Global Warming - Sept 10, 2008

Wild, wild seas and massive storm damage in recent days has prompted fresh debate about issues of global warming and the need to protect Spaceship Earth on which we are all travelling.

Geoff and his daughter Bonnie during a recent Wild Coast Meander.

Of course, some folks still argue against seemingly overwhelming evidence presented by environmentalists and scientists. My answer is simple: “Yeah, global warming is a myth and the earth is flat!”

What is heartening is that there seems to be an increased awareness and a shift in consciousness. More and more people we meet along the way share urgent concerns for our environment and attribute the extreme weather conditions to global warming and the attendant climate change it brings on.

Seeing waves breaking over the N2 highway on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth certainly brought home the enormity of the crisis we could all be facing along the coast of South Africa.

Rising sea levels will disrupt communications, flooding roads and railway lines and will cause massive damage to some of the country’s most prize real estate. One study I’ve seen shows how my home in the Kommetjie-Noordhoek area of Cape Town will become part of an island cut off from the rest of the Mother City.

I guess that’s good and bad: up until now I haven’t been able to afford a seafront home. But that’s most likely still a few years ago so I won’t plan on commuting in my kayak just yet.

Meanwhile we continue to celebrate our good fortune on the Miles for Smiles Coastal Challenge, enjoying the most remarkable places, many of them being well-kept secrets.

Today, thanks to the generosity of Ian Crawford we find ourselves at Crawfords Beach Lodge and Cabins at Chintsa East, around 40km from East London along the legendary Transkei Wild Coast. We’re staying in two three-bedroomed cottages overlooking the beach that forms part of the popular five-day Wild Coast Amble. The team joined our two action heroes, Braam and David, for the last part of their day’s run and happily they slowed to a pace we could keep up with.

It was a taste of the sort of fun possible when you book a place on one of the major hikes in this area, the best known of which are the Amble and Wild Coast Meander. Both are five-night delights in which you hike from one resort hotel to another, with porters hefting your main luggage.

If you haven’t tried this sort of outdoor holiday, it needs to go to the top of your To Do list. Being addicted to hiking beaches, I’ve twice sampled this stretch of coastline in the past couple of years and loved every second of it.

This time, I’m providing 4x4 backup for Braam and David, but hope to get in some beach-time in between stints in the Toyota Fortuner, which is my faithful companion on this three-and-half month adventure. I’ll have good things to report in a couple of days.

Visit www.wildcoastholidays.co.za and www.crawfordscabins.co.za