Wolfberg is a mountain in the eastern range surrounding the central valley of the Cederberg Wilderness Area. At its peak, there are several “cracks,” narrow passages through which hikers must walk to summit the mountain. Further along the Wolfberg crest, there is a natural arch feature that draws adventurers. We wanted to do both and return via the “alternative route.”
The ascent from the carpark to the cracks is steep and relentless, but it affords excellent views of the valley, with Dwarsrivier Farm in the distance and Ed’s car below. Halfway to the top, a massive block clings to the side of the mountain, having fallen millions of years ago. Ed was proud of his stylish hiking shirt until it began to chafe. Like yesterday, the route is marked with helpful cairns; one is always in view.
A final scramble to the top runs past an eroded cave and leads to red rock that forms the soaring walls of the approach to the cracks. We chose right, the crack that is wide enough to drive a bus through. We would have chosen left had we known it to be the narrower and more-challenging crack, a fact we surmised only after we were through.
The cracks take a few minutes of level walking to navigate. There is a window between the cracks, but the view into the valley is amazing. When you emerge, you’ve reached the top of the mountain and can look back. There is a helpful sign if you’ve walked the top of Wolfberg and desire to descend.
The climb from the car park to the cracks was about as high as the climb from Kirstenbosch to the top of Table Mountain. But the terrain is very different. Up Smuts Track, everything is green, a river runs through Skeleton Gorge, and the trail is wet. Up Wolfberg, there is no water, the ascent is unrelenting, and the walls both sheer and red. Because the space is rather confined, it is impossible to take a photo that provides a sense of scale for both the height and narrowness of the cracks. They were truly amazing.
However, ascending to and passing through the Wolfberg Cracks was only a small part of our day. At this point, it was only 10 AM, and we had a full day ahead of us. Our next destination was Wolfberg Arch.
The route from Wolfberg Cracks to Wolfberg Arch runs west northwest along the top of the mountain. This is walking on the level, and the well-marked trail passes a large cave while moving through a moonscape. Unusual fynbos and flowers, several balanced rocks, and animal prints decorate the alternating sandy and rocky path. The route is quiet, very quiet: the loudest sound is a footstep. Eventually, Wolfberg Arch is visible in the distance.
After another 45 minutes of walking and climbing, we reached the arch, a massive structure. We ate lunch, arriving at exactly Noon. As I lay relaxing in the sun for a few minutes, I looked up to take a photo of the top of the arch and looked out to take a photo of a distant koppie.
We took the “alternative route” down, adding more than an hour and at least three more kilometers to the hike. After a bruising descent that passes some of the few remaining ceders, we walked along a rocky/sandy Jeep track for many kilometers until we reached the car park! If we were to take this hike again, we would go down the way we went up. The alternative route was longer and offered no reward. But at 3 PM it was great to be done. We estimate that we covered 24 kilometers: 6 yesterday and 18 today. Add to that my 11.6 km run yesterday morning, and I’m at 35.6 km over two days. (That’s about 22 miles of running, walking, climbing, and descending.) Ed and I are tired, a little sore, but happy!
We returned to Algeria and the Gray Rhebok Cottage with its braai porch that overlooks a river and mountains opposite. I watched the sunset while preparing a braai of lamb and pork chops. Ed’s salad was awesome, the meat was done to perfection, and nothing was dropped into the fire! (Next time you see Ed, ask how many times he dropped the same leg of chicken into the fire yesterday. Hint: more than 2 and less than 4!)
We’ve had two extraordinary days with perfect weather and amazing scenery; I’ll never forget them. It has been fantastic spending time with a good friend in a stunning part of the world. Thanks, Ed!
—Matt
