The Puffer

South Africa is home to many fantastically scenic, but also incredibly challenging marathons. One of the most challenging must be “The Puffer” This 80km race, begins at Cape Point, and ends in the waterfront. The distance in itself is challenging, but what makes this such a gruelling race, is the fact that the route follows the Table Mountain chain. Thus, the ground underfoot is mostly rocky or sandy, with repeated hard uphills, and difficult downhills. (Imagine, after running for several hours, having to then race DOWN Platteklip gorge! Anyone who knows this route, knows it is steep, with large uneven steps, and often loose underfoot.) There are numerous checkpoints along the route, but for much of the way the runners are on their own or in small groups. The route is unmarked, therefore a knowledge of the mountain, the route, and the ability to read a map is also essential. Obviously on such a difficult race, entry is limited, and the organisers ensure all the racers are experienced and capable.The winner this year (2010) ran this in a incredible 6 hours and 57 minutes!!

However, for those who would consider the Puffer a bit to easy!! There is The Tuffer Puffer!! This race follows begins in the waterfront, with runners running all the way to Cape Point, in time to join the other racers as they begin the puffer. This year, the winning time for this race was 25 hours and 56 minutes.

Congratulations to all the runners. Finishing this amazing marathon is an incredible feat.

For more information have a look at their website. http://www.puffer.fishhoekac.com/index.htm.

Hiking to a beach, and to see some

interesting rock formations

found on Table Mountain

From the city of Cape Town, Table Mountain sometimes seems to be unassailable lump of rock. Visitors are often astounded at how extensive the mountain is behind the towering cliffs above the city. Those who do take the time to walk on Table Mountain, can also enjoy some of the strange rock formations found there. Even stranger is having a picnic on a beach…. right on top of the mountain
The beach is found at the top of Skeleton Gorge. If you have climbed up Skeleton gorge, take the right hand path around breakfast rock and keep going straight ahead. After about 5 minutes walking you will find you are walking in ankle deep sand. A little bit further and you will see a beautiful white beach leading into the water of the Hely Hutchinson dam. Here is a perfect place for a tea or a lunch stop.

The sand dune behind Skeleton Gorge

The beach with Hely Hutchinson dam behind

The rocks of Table Mountain are all of sandstone. So this pile of sand is obviously a collection of eroded material.

�
 Another amazing sight you can see on your hike on Table Mountain, is a variety of weird and wonderful rock formations. One of these is one I call “dog head rock” It is found on Smuts track between Skeleton Gorge and Maclears Beacon, and can be seen from some distance away. This is another good place for a break, where those more adventurous souls, may want to try out their climbing skills.

Dog head rock, viewed from Smuts Track.

Adventurous hikers can scramble to the top of the rock

East Fort. A hike on Chapmans

Peak

East Fort, is the remains of a fortification, found on the Northern slopes of Chapmans Peak Drive. The fort was originally built in the 1780’s by French merceneries in the declining years of the Dutch East Indies company. Since then it was used by both French and British occupiers, until being abandoned in 1826.

The remains are found some 5 minutes walk from the road. You pass through Hout Bay and follow the signs for Chapmans Peak Drive. Follow the road around a couple of hairpin bends, and look for a largish parking area on your right. (If you get to the toll gate you have gone too far) Once parked look out over the sea towards Hout Bay Harbour. The view is magnificent, and you can see the first remains of the fort, perched on the rocks overlooking the Bay.

The remains of East Fort, from the parking area

 To see the rest of the fort, you take the small path leading up towards the mountain. It is well signed and the path clear.

The path to East Fort is well signed

 The remains of the fort are quite distinct and impressive. Even better are the views of both the mountain and the Bay from there.

Although the fort can be viewed after a 2 minute walk. The paths behind the fort, lead to several routes up the mountain behind. So it is a good starting or ending point to a hike.

A walk with a view of Table

Mountain

Table Mountain, that famous natural wonder, that is visible from 150km away, is one of the things that makes Cape Town such a special place. There are hundreds of walks all over the mountain, with magnificent views all over the peninsula.

However, of course, the views of the mountain itself are better if you are not actually on the mountain! There are many wondeful places to get a good view of the mountain. The Robbin Island Ferry, The Waterfront, The city centre, to name a few. 

My favourite view, is from the other side of Table Bay. ie. From the beach that runs from Milnerton to Blouberg and on up the West Coast. Here is a wonderful expanse of beach. You can walk all day if you like. And all the time, just the other side of the Bay, the most wonderful view of Table Mountain.

Signal Hill. Cape Town

Signal Hill, is the name for the small hill, alongside Lions Head in Cape Town. Also called the Lions Rump, it is from this hill that at 12 midday every day, a cannon is fired as it has been done for over 200 years since 1806. This shot, is Cape Towns oldest tradition, and was originally used to signal the arrival of a ship requiring provisions. It also allowed ships to check the accuracy of their timing mechanisms on board. In order to do this, and to ensure an accurate reading,  observers in ships out at sea would look for the smoke from the gun muzzle, as light travels faster than sound.

The noon day gun on signal hill

Depending on where you are, and on the wind direction, the cannon, can produce a thunderous roar, or be a hardly noticeable blip merged with the other city noises. When walking up Platteklip Gorge, with a NW wind blowing, the shot, echoes around the cliffs and has been mistaken for thunder on occasion. On other days, you don’t hear it at all.

A soccer view from Table

Mountain

The first time I ever really thought about the soccer world cup, was when I saw the completed stadium from the top of Table Mountain. It rises out of Green Point, like a huge flying saucer, and is really very impressive.  Its position, between Signal Hill and the sea, must make it the best placed stadium in the world. It definitely adds to the beauty of the city and to the view.

