Oppelskop Ridge

in October 2011 - Hiker's Circle

Like Bruce Springsteen, we were ‘Waiting for a Sunny Day’ for our hike up Oppelskop Ridge. We had wondered one day, coming down from Devil’s Peak, if there was a route up The Ridge as none of us had ever heard of anyone actually doing such a hike.

Brian Georgeson, our friend and guide, has over five decades of climbing experience on Table Mountain and as far as he knew no one had mentioned ever hiking this ridge before. So Brian did some scouting up the ridge and found that it was indeed very doable and so we found ourselves waiting for a sunny and clear day to climb the ridge.

According to the ‘weatherman’ Sunday would be clear so we made our plans to meet on Tafelberg Road.

Well… when we arrived the fog was thicker than cold three-day-old rooiboentjie soup. But with the assurance of the weatherman saying it would be blue skies all day we ‘knew’ the fog would lift during the morning to reveal our Mountain in all Her glory.

Right.

Needless to say that the fog didn’t lift during our hike and only eased by the time we made it back down to Tafelberg Road some seven hours later!

But, quite unexpectedly to people who don’t often hike, we had a fantastic day and an awesome hike.

It’s one thing to always hike in perfectly clear weather, but you only discover the different moods and personalities of Table Mountain when you hike in less than perfect weather.

Being caught in a storm can leave you exhausted and humbled and there’s doubt that you never conquer Table Mountain, or any other, and that the Mother Mountain ‘allows’ people to access Her many trails, routes, climbs and views.

But the Mother Mountain’s mood on this day was not threatening at all. It was more melancholic than anything else. Hardly a breath of wind to be felt, She simply stood there pensively the entire day!

But she also gave us the opportunity to see another side of her, rarely experienced by people.

The heavy fog and still air revealed just how our beautiful fynbos can survive on fog alone without any actual rain. The amount of moisture that attaches to and collects on the fynbos leaves and flowers is quite astounding. In no time flat hikers would be soaked through just from brushing passed any fynbos. To avoid this, Brian walked ahead with a stick tapping several times on all the plants we passed as the droplets collected on them poured off like mini-rain showers.

It really was very interesting and educational.

Another plus of hiking on such days, in addition to the perfectly cool hiking conditions, is that without views to admire, hikers are forced to focus on other things and are far more likely to notice and fully appreciate the enormous number and variety of fynbos flowers that bejewel the mountainside. They make a very special sight. And the fresh, droplet laden flowers even more so.

Once we made our way higher up the occasional break in the fog, as clouds drifted by, revealed spectacular views of the mountainside – rather like watching the landscape drone by below through an aircraft window.

Unfortunately, white fog does not make impressive photographs so while I write this, Bruce and Brian have gone for a midweek hike to retrace our steps and take some photos under clear blue skies to show you just what there is to be seen on and from Oppelskop Ridge.

It is certainly a route less hiked and offers spectacular views of the front of Table Mountain, the City Bowl and of Devil’s Peak.