Descriptiona new four-day slackpacking hike in the Elgin area an hour out of Cape Town. Our guide for the day, Gerald McCann, was excited - it was the first time he’d been able to pinpoint the eagles’ nest site this year.‘There’s the nest they used last year,’ he pointed to a krantz across the gorge from where we stood at the base of an even higher cliff . An indefatigable conservationist who’s spent much of his life working in the Kogelberg Biosphere as head of the reserve, Gerald, now in his seventies, has hacked out a network of trails on the fynbos-covered slopes of the Houwhoek Mountain above Bot River. ‘It’s my hobby,’ he said. On top of the world Gerald is involved in mentoring a new generation of guides just graduated from Elgin Learning Foundation College, who will act as second guides until they gain experience. ‘I love being outdoors guiding people,’ said Chris September, who is also Murray’s right-hand man at Porcupine Hills Guestfarm, where you spend the first two nights. On day one, the trail starts with a ride to Twaalff ontein Farm and a six-kilometre slog up a shoulder of the Groenlandberg. Once on top, the terrain evens out and there are glorious views all the way to Hermanus and Cape Point in the south and across Theewaterskloof Dam to the Franschhoek Mountains and Villiersdorp in the north. There was plenty of time to enjoy being on top of the world before the trail descended through a recently burnt area to the collection point near Viljoen’s Pass on the R321 to Villiersdorp. Certified minibus taxis are used to ferry slackpackers to and from their overnight accommodation. ‘It helps spread visitors’ rands into the community,’ said Alison. |
Murray Weiner