“Storm of storms about to hit the Cape” blare the headlines. Great. The weather bureau is issuing severe storm warnings as I’m about to head off on my first five-day hike. I’m also feeling a little unfit and under-prepared — and I’m not altogether sure I’m cut out for “roughing it”. Not the best start, but surely the Whale Trail is more of a long walk than an actual ‘hike’. How hard can it be, righth

Arriving at De Hoop Nature Reserve to clean, crisp air and the magnificent sight of the Potberg Mountains, things start to look up. I’m delighted to discover that our cabin has everything a would-be hiker could wish for: solar-powered lights, crockery and cutlery, and warm water in the outside showers. Our group of 12 spends our first evening discussing the weather and celebrating the start of our adventure in front of the huge fireplace in the kitchen.

POTBERG TO CUPIDOSKRAAL > 15KM

When I’d imagined an easy meander along the coast, I hadn’t quite factored having to scale the Potberg Mountain into my happy equation. The fi rst day is the most strenuous, taking us over the mountain to the next cabin at Cupidoskraal. Fifteen kilometres doesn’t sound too bad, but I’m not all that sure about the 611m climb…

The handy Whale Trail brochure suggests a walking time of 10 hours with lots of stops for snacks. Sounds great! Except that my group of hardy hikers apparently has other ideas, and we set off at a cracking pace up the mountain. Two hours in and we are still, for the most part, heading uphill through the yellow and green fynbos, peppered with red and pink proteas. Everyone else seems to be skipping along like klipspringers — I feel somewhat less limber.

My illusions of the trail being a gentle stroll are fading fast, but the spectacular views of the Breede River Valley and the feeling of being in this vast, open space make up for the uphill slog. Even so, I’m more than a little excited when we reach the Cupidoskraal hut in a Whale Trail land speed record of just over fi ve hours — barely minutes before the storm hits. Hours later I fall asleep to the sound of cracking thunder and pounding rain.

CUPIDOSKRAAL TO NOETSIE > 14,7KM

I gingerly crawl out of my sleeping bag and give my legs a test-shake. So far so good — nothing seizing up just yet. Trying to stuff my puffy sleeping bag into its stingy little pouch, I decide it’s impossible and wonder how it fitted in the first place. Today’s hike is supposed to take us over the rest of the mountain to the coast at Noetsie, but the weather looks ominous and we have a breakfast table meeting to discuss the plan of action. We decide to take a shortcut along the road to avoid traversing the mountain trail in gale-force winds and torrential rain.

Three hours of gravel road later, we rejoin the trail, and carefully negotiate the rocky path up yet another hill. The fynbos is distinctly coastal now, and I can taste the salty sea air. One more hill and there it is — the Indian Ocean, churning, choppy and magnificent. Huge waves crash against the coast as we clamour down a craggy slope to the thatched A-frame Noetsie hut. The thought of hot chocolate and my sleeping bag makes me move a little faster.

NOETSIE TO HAMERKOP > 7,8KM

Amazingly, we wake up to sunshine and just a hint of cloud cover. I’m even more excited that today is a relatively short walk along the coast to Hamerkop. We stick to our steady pace along the cliffs, scanning the sea for the first sign of a whale. I’m beginning to enjoy the simple rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other, incredibly thankful not to be stuck behind my desk. “Whale!” comes a shout, and I look up to see the familiar flick of a tail, and then it disappears.

We stand staring out, catching glimpses of its barnacled back as it lolls in the bay below us. Eventually we move on, and we’re rewarded with many more tail flicks, blow-hole sprays and large shadowy shapes just beneath the surface of the sea as we make our way along the cliffs. I wonder if the novelty will wear off, but for now I stop to stare at each one. The craggy cliffs give way to a seemingly endless stretch of deserted beach — finally the shoes can come off! A short walk later we reach the Hamerkop beach house nestled behind a sand dune, complete with two massive fi replaces and an upstairs verandah for late afternoon whale watching and sundowners. Bliss!

HAMERKOP TO VAALKRANS > 10,5KM

The Whale Trail brochure warns that today’s beach walk to the Vaalkrans cottage is strenuous and advises us to take it slowly. Wise to my group’s seeming determination to halve the suggested walking time thus far, I don’t get my hopes up. The wind has whipped itself into a gale-force frenzy, and we fall into line, heads down, and tackle the soft sand peloton-style — every now and then having to sprint up the beach to avoid a drenching by a rogue wave, or quickly clamour over the slippery rock platforms that jut out into the sea.

Taut hamstrings and calves on fire, I remind myself of the 1 181 kilojoules the information booklet says we’ll burn today. We reach the end of the beach and at last we’re back on the path — solid ground has never felt this good! Our last overnight stay is a stone cottage perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking what seems to be an entire pod of whales stretched out in the ocean below. Later, huddled in front of the fi re, I feel sore and tired, yet energised and alive.

VAALKRANS TO KOPPIE ALLEEN > 7KM

For the first time in five days there isn’t a scramble to pack and get going. We have clear skies, and best of all, no wind! Mugs of hot coffee and condensed milk in hand, we wander out to the cliff to watch the sunrise. The whales are still lazing below us, occasionally flicking a tail or pushing a flipper out of the water.

Today is a leisurely walk to Koppie Alleen, giving us the option of a high tide or low tide route and we opt to walk mostly along the beach, scrambling over rocks and stopping to peer at the rock pools dotted along the way. All too soon, we reach the wooden boardwalks that take us up to the Koppie Alleen parking lot and it feels somehow strange to see a family wandering down to the beach — the first time in five days that we’ve seen anyone else on the trail. I can’t believe our five-day journey is over, and I almost wish we could bypass the finish and just keep walking…

WHALE TRAIL TIPS

p The Whale Trail is incredibly popular and it’s advisable to book up to a year in advance. It’s busiest between June and December, with the best whale watching between August and October.

n You have to book for a minimum of six or a maximum of 12 people.

e All cabins are equipped with cutlery, crockery, cooking utensils, gas stoves, hot water, solar powered lighting, firewood, bunk beds with mattresses; and most have a fireplace.

r Porterage is optional. I managed to fit all my food and belongings (incl sleeping bag) into the large plastic crate provided, and only carried a small day pack for food, water and sunscreen.

For more info and booking details, call the Cape Nature Tourism office on 021-6593500; e-mail: bookings@capenature.co.za or visit www.capenature.org.za