Another mountain club uitstappie to Haelkop peak (1390 m), one of the loftier peaks that rim the Jonkershoek valley. The route upwards to the watershed north of Haelkop is a fairly easy, yet relentlessly uphill, hike. Near the top the gradients steepen markedly. From the summit the views are panoramic and breathtaking. On this occasion the group opted to descend via Sosysboskloof, which involved clambering down some exposed, near-vertical steps on the watershed. The 16km round-trip took us all of 10+ hours – but it was worth it. A Google Earth track and photos follow…

Or download the kmz file for viewing in Google Earth