Fires on Table Mountain
Well, it’s fire season. It seems to have started earlier than normal, but we need to deal with it. As we wait for the decision from SANParks as to whether they will close some of the paths that were affected by the fire, we can still go up.
Go carefully. Go with a guide, there we go I said it again. Now there is no vegetation for shade, you need extra water and sun defense mechanisms like sunscreen and SPF clothing. Hats are super important and will keep you a little cooler and most importantly, the sun out of your face.
When dealing with fire, there is no shame in avoiding the route or turning back. Smoke inhalation isn’t fun, it’s quite disorientating and that’s the last thing you want on an exposed ledge. Never plan on walking up a hill to escape a fire, you will go slower up a hill and the fire goes really fast up a hill. It’s just a bad idea. Fires love gullies, so never walk with one below you.
Really, you should be avoiding this area, the vegetation is gone, I said this earlier. But, the other problem is that now the rocks that were held in place by roots will be loose and thus falling rocks will be a problem over time.
Other than this, the wind creates extra dust and this can blow in your eyes and this is horrible.
In short, there are many other gorgeous spots around Cape Town; Go there!
Remember that when it’s hot and everything is dry, the mountain is a tinderbox. It wants to burn, it needs to burn for some of the seeds to propagate. There is a catch however, it should only burn every 7 or 8 years. It shouldn’t be an every year thing.
Let’s all do our part and avoid naked flame on the mountain this year and report those you see making fires.
Signing off
Robert
