From my chair:
29° 42’ 06.76”S 29° 24’ 55.50”E (elevation 1 660 m)
Greetings from the July Camp’s base at Cobham where we joined two other folk from the South Cape, Wikus and Lisa (having to our collective surprise crossed paths with them en route at Phyll Sephton’s farm near Maclear). Not enough ice here for the ice climbers, but those of you that way inclined might find the latest from the UIAA to be of interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6coC9dxnuM
The Economist recently published its list of ‘Five of the best books on climbing mountains’. Killing Dragons by Fergus Fleming, Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer, Time on Rock by Anna Fleming, No Picnic on Mount Kenya by Felice Benuzzi and Into the Silence by Wade Davis. Winter evenings on the Garden Route are perfect for pulling up a chair in front of a fire with a good book to hand – I think I’ll start with Davis’s tale of Mallory.
Some other good reading which I enjoyed recently dipping into is The South African Mountain Leadership Guide. It’s a little dated now (1991), but even if you think you already know all you need to about leading trips into the hills it’s worth re-looking it at, not least for such meal related snippets such as ‘warn the person carrying the fresh eggs that they have them!’
Without connectivity in camp I’m not sure when this missive will reach you, but I do trust that many of you have by now enjoyed what looks to be a superb talk at our social this week.
‘til we meet
Gary Cundill
chair@scp.mcsa.org.za