This morning the plan was that we meet Julian for breakfast and then I was going to walk home – a simple 45 minute walk with the wind at my back. But Julian said, ‘no that’s a featureless walk – why don’t we walk along the sea front towards Simon’s Town and back and then I’ll give you a lift home?” So that was what we planned to do. We stopped off at Julian’s so he could put sunblock on and we set off towards Simon’s Town on what was a majestic, cool late autumn day. The wind off the sea was like an air-conditioner and we certainly weren’t going to overheat. We got close to Glencairn, when I suggested we walk over Blackhill. It is a 6km mountain pass that connects Glencairn with Sun Valley. The hill upward is about 3.5km and the other downward side about 2.5km. We phoned Mike and told him the plan and set off up the hill. Not far up the hill, right after the Glencairn houses there is the start of the nature reserve with a sign saying Brakkekloof.
Julian and I looked up the path and briefly debated whether we should take that route home. It looked harder. It looked possibly longer. But it also looked a lot quieter than the very noisy Glencairn Expressway where cars were speeding up and down. It could possibly be safer going that route.
I didn’t think it would be shorter, but feeling adventurous, we took a turn off the road and made our way up the path….up and up and up until we enjoyed the same view as the houses at the top of Glencairn…
That in itself had been a bit of hike, but there was a lot more to come, some of which was badly marked and very sandy….
We clambered and scrambled, but kept onward and upward…until the houses got smaller and smaller…
We actually had no idea of where we were going. That’s the dangerous thing about walking on the mountain. You think the ridge ahead is the last one, but when you get there, there is another and another and another. Eventually, we arrived at a cairn that clearly indicated we were on the right track…
From there we walked across the top of the ridge…and looking back we began to say farewell to Simon’s Town…
We were happy that the path was relatively flat…
We got to this strange rock formation…
And were grateful when Fish Hoek came into sight…
Another 45 minutes and we were phoning Mike to ask him to pick us up at the top of Harrington Road. My knees were talking. My watch announced we had been walking for just shy of 10km and that it had taken us 2 hours and 45 minutes!
We were glad to get home.
Our mountain hike was full of ups and downs, pretty much like life. You have just got to persevere and keep on going.
It is worth it in the end.
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
God never gives up on us.
These are the days.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