Mountains of Moss

post by Emma Oliver

'We come to the mountain for peace, to get away from and out of the home situation, to come into nature to be able to breathe, to come into nature to find the kind of peace which only nature can give, to relax, to have fun together.’

These were some of the reflections from learners who attended the hike to Ceclia Waterfall on November 4. Twenty-one learners gathered at 8 am in the Cecilia Forest car park, together with their teacher Shafiek Isaacs and two assistant teachers. Also there was Tariq Isaacs, Shafiek’s son, who was very familiar with the route we were taking, plus Simon Tamblyn and myself.

Cecilia waterfall is the beginning, or near the beginning of the Diep River which eventually flows into Little Princess Vlei and from there to Sandvlei and to the sea. The event marked a shift in our educational focus to making learners aware of how Princess Vlei is connected to other water ways, on of how water connects us all. There were several aims to the hike: to have fun, to experience being on the mountain, to get to the waterfall and to make all the source to sea connections. Learners were also supplied with ‘loupes,’  small magnifiying lenses used by jewellers, to enable them to study  mosses and other fine flora and fauna.

Before we set off, I encouraged the learners to listen out for any messages which the mountain, the forest or the waterfall might have for them. The group headed off fast at speed. We took the route that follows the stream up the mountain. The whole trail was busy, with plenty of other groups of hikers. We stopped as necessary, to allow slower members and those who hadn’t had breakfast, to catch their breath, or for  Shafiek and Simon to give some ‘in situ’ natural science lessons about mosses, fynbos, water cycles, rivers and catchments and the mountain.

Once at the waterfall, some learners had freshwater showers, others enjoyed their snacks and the beauty of the place, or studied the mosses and other plants growing there. Our final stop on the way down, by the big Eucalyptus tree on the contour path, was time for a moment of reflection. There was a township choir who were singing. Shafiek led a time for ‘listening to the sound of the trees and the wind’ and learners shared some reflections. It was an enjoyable morning for everyone.