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Kasteelkop & Nek

Kasteelskop is a rocky hill above Fairy Glen and below the Three Sisters that resembles a castle turret. It also features a castellated ridge from a certain angle. Our pleasant hike took in the kop and the nek (saddle) that separates it from the higher Three Sisters...

Three Sisters hike

The Three Sisters trail at Kleinmond is described as "challenging" and "moderate" on various websites and trails apps, opinions determined by the abilities and experience of the respective authors, I assume. I would advise that you be conditioned for hiking and be...

Up the Cascades

Cascades is a perennial summer outing on the Mountain Club's calendar. Either members scramble up the gorge, skirting the waterfalls, or they abseil down the gorge through the waterfalls - often doing both in a single weekend. I have abseiled it before, but this was...

Erdvark Trail

Central Karoo The Erdvark Trail is located roughly 45 km west of the Karoo National Park. It winds up and through the foothills, valleys and tablelands of the escarpment, where the Karoo's Koup ramps up to the Hoogland Karoo, in a great circuit some 67.8 km in length....

Rod’s Trail, Betty’s Bay

Rod's Trail is an easy 9 km circular, scenic walk that follows the base of the Kogelberg mountains above Betty's Bay, then meanders down to the coast to return along the beach than forms part of the Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area. Gain in elevation is negligible....
Visgat reprise

Visgat reprise

Thirteen years after the last time down Visgat canyon, I had the privilege of another swim down this almost pristine gorge. The permit was arranged via the Cape Town branch of the MCSA by Paul Verhoeven at late notice. We dropped everything to descend it once more and...

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Wild Coast hike

The 5-day, 61 km (69 km by my GPS) Wild Coast hike down the scenic Pondoland coast featuring overnight stays at local homesteads, is one of those must-do hikes. Besides moving through the unfolding spectacle of the shoreline you will gain some insight into a...

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Summiting Sneeuberg

Cederberg Wilderness Area It took me 32 years since my first hiking experience in the Cederberg to summit Sneeuberg - in my 60th year and on the occasion of the Mountain Club of SA's 125th anniversary camp. Paul Verhoeven organised and led the hike and although it was...

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The Postberg Trail

West Coast National Park The Postberg Trail is pretty exclusive, only opening for the spring months of August and September and accommodating just 12 hikers per day. It is a two-day trail of some 26 kms in length but with negligible elevations. Bring your own tent and...

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Tierkloof abseil

  Paul Verhoeven arranged this exclusive adventure for a small group of mountain club members. It involved climbing the Peaks (¨Pieke¨), some of the highest summits in the Jonkershoek area and then 9 abseils down Tierkloof, the cleft that angles down south of the...

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Witels – what else?

Having "done the Witels" back in 2009, I had little intention of doing it again, but then she-who-shall-remain-nameless talked me into another MCSA mission from 25 to 30 December. Anyway, when Christmas Day dawned it had already transpired that...

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Overland Safari 2015 vlog

I don't expect this post to be of much interest to others besides those who were in the party who drove the 8000 or so dusty kilometres. It is however a video record - comprising 5 short, amateur videos - of our overland safari through Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and...

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Welcome to RalphPina.com

Thank you for visiting my outdoor blog. RalphPina.com documents my experiences over many years of appreciating, and adventuring in, Nature. It celebrates visual beauty, advocates minimal impact, reflects on humans’ relationship with our ecosphere, spans the planet but focuses on the wild diversity of southern Africa. Photos, videos and GPS maps of hiking, cycling, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing and windsurfing..

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