Hiking the Melville Koppies
We went along with a few hikers from Johannesburg, and France, on a hike of the Melville Koppies, learning some interesting facts along the way.
Once a month, on a Sunday morning, hikers eagerly wake up and head to Melville Koppies, where they can take part in hikes which are both scenic and educational.
Hikers have their choice between three self-guided options: a 5km trail, a 3km heritage trail, or a scavenger hunt, for those eager to let their inner Sherlock Holmes take flight. They also have the option of an 8km guided hike. On this particular hike, the guided option, it was Melville Koppies volunteer Jenny Grice who led a team of intrepid hikers on a trail that spanned three hours.
Read more: Melville Koppies 2024 highlights
The Koppies is said to be 150ha, covered with indigenous fauna and flora, and once you get to the top, you are have a glorious view of the Johannesburg city scape. A view known to bring, not only a sense of accomplishment, but also clear appreciation for the beauty that is Johannesburg.
Also read: Key takeaways from the Melville Koppies AGM
While on the trail, Grice engaged with some hikers, who shared that participating in the hike was something they had always wanted to do. One of the hikers, who is originally from France and living in the country for the past 12 years, said they would drive past the Koppies everyday on their way to work, thinking about doing the hike. Soon, this hiker plans to take part in the Whaletrail, found in the Western Cape, with hikers experiencing the De Hoop Nature Reserve on a route that stretches over 55km from Potberg to Koppie Alleen. So, this Melville Koppies hike was a perfect way for them to check their fitness level before the much longer hike.
While hikers probably heard the heavy breathing of fellow hikers – induced by the inclines – they also listened on as Grice shared her wealth of knowledge about the Koppies. One hiker said that one interesting piece of information they learned, about queen termites, found in many termite mounds across the nature reserve, was that they can live up to 50 years. They also learned the quartzite ridges on the top of the Koppies tilt south because of a massive meteorite that hit the earth near Vredefort about 2 billion years ago. It’s said that this is the reason why our gold in Johannesburg was found so deep, because it was on the surface, and the meteorite forced it deep underground.
The hikers saw this experience, not only as educational, but also as a way for them to slow down time, and to experience new things, breaking their mundane routines.
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