The Bat Run

The Bat Run is an epic 30km nightime trail run up 3 peaks of Table Mountain, held annually on a full moon night in February. Its been on my wish to-do list for ages but with 1700m of climbing, I thought it was way out of my reach. Somehow one thing led to another and I managed to do the training and get an entry (and one for Chris too, who was busy training for ironman anyway).

The race starts at the bottom of Tafelberg Road at dusk and winds up to the very top of Devil's Peak, any route you like. There is a check point at the top where you can see the whole of Table Bay, the setting sun and the rising moon. Then it's head torches on and a scramble back down the mountain.

'Lost' it appears, is relative

“I know exactly where we are – we’re just SW of Judas Peak, Hout Bay.”

Had we been lost, I would have called Mountain Rescue and said that someone has blindfolded us, and dropped us somewhere in the mountains of the Western Cape. So while I still maintain that we were never lost, I will admit that the path down the mountain appeared to be missing. Being lost and being in trouble are two different things. So I call it more than semantic opinion… I call it adventure.

Red Disa Hike Adventure

 I've learnt my lesson on this hike and from now on we will call them “adventures”. You need a sense of adventure to hike, because they don’t always happen in a straight line and according to plan – so next time, we will arrange a mountain walking adventure, just so that we know to expect the unexpected.

Cederberg Crystal Pools Hike : When hikes are near, friends are few!

Years of nagging finally paid off and my friends agreed to do a Cederberg Hike. As more and more details became clear and the date drew near, the guest list shortened. In the end there were just 4 who were willing to trust my yet-to-be-tested navigation and survival skills!

Maps were photostatted, hiking fraternity consulted, gear begged for and borrowed until we were in a fashion, ready. Since we only had a weekend, and one of the conditions of the hike was that there would be a hut nearby if all hell broke loose with the weather, we opted for a short Crystal Pools hike with 1 overnight.

Eden to Addo 400km Mega Hike

A few of my pics from a 17 day, 400km mega adventure! We started in the Eden district near Knysna and ended in Addo National Park in the Eastern Cape, 7 mountain ranges later.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larahusted/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larahusted2/

I also wrote an article that was published in The Star, you can read it here - minus the photos :(

Cape Town fire: Table Mountain up in smoke...

I spent much of yesterday afternoon watching Table Mountain disappear behind a curtain of thick smoke. The pictures below are taken from our flat's balcony in Tamboerskloof - the 3rd photo is 10 minutes after the first - that's how quickly the fire was spreading. The flames were fanned by gale-force winds which aided its devastation and hampered dousing efforts.

  

Helderberg Mountain day walk

Just a quick pic... Walked up the Helderberg Mountain in Somerset West on Sunday. Stellenbosch lies on the left and Somerset West on the right. One minute you're in the city - the next in the clouds! Route was up Disa Gorge, then Porcupine Ridge and back down the other side.


For more info try the Helderberg Nature Reserve website.

Landroskop Hike - Feb 2005 (Grabouw area)

On an uncharacteristically cold and misty February weekend - Phil, Maria and myself stood huddled around a fire in the Nuweberg forester's cabin near Grabouw - the starting point of our 2 day hike. The weather was very unsettled and a Cape coldfront is not to be taken lightly, but after leaving our next of kin contact numbers with the park officials, they allowed us on our way.

Cederberg Hike - May 2005

While driving home from work on Friday, I had an great feeling of contentment. I commute between Somerset West and Stellenbosch and to drive through the winelands every day is truly a treat – a brilliant way to ease in and out of the working day. The reason this Friday was even better than most? Well it was a warm, still, autumn afternoon, it was the start of a long weekend, and at dawn tomorrow I would be heading out to the Cederberg for a 3 day hike.

Me, maria and a whole lot of rock

Langebaan Houseboat