Twelve of us set out just after 07h00 from Constantia Nek in cool relatively calm conditions. A NW breeze all morning kept the temperature down. We all used the gully on the way up which, whilst showing some signs of weathering from the winter, was stable and lush. Leaving the gully on its west side, we traversed to the first pitch stopping for the now traditional geocaching discussion and toilet demonstration. Everyone managed the pitches comfortably with some choosing to go round the chimneys. After the beverage break on the Constantia Corner path, two of the group climbed the Camel enroute to Klaassen’s Kop. As pre-arranged, two of the party left the group at the turn off to Klaassen’s Kop, to commence their descent. And then we were ten.
At Lumbago Alley almost all chose the initiate route, shuffling, crawling and wriggling utilising a range of methods with varying degrees of elegance. We had a short break there to enjoy the view of the back of the Apostles and to fulfil the mandatory requirement of deciding which is Intake and which Frustration Ravine. On the way to the top of the Kop, the awkward pitch was done by half the group. Before our lunch pause nearly all the group contorted through the Postbox, a tight squeeze for some. We then shimmied up the chockstone route to the summit, descending through the yellowwood tree canopy. After lunching we joined the Constantia Corner/De Villiers Dam path for a short while before detouring directly to the concrete road at the top of Spilhaus Ridge. Here one of the party left us for his trek to the MC hut for overnighting. And then we were nine. Whilst fragmenting on the descent, some by road the rest by path, we all reached the cars by 14h15. Only five hardy souls managed to make the extra mural refreshment break.
