Sirkelsvlei saturation
The hike from Olifantsbos to Sirkelsvlei took place in perfect conditions – lightest westerly breeze to keep us cool, cloud cover overhead for an even temperature – in fact, the only thing not in perfect condition was me. A good start was made on the initial uphill, it being a short (few hundred metres) and well-paved pathway up onto the plateau. Traditionally, we have wandered fairly randomly across the exposed stone pavement which characterises this part of the Reserve, and generally lost the main pathway, forcing us to pick our way carefully round the low fynbos so as not to damage it. It is a case of all roads lead to Rome, but it would be easier to use the Appian Way. Our intrepid leader knew the way, as it was carefully marked with very adequate stone cairns, and we found ourselves taking a left hand route round the rim of the ravine. As this was not the usual as-the-crow-flies, there were some sceptics among us, but the presence of the cairns reassured us of the correct route.
Being spring, there was an abundance of flowers to admire along the way, the best excuse for a rest being to take photos and enjoy the expansive views. The moraea or Cape Tulip is abundant on the plateau, in varieties ranging from salmon to bright sunshine yellow, with the elegant tripetala in purple shades to show off. The tiny purple-tipped heath drew the eye with pink splashes of colour only metres apart, while the less vibrant yet no less lovely hardier fynbos filled in all the gaps. After a devastating fire across the veld some eight or ten years ago, the only signs of destruction are the twisted remains of the thick trunks of older pincushions and mimetes that succumbed to the flames. The other casualties were the yellow-painted sticks marking the trails for hikers, of which only one seems to remain, hidden in the lee of a rocky outcrop. In despair of their reinstatement, it seems hikers have taken matters into their own hands, as is being done throughout TMNP, and ensuring at least a little maintenance.
Sirkelsvlei is a destination that one feels may never be attained. Being out of sight until we crested the last ridge, it seemed far, far away, and in truth it is, being one of our longer hikes, around 8km in all, and a welcome landmark is the fantastically weathered Koggelman Arch, where windows on the world are framed in rock, and you know the vlei is about half an hour away. Coming upon it so suddenly, we were amazed at the level of the water – right up to the track that follows its contours, when in a normal rainfall season there is quite an expanse of rock and sandy shoreline. With all of our seating submerged, we perched on a handful of boulders, or not in some cases, and enjoyed the lapping of the wind-blown waves at our feet. In all the years I have been going there, this was definitely the saturation point.
The return trip took us in a straightish line across the sodden plateau to join the path along the ridge on the Atlantic side of the Reserve, through the mimetes ‘forest’ that gives Olifantsbos its name, and past the Second World War submarine lookout above the Olifantsbos overnight accommodation. After that, feeling that we might never make it back to the cars after a nearly 4-hour walk, we suddenly reached the gully where eland and bontebok have trodden paths down to the sweet water and grazing along the beach. Desperately trying not to stumble over roots and loose rocks in our eagerness to get back to the cars and shed our footwear, we congratulated ourselves on yet another marvellous achievement as we continue to scale the heights and tread the trails that are so freely available here in the Fairest Cape in all the Circumference of the Globe!
