Ralph Pina
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Simonstown to Smitswinkel on foot

by Ralph Pina | Oct 19, 2010 | hiking, scenic walks, Table Mountain National Park, trails

We took the Old Mule Trail up to Blockhouse Gap where two old blockhouses slowly weather away. Apparently the blockhouses were built at the beginning of World War I to guard the eastern approach through the nek to the naval ammunitions magazines that scar the high...

Climbing Haelkop, Jonkershoek

by Ralph Pina | May 9, 2010 | hiking, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, trails

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...

Climbing Twin Peaks, Jonkershoek

by Ralph Pina | Apr 21, 2010 | hiking, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, trails

Climbing Jonkershoek’s Twin Peaks (“Die Pieke”) is one of the outdoor experiences in the Jonkershoek mountains. On this occasion I went with the mountain club (MCSA) on the “uitstappie”. An uitstappie is one of those wonderfully...

Photos of Table Mountain walks

by Ralph Pina | Jan 28, 2010 | hiking, scenic walks, Table Mountain National Park

The Cape-based members of the Patagonia group are training for the trek through the Andes by taking regular walks in the Cape Peninsula’s Table Mountain National Park. Here are some photos from those walks along with some older ones… If the slideshow does...

Climbing Victoria Peak

by Ralph Pina | Sep 9, 2009 | hiking, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, scenic walks, trails

At 1589m Victoria Peak is the highest summit in the Jonkershoek area. It is visible beyond the valley from Stellenbosch and is  often – as it is today – covered in a white blanket of snow. The route as shown in this Google Earth track winds up the eastern...
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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..

Recent Posts

  • Botanising trilogy
  • Grootkop
  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek
  • Three Sisters hike
  • Up the Cascades
  • Erdvark Trail
  • Rod’s Trail, Betty’s Bay
  • Spanning the red stone arches
  • Gamkaberg Plan B
  • Fonteintjiesberg

Recent Comments

  • Ralph Pina on Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town Traverse
  • Ed on Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town Traverse
  • Kitkat on Paddling with wild horses
  • Ralph Pina on Hiking Oorlogskloof’s Rock Pigeon Trail
  • MR Dobeyn on Perdekop escape

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Friends

  • A friend cycles around the world
  • Nomadic NAMAS
  • Peter Groves
  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

Good Causes

  • Fire Information System for SA
  • The Cape Leopard Trust

Hiking sites I like

  • Boots and Fins
  • Ian Webb's Great Hikes in the Western Cape
  • Jacques Niemand – interesting hikes
  • Maps – Hike the Cederberg
  • Mountain Club of SA Stellenbosch Section
  • Mountain Meanders

Mountain & Hiking guides

  • Nomadic NAMAS
  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

Parks

  • Cape Nature
  • SANParks

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Botanising trilogy
  • Grootkop
  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek
  • Three Sisters hike
  • Up the Cascades
  • Erdvark Trail
  • Rod’s Trail, Betty’s Bay
  • Spanning the red stone arches
  • Gamkaberg Plan B
  • Fonteintjiesberg
  • Swartberg Pass over the years
  • Cape of Good Hope Trail once again
  • Fairy Glen – Plateau – Kasteelkopnek trail
  • Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town recce
  • Paddling with wild horses
  • Rooielsberg peak
  • Karoo corridor MTB tour
  • A walk on the Wild Coast
  • A northern Kruger cultural safari
  • Twelve Apostles loop
  • Balloch High Rim hike
  • Namaqualand coast hike
  • Miaspoort Trail to Huguenot Peak

Recent Comments

  • Ralph Pina on Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town Traverse
  • Ed on Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town Traverse
  • Kitkat on Paddling with wild horses
  • Ralph Pina on Hiking Oorlogskloof’s Rock Pigeon Trail
  • MR Dobeyn on Perdekop escape
December 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031 
« Nov    

Recent Posts

  • Botanising trilogy
  • Grootkop
  • Aasvoëlkrans Hiking Trail
  • Perdeberg hike
  • Kasteelkop & Nek

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License except where otherwise indicated for some photos. Kindly attribute by linking to this site or citing “www.ralphpina.com”.

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