This was the first time we had attempted to do all seven valleys on Table Mountain. As it turned out we had to abandon Nursery Valley as this did not fit into the allotted time frame – but we did cover 14km over the 8 hours spent on the mountain. We set off in ideal hiking conditions – except for the freezing temperature that we experienced in ‘Not Ash’ Valley where the dew had become frozen droplets on the undergrowth. We exited from the valley onto an interesting ‘ramp like’ ledge that led us to the high point on Vaalkat Ridge where we thawed out and had tea. Then our route took us down into Ash Valley and on past the Mountain Club hut to Valley of the Red Gods. After many ups and downs we passed through Valley of Isolation and Ark Valley before finally reaching Echo Valley. This we followed, heading towards Smuts Track but peeled off at the start of Backwater Stream which by ‘negotiation’ became our 7th valley! After reaching the junction with Upper Disa Stream we stopped for lunch below Junction Peak and enjoyed the gentle warmth of the winter sun. The 17 of us reached our cars soon after 3:30pm after descending via Skeleton Gorge.
Photos by Don Jepson
