AsandaHikeReport

Report on Hike of 18 March 2006

By Asanda Lugalo, SAEP

The South African Education and Environment Project (SAEP) and the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) joined hands, not for the first or the last time, but on a continuing venture to reach schools from previously disadvantaged areas and expose learners to the beauty of “Mother Nature”, and thus enable them to enjoy their future heritage.

Most of these schools do not have the capacity to supply their learners with out of classroom learning, which limits their learner’s ability to acknowledge and appreciate the beauty of their homeland.

Because of the lack of exposure to these fun and educational activities, most of the learners from these schools often overlook the potential for fruitful careers within the environmental and nature conservation field, a field that is critical to the economic growth and sustainability of natural resources for the future of their country.

Not only is it sad to have future leaders of this country trapped in a grey future, but also to deprive them of an experiential way of learning and achieving personal growth and development within the context of nature.

In the townships, where most of these learners come from, from the early hours of the morning to the late hours of the night, people are forced to listen to unnatural and disturbing noises, ranging from loud music, car engines and trains to all sorts of screaming. Sometimes you come across a situation where these young people cannot identify natural sounds such as those produced by birds, toads, snakes and other animals in the wild.

At the rate at which this situation is going, with so many people growing up in township areas, we are bound to be faced with a situation whereby the future generations will have little knowledge or appreciation of wildlife and will know nothing about the plants that constitute our remarkable botanical diversity.

With the idea of addressing the situation, SAEP and MCSA take groups of 15 students at a time, from five different schools, on once-monthly Saturday hikes. The participation is free of charge to the learners and only requires dedication and enthusiasm from them, with food and transport arranged and paid for by SAEP and MCSA. The activities they are exposed to during the hike include:

Hiking
Climbing
Environmental awareness
The importance of nature conservation
Identification of indigenous plants
The threat posed by alien plant invasion, and
Facing fear and overcoming obstacles by engaging with the mountain under the guidance and with the support of trained, experienced mountaineers.

Prior to the actual event, the commitment and dedication of learners is assessed, together with their enthusiasm and motivation, using basic methods such as discussions and willingness to learn. The students are then briefed on what is expected of them, what to bring and what not to bring, what to do and what not to do on the excursion.

1. Hiking: By the simple means of walking in a nature reserve, “hiking” is the best way in which the students get to see the plants, see the tracks and prints of animals, and smell the fresh breeze away from the pollution of drains and dump sites within the townships. The learners get to listen to different animal and bird sounds, some of which they have never heard before.

The hike on the 18^th of March 2006 provided such an experience. The students kept on looking around and noticing things they had never seen before. Without being shy or intimidated by the surroundings, they asked a series of questions from the MCSA hike leader, Suzanne Wilson-Smith, and she was there to answer all the questions she could possibly answer, with a thorough explanation of why things are the way they are.

One of the questions was regarding the sand covered with a wire cage on each ± 2km on the jeep track we were following. The learners were amazed to learn that it is there to prevent soil erosion, preventing water banks from being created on the jeep track. They got to see conservation practices like this and learn how to prevent damage from occurring. This is a much better way of learning than simply reading about it in the textbooks.

2. Climbing: Along the hike came times where the hikers had to go off the jeep track and walk in a straight line behind one another on a walking path, or spread out in the bushes if there is no path. To them this proved to be such an adrenalin pumping experience as some of them were really concerned about snakes. This again proved to be a great leaning experience. As the hike leader explained things to them, they listened to what they were being told with great interest; that a human being is most likely to be struck by lighting than to be bitten by a snake. With the appearance of amazement showing in their faces, they learnt reasons why snakes

Are more afraid of human beings than we think,

feel vibrations from the ground,
Stick out their tongue.

Further on came places where climbing had to be practiced. For some this seemed easier than it was, and for some more difficult than it was. The interesting element about the climbing was to see the group dynamics; the way they stormed, argued, moaned and foamed and finally helped each other and functioned to overcome the obstacles. Furthermore as the hike continued. The opportunity was used to educate the learners about the environment.

3. The Natural Environment: The hikers were taught about issues that contribute to destroying the environment. A variety of examples were made to emphasis ways in which we can avoid polluting the environment such as not throwing rubbish into a nature reserve. Simple information like this proved to be valuable when tracking their background and the behaviour of the community within the township at large, where it is common to litter without thinking.

They were taught about Fynbos (the mountain vegetation indigenous to the Cape) and its importance to human beings as a herbal medicine and as an ingredient in products such as toothpaste and shampoo. The learners had a chance to touch and smell some of these plants. Most of them knew that South Africa’s national plant is a King Protea, but none of them had ever seen such a plant before.

4. The Importance of Nature Conservation: Keen to pass on this enjoyment, we stopped at the one and only March Lily on the lower reaches. Out came the photo-capable cell phones! Later we came across some invasive aliens, Port Jackson Willow, Acacia mernsei and Long Leaf Wattle, with their cut stumps painted blue to prevent further growth. The group seemed keen to learn.

A little further along we passed a dramatic natural window formed by a huge block of rock resting on two more, providing a pleasing view of the valley below. Some boulder hopping and more scrambling brought us to the top of the peak where we distributed well earned sandwiches and juice to the hungry group. What enjoyment and satisfaction for those who have never been on top of the mountain before! You could feel the sense of victory circulating among group members.

5. Identification of Indigenous Plants – We then went back along the same route to the main path, and on to the next leg of the route. About 45 minutes later we arrived at the view point. Along the way there had been opportunities to point out Climber's friend and Blister Bush, Proteas, Ericas and Leucodendrons, male and female Restios. Now we could see Lion's Head, Robben Island, Table Mountain and across the valley to Orange Kloof and the Back Table. At that point we picked our way gingerly down a short, steep path ending suddenly in a vertical drop.

Sitting on the ledge, legs hanging over the side, we could see the wreck of Bos 400 with its helipad below, the promontory of Oude Schip and the coastline that leads to Sandy Bay, back up the slope and around the corner to the old radar station. Here youthful exuberance echoed in several decibels!

It was time to descend. Taking a different route, we had fun running down the steep, soft, sandy path to another lookout point about halfway down. Here we stopped for a quick lunch and continued down all the way to Hout Bay beach for a leisurely stroll at the cool water's edge.

6. Facing Fear and Overcoming Obstacles: By engaging with the mountain under the guidance and support of trained, experienced mountaineers, the group learnt to face their fears and overcome the obstacles in their way: an important lesson for everyday life.

It was during the last stretch of this walk when a young man commented sincerely: “When I have my own family one day I am going to make this part of our life. I feel so relaxed and I want to enjoy this with them often. What more could one ask from a day?”

As SAEP and MCSA members, we felt thrilled that nature had spoken so eloquently to these young folk, and that we could have played a part in that message.

SAEP would like to thank MCSA for making this wonderful monthly event possible!