Slackpack with soul

On the Shoreline of the San trail, the rugged scenery of theWest Coast envelops you like a cool fog bank. And on those remote beaches, the southeaster will blow your worries away.

- EVAN NAUDÉ

My shadow stretches from the mouth of the cave to the back wall, where the rock face glows orange in the late afternoon sun. Handprints in shades of ochre are clearly visible. Among them I can see the figures of people, and in the midst of it all, the pale forms of eland.

“The San left two things behind,” says guide Johnny van Rooyen. “Their bloodline, present in many of us, and their rock art.”

We drink sundowners as the sun sets over Elands Bay. Johnny tells us about the deserted radar station next to the cave – it was built during World War II to detect German submarines; also, how rear admiral GW Hallifax died when he crashed his Lockheed Lodestar into Baboon Point in March 1941, after war had broken out. There’s a crayfish factory nearby – it’s still up and running but with a much smaller team than in its glory days, says Johnny.

I wonder if the San people also sat here chatting while they watched the sunset. Maybe they also had a guide who knew the area. Maybe new San groups who trekked through were able to understand the stories told by the rock paintings.

Baboon Point is the perfect place to start the journey ahead: a four-day slackpacking hike from Elands Bay to Strandfontein in the footsteps of the San.

No walk on the beach

Earlier in the afternoon, we gathered at Vensterklip Guest Farm next to Verlorenvlei, about 6km inland from Elands Bay. Anette Grobler, the owner of Silent Steps, welcomed 16 hikers from places like Durbanville, Vredendal, Wolseley, Adelaide and Midstream.

“The goal of the hike is to see some interesting places and walk through the San’s world,” she said.