My hike along the remote and rugged southernmost shoreline of the African continent has been inspiring so far, despite being uneventful. And that is the beauty of it. There are no distractions or dangers, other than the steep cliff of course. But compared to life in the city, the entire adventure has been calming and relaxing. Such is the soothing effect of spending weeks by the sea, surrounded by pure nature with zero evidence of human influence.
The terrain is fairly uniform in its hard rocky slopes bordering on warm Indian Ocean. The flora is also unassuming in its humble existence, except for the occasional dazzling little shocking pink flowers. The rest of the bush is small and delicate overall. Despite the uniform appearance, I am continually uplifted by the wide open space, fresh sea air and vigorous exercise from climbing up and down steep cliffs and hopping across multitudes of boulders.
Add to that the occasional spectacular geological formations and striking landscape, and you have an experience which is purifying to the mind and consciousness. Such is the effect of being absorbed in nature for me. All the distractions of global media disappear into the realm of distant rumors. Here is looks like time stands still. It could be ten thousand years ago and nothing might have changed.
The tenacious indigenous flora still finds a way to crop up in the most unusual places, like straight out of the side of a rock face where no soil appears to be evident. How these hardy plants manage to cling to the vertical rock wall or find a little nook to thrive in continues to amaze me. Life just finds a way to thrive on the nurturing earth it seems. And it remains lush as a ground cover, like a carpet over the rocky terrain.
Usually it’s warm and sunny but I have also encountered thick fog banks that roll in from the ocean on occasion. The atmosphere, lighting and thus mood shifts to a totally dramatic setting. Actually the conditions here are always dramatic, but you don’t notice it as much until the conditions shift. It’s easy to get used to the stark and rugged beauty when you see it daily. But when the thick fog rolls in – on rare occasions – it brings back the mystical mystery of the misty cliffs. Visibility and range of sight is drastically reduced and the world appears to become even quieter, at least subjectively.
At certain points of the hike along this southernmost coastline of the African continent, the cliffs become a sheer drop to the ocean way below, and there is no way to climb down whatsoever. All one can do is observe the crashing waves smashing against the hollowed out rock walls of the cliff side. It’s a dizzying perspective, not for those who fear heights at all.
I have been hiking along this shoreline for a few years now on a regular basis and my hiking boots have become worn out to such a degree that I have held them together with string. They are basically worn out by all the use, so I have found another newer pair to replace these old ones. That’s how heavy duty the terrain is here and how thoroughly I use these hiking boots. I must have clocked up hundreds of miles walking up and down cliffs and rock paths and through bush along this awesome and vast stretch of remote coastline over the past few years.
I don’t bother to keep record by using an Actifit monitor like some folks enjoy doing. It’s not necessary for me. I just walk and climb until I’m exhausted from one day to the next. But the boots are proof of how much work I put in, thus keeping fit and healthy all through the entire covid ruse over the past two full years and even before. None of that global media propaganda has any effect on me here on these remote cliffs, despite rumors of a new strain in my country of South Africa this month. You could call this my own self-isolation technique, just outdoors instead of in. It’s the healthier alternative and makes more sense. I hope wherever you are that you can also grab the opportunity to bask in the fresh air and nature that is all around us on the planet. There is simply nothing better for body, mind and soul.
(photos my own)