Thick fog surrounded us when we, a group of thirteen, met at Theresa Avenue just before 8am. The temperatures were very pleasant and we enjoyed the atmosphere particularly while passing through the misty indigenous forest in the lower parts of Grotto Ravine. As we slogged up further, we were encouraged by small patches of blue sky. But when we sat down for our breakfast break next to the traverse, the fog got so thick again that we even noticed a little drizzle. We decided to just see how things go. Obviously the narrow and exposed ledges around the Fountain Ravine section needed to be dry, and ultimately, we did not know at this point if the visibility would allow us to continue walking along the traverse at all.
As it turned out, we were lucky. Although there was no view from the traverse level – neither on the ocean nor the mountains around us – there was enough visibility to continue safely on the traverse. And much to our surprise, the rocks around Fountain Ravine were completely dry. There was not a single drop of water even in the waterbed at the ‘tree scrambling’ section. Still, it was curious that we somehow missed all the exposure in this particular part due to the dense fog around us. But at the same time it was a very special and beautiful experience as these weather conditions were turning the surroundings into something mystical. Another beautiful moment followed when, coming out of the Fountain Ravine section, the clouds suddenly lifted and we literally walked into the light.
From then on we hiked under blue skies, with some occasional misty cloud moving across the mountain at high speed. We had left the GFC traverse just before Cairn Ravine to climb up Fountain Ledge. Up there we joined the crowds walking on India Venster for a moment, only to leave them again quickly as we made our way up to Fountain Peak. During our lunch break we took in the views on a sea of clouds covering the ocean and then continued towards Blinkwater Ravine. On the way down to the ladders, we added a little detour to Grotto Cave, explored the cave and its tunnel systems. From there we quickly reached Blinkwater Ravine and started our fun scrambling down. To our surprise, again, the whole ravine was dry. We got back to the cars at 3pm, thus 7 hours after our start.
Thank you all for a magnificent hike. Thanks for your enthusiasm, your spirit of adventure, and for your great company.
Pictures: Charl Swart, Christo Steyn, Dain Hamilton, Gium Marais, Greg Stroud, Ruth Knoblich
