On a lazy Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a sunset hike as temperatures were reaching the high thirties that day. We didn’t want to go too far but wanted to do something different so Kommetjie mountain seemed to be the best choice. We had a little trouble finding the path I had planned to hike up so we found a hidden one a little further up the road instead. The ascent was very steep but there were ropes and steady rocks to assist the climb.
Once we reached the top the sun was starting to set. Kommetjie Mountain has also very recently been ravaged by wildfire so all the vegetation at the summit was burnt to ashes. There were no trails, but also no sign that anyone had been wandering up there in a while. We walked in what almost felt like desert and did a circular loop taking in all the gorgeous views from each side. The absence of human presence on the mountain was a blessing to us as we spotted some buck pouncing from rock to rock, and not a single footprint but ours in the sand below our feet. The sun continued to set and turned a vivid red.
We finally found our bearings near what seemed to be an abandoned military settlement, now overgrown with trees and decorated with murals of graffiti.
We took another much easier path down the mountain with views of the ocean, Slangkop lighthouse and the surreal pink sky and setting red sun. The heat still very present, we had the brilliant idea to finish the day off with a Magnum ice cream… Death by chocolate… Then finally off to bed.
loveatfirsthike 