13 Peaks and Segment 12: Klaasenkop and So Close…

So close to the finish of our Thirteen Peak Adventure. This Peak has to be one of our favourites ever… and I know we say that about all of them… but little friends asked us if they could join us… and instead of a trudge… it was an absolute joy!!!

Constantia Nek to the Dams

Of course it was an early start…

But little friends made it all seem sweeter…

But the sunrise made it all worthwhile…

And what started as a clear morning… was quickly turning cold and grey…

The trick with this very popular route up Table Mountain…

Is firstly, to start early…

And secondly, make it to the bridge…

The little section just before the bridge is the steepest and once you have got there it is smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Klaasenkop and the TREE!!!

The turn off to this peak is at the start of the dams… and the only people we found on this path were less than a handful of folk looking for the peak to tag. It is really quick and easy walk around the side of this peak and then through the rocks to the top.

At this stage it had become cold, wet and windy… inclement to say the least.

This peak comes with a warning… and I was more than a little nervous… I have to say if 13 Peaks doesn’t up your bravery game, several times, then nothing will…

I had heard so much about the tree and how impossible it was to cross it…

If I have learned nothing more… it is hold yourself together until you get there and then assess for yourself if it is possible or not…

Send some fellow climbers ahead…

And don’t be afraid to ask for advice or a helping hand…

And then boom… it wasn’t glamorous,

But I did it!!!

The weather was wild and literally hanging on for dear life…

What a team…

Down Nursery Ravine

Another hearty breakfast on a mountain top… hot chocolate, fruity muffins and sausages for the win…

And then a wander across the mountain top…

Towards the top of Nursery Ravine.

And blue skies…

All the blue skies…

This is very much a down, down, down and down route…

I am sure there are people that can do it well…

But I have never been one of them…

The first part is rocky and tricky and then into the forest you descend…

I cannot understand why we always pass so many people making their way up this route (let alone down), there are way easier ways up Table Mountain.

That being said… the forest is beautiful…

And butter spoon trees…

This is not a family favourite… up or down, and we were pretty glad when it was over.

And this is where our little friends left us… absolute champions…

Along the Contour Path to the Start of Nursery Ravine… and then Out Through Nursery Forest…

We thought we had done the hard part for the day… and a little trot along the contour path would see us to the finish. This was not the case…

Turned out to be much further than we thought…

Sigh…

And don’t for a second think that contour path means flat…

There is a zig zag section, called the 400 stairs… more like four thousand stairs… and here we had a close encounter with a swarm of bees… not funny at all.

It is incredibly beautiful and foresty…

Interspersed with loads of scree to clamber over on tired legs…

It is impressive stuff…

And as I said before there is always a kicker at the end of every segment… just to remind you that you are becoming a 13 Peaker… and the scree was the kicker for us.

And here is a little tradition of ours… when we know we are close to the finish… within half an hour of the end of our journey… we down packs and eat everything in them. It is a massive morale boost and exactly what we needed at this stage…