In search of Calitzdorp’s Golden Arches. To sum up this excursion in a single sentence would be – Blood was shed, but at last count all limbs remained generally present and intact! By the time, the complete pack of 11 players had assembled on a side track, off a side road along the R62 the [...]
From my chair: 33° 58’ 31.17”S 22° 35’ 44.89”E Dear all With our May Social having to be cancelled due to inclement weather there was no opportunity to give a short report back on the MCSA’s National Meet, hosted by the EP Section. An article did appear in the local newspaper, however, which can be [...]
From my chair: 47° 23’ N, 9° 45’ E Dear all You’re familiar with the long-standing South Cape Section’s approach to publicising meets. We’ve had a couple of requests to supplement the existing email system with a WhatsApp group. Now I know perfectly well that such groups can be a serious irritation, so please don’t [...]
An unexpected message sent to me one day led to a most enjoyable trip to the hills, with fellow club members Kobus, Teretha, Clifton, Annalet, Charles, Corlius, Bruce, Gillian, Greg, Cheryl and Sandy. Katot Meyer is a legend in the 4X4 and conservation communities (see, for example, https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-06-meet-river-guardian-who-protects-plettenberg-bays-catchment-areas/). Having heard of the MCSA and its [...]
From my chair: 33° 49’ S, 23° 10’ E Dear all From Pietersrivier: For those of you who didn’t attend this year’s AGM, I’m delighted to tell you that eight members of the Section rose to the challenge of ascending 20 Peaks during the Section’s 20th anniversary year. Andre B’s submission was the most comprehensive [...]
It was about 2 years ago that Johan van Vuuren and I summited Formosa Peak. We then started talking about this peak. And then it happened… Before we embarked on this journey, we were a group of 7 but lost 2 due to flu and a fracture. The weather similarly had it’s knife in for [...]
Considering the average age of Mountain Club members, it is not a big deal when someone turns 70. Many will say: “been there, still going strong”. But 70 is sort of a dividing line between middle age and old age, with physical capabilities becoming somewhat “unbalanced” at times. Crossing this line can be uncertain, worrying, [...]
I have never read The Chronicles of Narnia by Roald Dahl, mainly because by the time he published it, I was way past fairy stories. Our kids were able to read it for themselves, so I missed out there too. As far as I can gather, Narnia is accessed through a wardrobe and features a [...]
From my chair: 35° 10’ N, 136° 52’ E Dear all Not one of my peaks, sadly, but not a bad view on the walk from the underground to the school where Daughter#1 teaches. Definitely some more exploring is called for on this island. Luke Clark of the Cape Town Section is this year’s recipient [...]
From my chair: Dear all The only peaks visible today from my perch in Singapore are skyscrapers, which aren’t of much interest to me but may be attractive to Alex Honnold (if you haven’t watched it already, you may wish to take a gander at his latest exploit in Taipei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXiEp_GGSpg). Time’s running out [...]