The hoped-for hike happened!
Today saw me venturing off on what must be classified as the easiest hike on our entire trail list – a stroll from The Kom in Kommetjie (a stone’s throw from home) along the coastline to the log at the end of the houses that make up Slangkop Estate. It was the perfect choice for a return to exercising for me after months of working at the computer (gainfully) and a few weeks of mild Covid (round 4). The heat was off, and a gentle northerly breeze blew in from the chilly waters of the Atlantic. The clouds provided almost a complete canopy with just the odd ray of sunshine peeking through and glittering on the choppy sea. It was a relaxing stroll to enjoy some of nature’s best – shorebirds calling vociferously as we disturbed their roosts or perhaps even nesting areas, vast stretches of fine seaweed coating the beach and providing excellent pickings for the Sacred Ibises that love the sandhoppers so. Cormorants perched precariously on rocky outcrops, while terns dived enthusiastically for the small fish shoaling just below the surface, and the resident pair of White-fronted Plovers scurried up and down the beach ahead of us.
The view from Long Beach across to Hout Bay, flanked by Chapman’s Peak and the Sentinel and with the Back Table at the rear, is world-famous and justifiably so. Every day the light changes as the seasons change and with it the clouds, and sunset remains the most beautiful time of day for this view. But on a summer’s day, when the southeaster has been howling up the valley for days on end, the clarity and colour of the water is matched only by the most turquoise of tropical seas. Today the shadows and wind direction kept it mainly a glittering grey, but bursts of sunshine brought out bright patches of palest blue-green topped by frothy wave crests – truly a treat for the eye and balm for the soul.
An ebbing tide gave us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the firm, damp sand underfoot, rather than the heavy going through the finer sand higher up the beach, and so the muscles may not ache quite so much tomorrow after the unaccustomed exercise. Our coffee break was perfectly timed to be just past the log – that well-known landmark of a giant tree trunk tossed ashore many years ago in one of the Cape’s famous winter storms, wedged way above the high tide mark to end its days perched on a rock rather than becoming a piece of furniture or deck in some far off land which was its destination. It has a use – it is The Log, the turning point for most beach walkers who like to know exactly when it’s time to turn for home. Which is exactly how we measure this beach walk! A perfect morning.
