A Father's Day adventure walk

Father's Day today and we took the Alph on a Hout Bay walk with Sue and Honey and Florian and Pauline. We all piled into the Land Rover at East Fort, including Honey who was a bit surprised to find herself in the back with Doog n me but she pretended to be really cool with it and all was well. Then we drove along Chapmans Peak Drive and parked at the end of the free pass area. After watching a flurry of fishing boats beetling off into the deep blue sea, we huffed and puffed up the mountain

past some spiders

and some hot chocolate proteas (Protea lepidocarpodendron) - also known as Black-bearded Proteas,

till we got to the contour path. We then turned left and walked back towards Hout Bay.

The Waboom proteas are all opening up now,

and it was all craggy and cold and perfect.

Even some winter-flowering bulbs are popping up like this Gladiolus maculata

that smelled like Roget & Gallet Carnation soap according to the FL.

On and on we walked and the path got more and more precipitous.We stopped for tea but the Food Lady forgot to take a photo so

we took one when we arrived at Blackburn Ravine. Honey, Sue, the Alf with me n Doog on leads as the Food Lady can't handle us and heights, Pauline and Florian. 

We found a Pill Millepede which the Food Lady got quite excited about as the last one she saw was ages away in the Kruger National Park. It was rolled up in a tight ball and eventually rolled right off the path before I could get a good crunch of it.

Then, instead of just going along the path, they decided to brave the ladders and rushing rivers and climbed half way up Blackburn Ravine.

We then turned left at a junction and walked along another precipitous path under waterfalls,

and around sharp corners. No wonder Florian is looking a bit worried!

We even saw a petrified puppy in the cliffs.

Me being a rock climbing dog.

Back down and on the road we met some other dogs including this shaggy beast

which made the slog down bearable.

But very soon we were on the grassy slopes of the East Fort

which are the remains of an old fort that was originally built in 1781.

We hope the Alph had a happy fathers day.