"Puff" for Dorothy's Birthday

Date: 25 May 2010

Location: Table Mountain

Walkers: Helen & Dorothy

Note: This is the not the first time I've written about this walk we've nicknamed "Puff Adder Alley". Route plotted here, and archive of all the walks here.

It was Dorothy's birthday and we went for a walk! It had been far too long since either of us had done this favourite route of ours. From Tafelberg Road we set off up the familiar path, towards Platteklip Gorge.



Up the path we went, stopping only to smell the roses - I mean, the Indigofera cytisoides. It doesn't have much of a scent actually, but it is a very pretty pink!




Everything was looking green and lovely.




As always, we turned left once we reached the contour path.



I think these attractive shrubs on the wayside are Phylica buxifolia.



At the cave we saw that more rock fragments had fallen down from above.



Slowly but surely the upper level is collapsing. Debris everywhere!





We walked on, taking the right fork onto the upper contour path ("puff adder alley"). A few late-autumn leaves are hanging on to the oak tree.




Despite recent rains, there wasn't much water flowing down the waterfall.



As we climbed the last section and walked on towards the saddle we admired all the orange flowers, Erica abietina, on the sides of the path.





The flower tubes are slightly shiny. Some flowers were covered with teeny-tiny little insects - perhaps the tubes are sticky too?




Once we joined the saddle path we zig-zagged down the hill.



The old signboard at the intersection of the lower contour path and the saddle path has been replaced with a new one. I've just noticed now that it isn't terribly clear, possibly misleading. In the shot below the saddle path should have an up arrow. The Saddle is up.




One down the hill we walked swiftly back to the start on Tafelberg Road to join friends for lunch. Happy birthday Dorothy - hope the year ahead brings lots of good walking.


(Photos by Helen)
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