Hiking, Flyfishing video montage
A couple of weeks ago, I managed to escape the affluent bubble of Cape Town and spend four inspiring days in Mountains just outside of Worcester. To get to the river, once has to duck off a highway and cross over a meandering stream before adjusting backpacks, shoe laces and equipment to embark up the river, round treacherous mountain passes, through rivers and eventually far away from any form of civilisation.
This was no ordinary hike. The river is known to be one of the most dangerous in the Western Cape due to the extreme flash floods that cause the river to flow at unimaginable speeds. There have been a few documented deaths already.
Besides the dangerous nature of the river, the mountain range boasts idyllic beauty and fascinating characteristics. The elusive and majestic brown trout fish feed in the rock pools, troops of baboons lazily look down on the crystal clear river from high mountain perches, and bushman paintings believed to be hundreds of years old are seen in small overhanging caves. For me and my friend the lure of our favorite wild animal, the Leopard, is believed to be one of the few freely roaming animals in the region. This thought alone makes hiking the river extra special.
Louis de Bernieres wrote that when one camps, one lives close to the earth and the creatures are earth’s companions. One becomes interested in them because there is often very little to do and the creatures make one think about what it is to live and about the many types of life…
Here’s the video:
and the link
Amazing video boetie – really well-shot, makes me feel a lot of resentment for being in a bloody flat in the city right now instead of somewhere real. Sjoe.
May 1st, 2008
9:09 am