My fiancé truly loves the beach — really, really loves it. It borders on obsession. He favors warm, turquoise waters, but for much of his life the beaches of Oregon were enough. Living in Cape Town has been a dream for him because we get to discover a new beach almost every week, and they are all astonishingly beautiful.
Last weekend he told me he wanted to take me to a beach that was “off the beaten path.” I hesitated: “Uuummm…” Immediately I worried. He’s adventurous; I’m not. I prefer to park in a public lot and walk a short, clearly marked distance to a beach with nearby restrooms and restaurants.
I resolved that I could always refuse if the spot looked unsafe. I packed snacks and fully charged my phone in case I ended up waiting in the car.
On the drive we had our first baboon sighting. The first odd sign was a man in a reflective vest waving his arms urgently, trying to get our attention. Ahead, a ranger was helping baboons cross the road. The animals weren’t in any hurry; they were content to sit and lounge on the asphalt. That actually gave me time to grab my phone and take a picture. Warning signs about baboons are everywhere in that area — do not feed them, they can be dangerous — and a little earlier my fiancé and I had joked that maybe the warnings were part of a scheme to keep tourists away. Despite exploring the peninsula many times, we hadn’t encountered baboons until now.
We reached the trailhead and parked. There was a trail — or at least there had been one — with real signs, so I decided it was worth a try. The view from the start convinced me to leave the car and walk, even if only to eat my almonds somewhere more scenic.
The trail wasn’t too difficult; we encountered a broken footbridge and, less welcome, a few piles of what I hoped was baboon droppings. My fiancé has a habit of racing ahead when we hike. I’m clumsy — a trait my mom blames on my father’s side — so I move cautiously. He gets excited about what’s around the bend and doesn’t notice he’s a couple hundred feet ahead until I yell or give him the “look.” If I can barely keep my balance on a trail, I certainly didn’t want to face a baboon alone.
When we finally reached the bottom, it was absolutely worth the effort.
The beach was nearly empty, with warm, turquoise water and clean, white sand. The views were spectacular, and there were plenty of boulder piles for my fiancé to climb. I joined him for a bit, but ended up scraping my elbow, so I spent the rest of the time perched on a lower rock taking in the scenery.
After a few hours exploring, we headed back up the trail. The return was tougher: I had to exert energy, watch my clumsy footing, and repeatedly remind my fiancé not to dash off and leave me to fend off imaginary baboons lurking just beyond the trees.
On our way home we stopped by Boulders Beach to visit the penguins. We tried a small, free trail we hadn’t used before and encountered plenty of penguins along the path, a delightful end to the day.
All in all, it was an excellent Saturday. It’s an amazing thing to live in a city where, in a single day, we can hike a hidden trail, relax on a pristine beach, and visit penguins — and best of all, do it all for free.