Looking over Signal Hill and the stadium from Table Mountain

Why walk up Table Mountain

Someone asked me the other day, “Why would I want to walk up Table Mountain?” The implication being, why, when there is a perfectly good cable car to carry me to the top. I struggled to answer the question, as for me, I have to ask, Why would someone NOT want to hike up Table Mountain.

So I have a put a bit of thought into it, and here goes:

People walk for all sorts of reasons. For many, it is really, an alternative to going to the gym. How often have I heard Platteklip Gorge being compared to the stairmaster – “good for the buns/butt”. Others, having endured a long haul flight of several hours, and the opportunity to take some excercise and get some fresh air is a gift. Still more, having been enjoying, the excellent foods and wines, of the Cape, enjoy an opportunity to work up an appetite. (or work off last nights supper!)

Away from the health and excercise angle, there are those, who feel a sense of achievement. Who want to be able to say “I climbed up Table Mountain” Or who see a hike as an opportunity to bond with friends and family.

But for many, and certainly for me. Climbing a mountain, or indeed, any walk in nature, is a meditation, or a journey. A way to really see and connect with nature and with the mountain. Whilst walking on Table mountain in particular, you can really see the variety of flora, and the changes between different areas on the mountain. During a walk, you can escape the crowds and the stress and strains of the city. (lets face it. The restuarant area of Table Mountain, can be as busy as the waterfront…..hardly an escape from the city) Take a walk away from this main area, and in a very short time, you will feel yourself in a wilderness. Surrounded by nature, unaffected, by the city, 1000m below.
So, to conclude: There are hundreds of reasons, why you should choose to walk on, or up Table Mountain: For health, for excercise, for getting to know old friends, and also new ones, to learn about nature, and to relax.             

 But most important of all. Take a hike on

 Table Mountain, just because it is fun!!!!

Taking a ride down Table

 Mountain is not always cheating.

The cable car

Although I believe that to ride up Table Mountain in the cable car is definitely cheating. I also find that to take the cable car down the mountain is an experience, well worth the R85 ticket fee. The rotating floor ensures that everyone on board sees all angles of the descent, whislt the sheer speed, and angle of the drop, is amazing. The views over the city, Camps Bay and Table Bay are superb, and the sight of the sheer cliffs found on this section of the mountain are mind blowing.

The view towards the mountain, from the cablecar

The ride itself takes a couple of minutes. This following an exhausting 2 hour slog up Platteklip gorge, or full days walk from the Back Table, is in itself an experience.

Each cable car, will carry 65 people maximum, so in an hour, can take around 600 people to the summit! During a good clear day in the summer, it is not surprising that the top is so crowded. Reaching there after a hike on the Back Table, can be a bit of a culture shock. Sometimes you see no one all day, and then suddenly walk into a small area, as busy as the waterfront!! On these days you might have to queue to get back down. In fact last week, my husband and dogs, decided to take Platteklip Gorge down, and actually reached the bottom on foot, whilst I was still in the queue!!

The view from Table Mountains cable car

 So whilst it may be best, not to attempt to take the cable car, on a perfect summers day. For the rest of the time, it is an amazing way to descend the mountain.

What rocks are found on Table

Mountain?

The Cape Peninsula, which includes the Table Mountain chain, are made up of three rock types, of different ages. Cape Town, Signal Hill and Sea Point constitute a mass of tilted Malmesbury slates. This is the oldest formation in the peninsula, which consist of alternating  layers of fine grained greywacke sandstone and slate, deposited as muddy sediments, several million years ago. The effects of heat and pressure metamorphosed this sediment into slatey rocks. The best place to see examples of this rock type, is in the rock rodges jutting into the sea along the Sea Point beachfront.

The upper cliffs of Table Mountain are made up from Table Mountain sandstone. This sedimentary rock was formed by millions of years of river borne sediment which piled up upon itself and was compressed by its own weight. This rock type has been subject to the natural forces of weathering for millions of years , meaning that what we see today, is a fraction of the original deposits.

The third rock formation, is that of Cape Granite. This is most clearly seen in the huge rounded boulders on the slopes of Lions Head, at Boulders Beach, and at the bottom of Chapmens Peak drive. The Cape Granite was formed from molten rock, which intruded into the malmesbury group formation. Although originally intruded at great depth, prolonged erosion eventually exposed the granite to the surface, and it now forms the base on which the younger sedimentary rocks of Table Mountain are deposited.

Cecilia and Tokai plantations, found on the Eastern slopes of Table Mountain, became part of the Table Mountain National Park in April 2005. Prior to that date, they were managed by MTO forestry ltd, and had been harvested on a cyclic basis since the early 1900’s.

Once incorporated into the National Park, it was decided that the plantations would be returned to their natural state. Thus the pines and blue gums found in the plantations would be cut down in blocks, and the natural fynbos allowed to regenerate.

Such a decision met with a mixed reaction from the public. Both forests are popular recreational areas for a variety of activities such as hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, and dog walking. The main attraction of the trees to such activities is the provision of shade. Plus the jeep tracks that provide  access for the loggers, also offer good walking, cycling and riding routes.

A shady path in cecilia forest

  Since the decision was made, a number of areas have been felled and the natural vegetation has begun to regenerate. I can hardly remember what the route up to the back table from Constantia Nek was like when it was dominated by large trees. I’m afraid I have no strong feelings on the subject. I appreciate the need to return to the natural vegetaion, but also enjoyed the shade. I imagine in 10 years time, once all the trees have been removed, and most of the natural vegetaion returned, most people will forget what these areas were like for a brief period.

The path leading from Constantia Nek, to the Back Table.