With so many stories and reports on the news of how amazing the snow is in the Western Cape and how freezing it has been, my friends and I decided to take a drive to see what the hype was all about. We are quite eager novice hikers and after enduring the pain of the Otter Trail in April, we pulled out the hiking boots, dusted off the cobwebs and headed off at 8am on 19 August to Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve. After an extremely scenic 2 hour drive from Cape Town, we arrived at our destination and were surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges. Truly a site to behold.
We were fortunate enough to be in a solid 2x4 so we were able to drive some of the way up the mountain to the first parking point before we began our hike of the ice covered mountain. There is a 4x4 trail for the more durable vehicles. When we got out of the car the temperature gauge read 0.5 degrees.... Dont believe me??? See below.....
The hike up was really amazing - fairly easy going but quite slippery with all the melting snow and ice on the rocks. We were very grateful for our waterproof hiking boots, as we could walk through the little streams to avoid slipping on the icy covered rocks. The scenery and view from the hike is breath taking (oh wait, that was the lack of fitness trying to keep up. Haha). No, seriously, you dont actually realise how incredible it is until you are there, surrounded by it all. We finally made it to the top and I really have no words to describe it..... There was so much snow around us, for someone who didnt know better, one would have thought we were in the Swiss Alps....
The rest of the afternoon was spent sliding down the hill on a plastic packet, building a snow man and having an absolute blast. I cant remember the last time I felt so free, so alive.... The fresh air, the amazing people that I was with, and the exquisite scenery was a perfect combination for an amazing afternoon... there is nothing better than being surrounded by nature, outdoors and friends!
So much fun was had in the snow that day. The little kid inside me was unleashed - I didnt have a care in the world, I wasnt fazed by my jeans getting wet or looking like a fool and really just enjoyed every aspect of it whilst getting a bit of a work out - walking in thick, knee deep snow is rather tiresome.
Meet our wonderful snowman! We even gave him REAL arms.... haha
And then the boys decided to see how far down the hill snow mans head would roll. And if you can believe it, it made it all the way down but certainly wasnt as big as when it started rolling.
We packed ourselves a yummy woollies finger food lunch which was a perfect treat after all the running around in the snow.
The pose!
A day in the snow is not complete without being thrown in the snow followed by a full on snow fight with the one you love...!
The snow fight was the highlight of my day - laugh, throwing snow around and having a great time.
And then we took planking to a whole new level!
So whilst the Western Cape is predominantly known as a summer destination.... Thinking again! We had such an amazing experience, the mountain was filled with fellow snow goers and the spirits were so high! It was a healthy, refreshing way to spend a Sunday and we have some really amazing pictures and memories to take from it! So if you ever find yourself sitting around unsure of what to do on a cold winters day in Cape Town, check out Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve on Facebook for any updates on the snow fall and make your way there for an awesome time! Definitely something for the whole family to enjoy!
Post byAshley Jae Groenevelt