The weather gods looked on us favourably as fourteen enthusiastic MCSA members left a soggy wet Cape Town on Friday morning and gathered together at the Kardoesie farm stall on the N7 before driving through to collect the gate key for Zuurvlakte. A few lingering clouds shaded us as we walked up to our chosen camping area. Water was the main determinant this late in the summer but we were pleased to see puddles in the rocks from the previous days rain. We set up camp in the Hondverbrand valley and spent the afternoon on a visit to Doc’s Arch before settling down to a moonlit night in our tents and bivis.
The Saturday dawned clear with a heavy dew and some sun chasing to dry off gear before we set off to visit the Breekrants Twins. Mike van Wieringen led the way to scout out the route up the northern Twin. It had been on his radar for years and a rope and gear had been brought along for the challenge. While the scouting was in progress the bulk of the group enjoyed the step-overs and passages of the southern Twin and were happy to see two Mikes triumphant on top of the northern sibling. We quickly traversed a ledge to get to the route up, which proved easier than expected, and soon nearly the whole group had visited the northern summit. After that, some headed for camp to snooze in the sun while the rest of us took a tour of the Breekrants Arch area before a well-deserved swim on the way back to camp.
Sunday was another relaxed start. Three of the group had to head back home and the rest were very keen to see the Sandfontein Arch so it was a day spent threading our way across the vlaktes, examining plants (we had a few ecologists and plant enthusiasts in the group) and enjoying the landscape, which is so easy to walk in, but deceptive when trying to pin down features and weave a way around the western rim. Monday was our last day and reluctantly we packed up and left the idyllic valley stopping along the way to detour up Apex peak and its gothic cathedral architecture. Another special treat for the uninitiated.
Charles Morrison
