As an endurance athlete there is always a pursuit of perfection in the execution of the performance – it is what gives some impetus to the drive to achieve the summits or finish lines we set ourselves out to conquer. And then I realise that I am actually not in control of the performance or result as much as I think I am. It is by grace that we traverse the trails we live our lives on. Sometime we are never really content with any performance or result, until…

“The best day’’ comes about at the Helderberg Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Cape Town. A few solo hours traversing these trails and tagging the peaks that overlook the reserve just hit home how much I am out of control, especially the weather that ironically affects performance and results more than I realise and provides a backdrop to performance problem-solving when out on the trails for many hours. If a day could be scripted it would be this day – even a local veteran of the trail I came across on the descent has never experienced such a day on its slopes as this day and spoke those words.

Enjoy this Tale of “the best day” on the Helderberg in October which includes some epic moments that made the five to six hours of 1200 metres ascent and descent over 16 kilometres seem terribly short and a challenge to leave:

Aristea capitata.

Dome Peak, centre.

Watsonia with West Peak, background.

The Helderberg Nature Reserve boasts a vast array of trails of various difficulties, of which the more technical of the summits fall outside the boundary of the reserve. Background are the suburbs of Somerset West and Strand.

Upon reaching the trail spilt on the saddle between the two summits, Table Mountain appears middle left.

Dome Peak.

"The best day'' - Dome Peak, 1137 metres above sea level.

Looking northeast towards the Hottentots-Holland Mountain Catchment Area and home to The Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge.

From left to right: False Bay, West Peak, Dome Peak summit beacon, and Table Mountain.

West Peak.

West Peak, 1003 metres above sea level. Dome Peak is on the left, foreground.

Lampranthus spectabilis or Trailing Ice Plant on the edge of a drop off, with False Bay and Cape Point background.

Euryops abrotanifolius or lace-leaf euryops/mountain resin bush lines one of the trails on the descent.

"The best day"