Bain's Kloof Pass

My Thursdays don't usually involve ravines, but I'm so glad this one did. Bain's Kloof is a beaut, with a delicious stretch of rapids, waterfalls and natural pools, it's a biophilic's haven for adventure. When hopping from rock to rock the pools appear as pale cups of rooibos inviting one in for a sip, and as you venture below bearing a mask and snorkel, an emerald green universe beams hello. Little redfins swim about with curiousity, 'What's this strange creature doing in our pool?'.

I was really impressed with the health of this stretch of the Witte River and the communities it supports. Submerged pebbles and boulders were teeming with sensitive invertebrates, such as stonefly larvae and leptophlebids. We watched with fascination as stoneflies rested momentarily on the water's surface, only to be gobbled up by the alert redfins below. Frogs croaked upstream whilst those nearer to us splashed into the water to hide away. Dragonflies whizzed past us warily, although Ffi managed to get intimate with one after it crash landed in the pool in front of us. We even caught a glimpse of a tiny snake swimming through one of the pools.

For the love of Wilderness

Rachel Carson once wrote,

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for spring.

Bontebok at Olifantbos.

I have always been drawn to wild places and its creatures, to regularly rediscover those eternal reserves of strength that feed my life inspiration, and thus I am extremely grateful to live in a place where on any given day I can easily find sand between my toes or immerse myself in the sweet honey smell of fynbos. Cape Town is one of few cities with such incredible wilderness areas right on its doorstep.

An unknown spider munches away at a snail. Fish Hoek.

My good friend Lauren De Vos and I recently embarked on an adventure to capture the beauty of False Bay in the hope that it will remind others just how lucky we are to live here. Together with underwater visuals of False Bay's sharks and fish from Lauren's fantastic BRUVS project, we compiled footage from some of our beach and mountain ramblings into two short films. Enjoy!

Biophilia

The term biophilia literally means 'love of life or living systems' and has been used by Edward O. Wilson, the father of sociobiology and a professor of entomology at Harvard University, to describe the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.

We haven't always lived in urban environments. We were wild once. And that wild instinct is buried deep within us, resurfacing every time we immerse ourselves in the wildness of the natural world.

The reality is that most of us now live in cities and are immersed in urban life. We have created unique environments for ourselves, with elaborate networks of roads and highways weaving between buildings and winding through landscapes. We have had such an influence on the structure of the environment that the vast expanse of cities and towns can be seen from space. There are few areas left on the planet where the mark of

Homo sapiens urbanus

is not evident, which means that there is little left of the wilderness that once was.

The population of human beings on this planet is expected to reach 7 billion in the next few weeks. The next most numerous large mammal is the crab-eater seal in Antarctica, numbering 22 million. The human race is growing rapidly, and in order to sustain such growth we need resources and living space. Urban expansion is on the rise, particularly in China, the fastest developing country in the world, which houses 20% of the world's population.

A question I often ask myself in this time of rapid growth and urban expansion is 'where are the last wilderness areas going?'. How much will be left in 10, 20 or 50 years time? It is essential to constantly remind ourselves of the importance of the natural world and the role it plays in our lives, whether for sustenance or inspiration.

My experience of Marion Island thus far has been surreal and I am trying my best to share it with all of you back home so that you may also bask in its beauty. This is a short 'trailer' for the documentary I am hoping to produce, which will explore this beautifully wild place whilst delving into the concept of wilderness and its involvement in our lives. Enjoy.

Marion Island: A Wilderness Story

from

Otto Whitehead

on

Vimeo

.