After the Storm – into the Wild – early Sunday morning in the Harold Porter Reserve

The Harold Porter Botanical Garden shaped by horticulture, soon releases you into it’s indigenous wild mountain side and kloofs, the ancient home of baboons and leopards who apparently are re-establishing themselves in the Western Cape Overberg region. Over the last year and a half, there have been numerous recorded sightings from Gordon’s Bay to Grootbos.
After a week of violent storms had lashed the Cape Peninsula, suddenly, on Sunday morning, the air was still, the sky steely blue again, calling us out into the wild – and if we caught it early we would have the paths into the Harold Porter Reserve to ourselves and we left before breakfast. There was a remarkable chill in the air, wending our way upwards with the mountain side still in shadows.

Entering the Reserve early in the morning after the deluge.

All tranquility now and gentle reflections.

Wending our ways up the mountainside in the fresh morning chill.

Crossing the river – from the bridge over the weir.

The top of the opposite mountain side touched by the sun.

Fynbos regrowth after the devastating veldfires had raged through the mountains a few years ago.

Protea cynaroides regrowing out of its burned stems.

Fresh growth out of ashes.

Rushing down Leopard’s Kloof.

And to conclude this morning’s outing – a late breakfast on the deck in our own little wilderness.

With love from
Colleen & Walter
Betty’s Bay, Monday, June 11, 2012