2012 in review

It's been a while: a long while since my last great blog post, and also quite a while since my last great hike. It's something to do with having a couple of kids who are too large and impatient for those put-the-kid-in-the-backpack devices, and too small and impatient for prolonged exertion.

2012 hasn't been completely barren hiking territory though. In January I joined the Scouts on a couple of one-day kloofing trips to Elandspad River and Bobbejaans River, a route from East Fort over Vlakkenberg to Constantia Nek that I hadn't done before, a short night hike to the King's Blockhouse, and a winter weekend in the Cederberg, with an icy trip to the Wolfberg Arch via the Cracks and a potentially life-threatening accident at Stadsaal Caves.

With friends, I did a couple of half-day hikes, including the Jeep track/Ash Valley/Cecilia circuit, which I'll blog about shortly.  I might fill in the gaps on the blog if I find a moment, but then again, I might not

Wit Els 2001

While I'm on the subject of photos for Bruce... here are some photos a kloofing trip we did down the Wit Els, back in 2001. I can't quite believe it's been so long since I last went been down this magnificent river, but I'll be back one day.


Bottom hut


Middle hut


Pell's Hut, newly renovated


On the long descent from Waaihoek into the gorge.


Disa Falls, and Bruce trying unsuccessfully to get a GPS signal.


One of the swims, or perhaps one of the wades


Waterproofing the packs


Definitely one of the swims


And another


And another.


Me, at Alder Ring campsite


Dave


The gang, or most of them.

Elandspad kloof

Elandspad is an easy day hike close to the Du Toits Kloof tunnel. The path follows the valley above the river, and after an hour or two you rejoin the river at a very welcome pool at Fisherman's Cave. The river just above the cave is quite easy to explore, with a bit of wading, and some nice landmarks like the "Gog and Magog" rocks overlooking the river. You'll probably see some disas on the cliffs in summer. A steep tributary to the right goes off into a very spectacular narrow gorge ending in a very high waterfall which few people ever visit.

In the main kloof, there are some wonderful pools, waterslides and one or two optional jumps. Remember that you can't go too far past Fishermans Cave, as you will reach private property, and your permit doesn't allow you to go this far.

On your way down, you can actually follow the river all the way back to the road. the lower reaches are quite mellow and calm, and make for pleasant wading, although this annoys the trout-fishermen who share the lower parts of the river with you. Since the bottom part of the kloof is quite accessible from the road, there are often crowds of day-trippers in this area, who (unlike you) didn't pay for a permit to be in this area. Grrr.

Wit Els

Wit Els is the king of the Cape kloofs: the ultimate 3- to 5-day kloofing experience.

The trip begins with a tough ascent of Waaihoek in the Hex River mountains, and a descent into the river, which will take most of a day to complete. The ascent has some charming names like Hagga's Hill, Little Agony and Big Agony. Because of the heat, the ascent is often done at night.

In the course of the river there are more than a dozen "compulsory swims" and many kilometres of the best kloofing in the Cape. Landmarks include Barrier Falls, Emerald Pool, Boulder Pool, the Supertube, and Bumslide Rock. There are many beautiful camping spots beside the river. The waterfall in the picture is called Disa Falls, it's huge, freezing, and the best thing in the world after the 900m ascent and descent into the kloof.

Since you'll be swimming and carrying a full pack, you'll have to do some serious waterproofing, and think about carrying a lilo.

The landowner once asked me not to include their contact information on a page about this kloof, so you'll have to track them down yourself. I'm fine with that. Frankly, it's a very tough hike putting parties very much at the mercy of the landscape and the elements, and I don't want to take the blame for the next kloofing accident.

Kloofing safely

A few words about jumping safely. Remember that Cape mountain water is very dark due to the natural tannins in the water, and the rocks underneath can be invisible, especially in shadows. Before you jump, be sure that someone has tested the depth of the water below you. Never dive: it's just not worth it. Land feet first, legs together, with your arms at your sides. Spinal surgeons will tell you that anything over 5m is risky, and anything over 10m is inherently unsafe. Believe them. And remember, you can't go back up a compulsory jump: once you've done the first one, you're committed to the rest of the river.

Another warning about jumping. Some people seem to think that jumps are the only worthwhile part of kloofing, that higher is better, and so on. These adrenaline junkies have very little relationship with the kloof they are "doing". For them, I suggest a trip down Suicide gorge (but only if they are sure they can live up to their own big talk) and then sticking to sensible adrenaline sports like bungee and skydiving. Real mountain experiences probably aren't for them.

Another general rule about kloofing safely is that kloofing after rainfall can be extremely dangerous. The power of a kloof in flood, the speed at which the water level can rise, and the height it can reach, will exceed anything you can imagine. If you can't escape from the kloof, retreat as far up the bank as you can go, and sit it out. Pushing on in these conditions can be fatal.

Suicide Gorge

Suicide Gorge is without doubt the most infamous of the Cape kloofs, and it's name is quite appropriate. It's a very steep kloof and in a short distance, it has a sequence of notorious compulsory jumps: several are over 13m, although some insane kloofers add to this by climbing even higher up the sides of the gorge before jumping.

Die Hel

Die Hel is a famous pool in the Groot Winterhoek mountains (not to be confused with De Hel near Oudsthoorn). It is the biggest and best rock pool in the Western Cape, surrounded by cliffs and a large waterfall. It's about a 15km hike to this point, so you should plan to camp out or spend the night at De Tronk or another hut in the area.

Although many people hike to Die Hel, few go down the Twenty-four Rivers kloof which ends in this pool. The kloofing trip begins at the road bridge which you cross just before you get to De Tronk. (Above the bridge is the Klein Kliphuis River, also a pleasant half-day kloofing trip.) In many places you can clamber between and under the boulders of the kloof, wading and swimming through caverns and tunnels between the boulders. Your trip ends spectacularly at Die Hel, where the only way you can get down to the pool is a jump of about 5m.

After the jump there is a steep climb out of the gorge , but the view and sense of achievement are well worth it.

Bobbejaans River

Bobbejaans River is a tributary of Bains Kloof and it falls under Cape Nature.

You start with a steady uphill hike of an hour or two parallel to the river. At the top is a waterfall which you can see for some distance, and just before this is a pool which can only be reached by a swim and a scramble - at least, that's what they say, because we didn't manage to complete the scramble. If you want to shorten your trip, you can also cut down into the kloof from an earlier point on the path.

Since it is a fairly steep kloof, in a few places you need a definite head for heights and an ability to scramble down the steep rock sides of the gorge. There are no compulsory jumps, but a few optional ones, and lots of scope for exploring. It ends up in Bains Kloof, at which point you turn upstream and return to your starting point.

Above the Eerste Tol village, Bain's Kloof (Wit River) also makes a pleasant kloofing trip. You can walk up a gravel road and path as far as Junction Pool, and come back down the river. Halfway down is an unusual aqueduct dug through the rock, ending at the site of an old mountain mansion, now demolished, overlooking the pass.

Kloofing

Kloofing is a uniquely Western Cape sport. Well, at least the name is unique - in the rest of the world they call it Canyoning. The Cape mountains, warm climate, cold mountain water and hard quartz sandstone have come together to form the unique river gorges and valleys which make great kloofing possible.

Kloofing involves getting yourself down a river gorge - one that is fast-flowing, but with too little water for kayaking or any other boating. Sometimes you just boulder-hop, sometimes you wade, or swim, sometimes you have to climb, and many kloofs have "compulsory jumps" from an insane height.

Some things set kloofing apart from ordinary hiking: there is no path, so you have some freedom to choose your own route and challenge yourself with the obstacles along the way. You're always constrained by the sides of the gorge, so it's hard to get lost in a kloof, but there is an enormous freedom to explore: tributaries, waterfalls, potholes, jumps, or just to stop at a perfect pool for a three-hour lunch break.