Todays leg of my Walk 4 SOS Huskies journey starts from the Noordhoek side of Chapman’s Peak Drive and ends in Hout Bay. That’s the plan. How did it turn out? Read on…
It was still raining in Kommetjie this morning. Around mid-morning the rain eased up, so The Fossil (aka Desmond) packed our stuff into the Mahindra PIKUP and we left the pet-friendly Happy Home in Imhoffs Gift. I sure did enjoy that big garden!
By the time we arrived at Chapman’s Peak Drive the sun had come out and the wind had dropped to a moderate breeze – perfect for walking! The views over Noordhoek’s Long Beach, where we got blown away yesterday, are amazing from up here!
Walking along Chapman’s Peak Drive is not so amazing though. There’s not much space on the roadside between the yellow line and the rock buttress that stops people in their cars from plummeting off the edge into the ocean below. “But they often do, so stay on this side!” the Fossil commanded. Usually, we walk on the side facing the traffic but with the hairpin bends, and no space against the rock cliff face, that’s not an option today.
So, after walking along the left side of the road for a while there was a loud honking sound and I panicked. According to the Fossil, a bicycle rider had come up behind us and swerved out in front of a car that was approaching from behind him. At the same time, a car approaching from the other direction had to swerve to avoid the oncoming car and both hooted at the same time.
Sheesh, did I get a fright! I nearly jumped over the edge of that rock buttress but luckily the Fossil had a firm grip on my leash and pulled me back. “That’s it, Jaxx,” the Fossil said after I’d calmed down. “There’s no way we’re walking nine kilometres under these conditions, no matter how good the view is. It’s just not safe.” So, that was the end of my walk – for the second day in a row, first ’cause of the weather and now ’cause of the traffic.
When we got back to the PIKUP, the Fossil got a call from Rene Williams who offered to host us for tonight at their home in Plumstead. This is the first time that we’re being hosted at a private residence instead of a pet-friendly hospitality establishment.
Rene and her husband Beresford are members of the MushItUp Group that we’re meeting up with in Muizenberg on Saturday at Sunrise Circle (on the beach in front of False Bay Surf Life Saving Club). That’s at 3pm – hope you’re coming with your Husky!
Sam Gunter (joined later by Tracy-lee Palframan) founded MushItUp in 2009 to exercise Nordic breeds safely in the South African climate. I’m sure looking forward to that!
So, we arrived at the Williams’ home this afternoon and I met their Husky. His name is Storm and he’s also a Siberian Husky like me but not a Red Siberian. He’s grey and white and a bit smaller than me. He’s also younger and very territorial about his home. But that’s alright ’cause it’s his turf and I’m the intruder. OK, so it didn’t help when I started chewing his big bone in the garden but, hey, he has to learn to bury them like I do :-).
Later this afternoon, Storm and I took Beresford and my Fossil for a walk around the hood. And when we got back? Storm saw a gap in the front door security gate and he escaped for another walk – this time with all the people chasing him around. We Huskies love doing that. It’s our favourite game! Finally, Rene spotted him when she arrived home in her car and she got Storm to follow her to a dog park nearby, where he was cornered, leashed, and walked back home.
I dunno if it was Storm’s fault, but shortly after that there was a real storm. A massive flash and crash came from the clouds and then we got pelted by hundreds of tiny ice stones coming from above. That was the second panic moment of the day! I’ve never seen hail before (mind you, I’ve never seen snow either) but this is something else altogether! Anyway, the fossil calmed me down so I felt safe after a while.
Oh yeah, I must mention that I got more media exposure!
Karen Kotze from Independent Media wrote a really nice article that was published in The False Bay Echo. The Echo is a free weekly community newspaper that’s distributed (in print and digital formats) to 31 590 readers’ homes every Thursday.
“This weekend..,” Karens’ article reads, “…you can meet Jaxx and Mr Langkilde (sic – she must mean The Fossil) as they complete the last leg of their journey. On Saturday August 28, from 3pm, they will be at Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg. They will meet the Mushi Up husky team, which meets every Saturday to sled on the beach at Muizenberg.”
And today, Ashleigh Nefdt, an author at cape(town)etc – a division of Highbury Media, wrote a piece about my fundraising journey.
“A travel blogger by the name of Desmond Langkilde to some, and ‘The Fossil’ to others, along with his beloved Husky, Jaxx have embarked on a mission to aid a Husky rescue endeavour,” Ashleigh wrote. At least she actually got The Fossil right :-).
“So, with The Echo’s 31.5 k readers and @CapeTownEtc’s 95k followers (that’s just on Facebook), your story has reached 126,500 people, Jaxx! We should have a good turn out on Saturday and Sunday if it doesn’t rain and hail all weekend!” says The Fossil.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading and sharing Husky loving folks!
Wanna talk to us? Wanna host us? WhatsApp the tall fossil hanging onto my leash. Here’s Des’s number: +27 (0)82 374 7260. We’d love to hear from you!
JAXX
Join Me For A Walk
Saturday 28 August 2021 – Muizenberg Main Beach – come see me MushItUp with the Huskies sled pulling team!
Sunday 29 August 2021 – Hout Bay to Cape Town
