim in the same pool we swam in on our way up.

Here are some of the photos I took with beautifull flowers, visitors that came to visit and a view of the clouds from atop.  Enjoy and would love your comments.