We both had the day off yesterday and decided to climb Devil's Peak.
There isn't that much info on the climb, but from what I could gather there are 3 routes, and a return trip should take about 4 hours.
We figured that was a conservative time (Platteklip, for example, says to allow 2hrs to go up, and we did it in 1hr), but planned to start at 14:00. In the morning the plan changed and we started at 09:30 instead. Good thing we did.
The three routes are:
Newlands Ravine
The one near Platteklip
And one from Rhodes Memorial (also called the Knife Edge or Mowbray route or something).
The last one is advertised as the most difficult, so naturally, we did that one.
Now, there is no signage. And I couldn't find any maps online. I found a few websites with descriptions of the route, but they weren't very good. At some point I might write a detailed report with the exact route we followed, but typing is a little painful right now... read on to see why.
Anyway, so we started up towards the Blockhouse and within 100m had taken a wrong turn.
We found our way and came to a T-junction. We went left when we should've gone right. Nothing like an 800m detour!
We eventually made it to the Blockhouse. From here my directions said to go up to old Fire Hut. And where the path forks, go right. Well, we came across about 4 forks. We eventually made it to the Fire Hut.
And then it was more up-up-up!
The wind had picked up, so crossing the "Knife Edge" was quite fun with a very long drop on each side.
But we made it to Minor Peak, and gazed up at what we still had to climb.
The directions said to go left and pretty much straight up to the top of Devil's Peak, and to take caution as there were ledges with sheer drops. There was another, longer route, but hey.
The climb looked intimidating but wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
The path isn't well-used and the only indicators that we were going the right way where cairns places here and there.
Whilst the entire climb thus far had involved scrambling over rocks and along ledges, this portion also involved going up a few 10-15m rock faces. Now, I'm petrified of heights but astonishingly, I did alright. However, we both knew that if anything happened to us out here, the only way out would be by helicopter. The only time we came across anyone else after the Blockhouse was when we reach the peak.
The final push to the peak involved a hairy-looking climb, but I found a path and went around instead
The wind was pumping, but stepping down half a meter had us in a completely sheltered area.
We rested and had some snacks and took in the view and sounds. It is a very impressive view! And looking across at Platteklip Gorge makes one realise how insanely steep that climb is!
There was no way we were going down the way we came up, following the poorly-written directions we picked our way down the myriad of paths heading in the direction of Table Mountain.
We could clearly see where the path led to Tafelberg Road, but opted to return via the Newlands Ravine.
The route down was a mixture of light sand, dark sand, big rocks, little rocks, loose rocks, firm rocks, and hard-packed dirt.
Of course, I slipped on some little loose rocks and not only slid and fell, but also bounced rather spectacularly. As I got airborne on the bounce I remember grabbing at foliage to stop myself from rolling down the mountainside.
I came to a rest in a cloud of sand, my arm and leg stinging. I got up and dusted myself off and assessed. My wrist is very nicely grazed where my watch sits (hence the pain while typing), I have a nice roastie on my left thigh, and I tore my shorts.
I'm quite upset about the shorts - they're from New Zealand and cost a fortune.
Adrenaline pumping, I had to force myself to slow down the next few hundred meters.
Eventually we came to some signs and followed the ones towards the Newlands Ravine.
The vegetation changed constantly which I really enjoyed; Scrub, fynbos, trees, open areas, and eventually forest.
Going down the Ravine wasn't too bad - seems the Platteklip walk we did recently strengthened my legs.
I'd hate to have made the ascent this way though. It was just constant winding uphill. At least with the more technical route you have to focus on navigating rocks and it makes you forget that you're tired.
We eventually came to a boardwalk and turned left in the hopes it would take us back to Rhodes Memorial. It did, and it turns out this is the route we accidentally started to follow when we set off.
I've only been in Newlands Forest once. Sjoe, it's beautiful. I can't wait to go explore some of the trails on the mountain bike!
We made it back, some 6 hours later. We were covered in so much sand and dust that our legs were about 4 shades darker. Tired and caked with sweat, we set off for a well-deserved burger.
Great day out! Definitely not the "quick after work climb" we thought it would be.
Topic: My African Dream (Read 231691 times)
