Friend of Cape {town} Etc, Joshua Le Roux, is about to take us on an adventure of a lifetime. Joshua is a man of the mountains, and his latest trip is perhaps the coolest one yet – literally. Suit up Mother City, we’re going snow hiking at the Mont Rochelle Perdekop trail.
Do not fear, Joshua is here! He’s going to be our expert guide through the snow, with gorgeous snaps along the way, of course.
There are many different places that one can go to see the snow but most of those places would require driving a fair distance, such as going to Matroosberg, says our guide.
Couple the drive with a bunch of eager beans and you get a fair bit of traffic – not ideal. The solution? Hiking up the Perdekop trail at the Mont Rochelle reserve.
Not only will you skip the queues and save on petrol, but will also set fire to those winter couch comfort calories, all while being surrounded by the beautiful Franschhoek mountains.
If you are looking for a car to get to Mont Rochelle you could always hire a car in Cape Town and drive through for a day out in Franschhoek.
“We had an early start, leaving Cape Town at around 6.30am and reached Mont Rochelle at 7.45am to start hiking. The temperature was bitterly cold, being close to 0-degrees celsius. Strong winds made it feel a lot colder.
“We pushed on and started making our way to Uitkyk to wait for our fellow hiker to join, while enjoying a little bit of our food.
“We met up with the last man of our trio and started hiking up the Perdekop trail. We were surprised to see so my trail runners already descending on the trail.”
Here are some tips and tricks for hiking the Mont Rochelle Perdekop trail.
Essential items:
- Waterproof hiking shoes
- Sunscreen
- Water (lots of it)
- A backpack
- A beanie
- Long pants
- A warm windbreaker and an extra jacket
- Gloves
- Sandwiches (sufficient food)
- Sunglasses
- A Mask
- R50 for the hiking permit
Not so Essential:
- A flask with warm water or coffee
- Your camera
- A pack of cards
The Perdekop Trail
Warning: this is not an easy hike. It’s quite far and has a good amount of elevation. Ready your lungs!
“If I summed up my experience, I would say it’s a 6-7 out of 10 in difficulty. I am an avid hiker and am generally quite fit,” says Joshua.
A good fitness level will come in handy here. You’re going to be on the mountain for about seven hours (depending on your pace).
The hike itself is populated with a couple of hikers and lots of trail runners, says Joshua. So in terms of safety, you’re good to go. Hiking with a few mates is always recommended, though.
Read also: A hiker’s guide to arriving in one piece
“The best way to experience the entire mountain would be by starting on the Uitkyk Trail, having a quick look at the beautiful lookout point, having a morning coffee and a small snack then turning back to the Perdekop trail.
“On your way back to the Perdekop trail, take a left and then start climbing the clockwise circuit. The hike has really good signs so getting lost is not too much of a worry. The start of the hike has quite a steep incline, but once that first hard climb is done you will start to gradually head higher and higher.”
When there is snow on the mountain there is normally a fair amount of ice, so be cautious. A little tip: walk on the snow next to the trail. This will help you from not slipping so often. We don’t call him our snowy mountain goat guide for nothing!
Once you have passed halfway of the hike, you’ll start to see beautiful scenery from the valley below while standing on the snowy peaks of Mont Rochelle. “It makes you feel like you could be in the French Alps.”
Soon after, you will come up to a small stream and begin your final push to the top. Once you have reached the peak you will find a large cairn situated on the peak. This is how you’ll know that you have reached the summit.
After a good rest and a couple of snowball fights, you can start to descend down the mountain by taking the trail to your left. This will take you straight down to the parking lot at the foot of the hike. It’s quite a tough descent that can take a fair amount of time depending on your fitness level.
You will eventually reach a river with a bridge to cross that will take you up one more cheeky climb to the parking lot. Snow mountaineers!
The adventure doesn’t end here. Treat yourself to a good cup of coffee or tea and a sweet treat at the Terbodore Big Dog Cafe (29A Huguenot Road, Franschhoek).
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Content:
Joshua Le Roux (@joshilerox) and Matthew Schaltz (@mattie_mattmatt).
Read also:
https://www.capetownetc.com/cape-town/snow-snaps-the-western-capes-winter-wonders/
