33.07 Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Hermanus: Perhaps the most gorgeous area thus far.
Twenty minutes into the climb and the editor is already checking time. Only another 5 hours to go. 2 hours later, the editor makes a final push as she sees the peak. Traveling through the suburbs of Hermanus really stoked our interest in the town. Having found the nature reserve, we focused on which hike to undertake rather than city life below. As we knew little of the reserve, we spoke to a helpful, young fellow who gave us a quick rundown of what we should expect. We did inquire about the highest peak in the park, Aasvoelkop (Vulture Head), something we had researched previously. He could tell us of all hikes bar the one that really interested us. It appeared the rangers tended not to visit Aasvoel Peak or at least, the current staff had never hiked it. After we completed the testing walk and climb, some 2,900 feet of cumulative gain, we realized why. In fact, not in his case, but in a few other reserves, we found the rangers gathered in the office warming themselves ar...