MCSA Cedar Tree Planting Weekend

The Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) has been a long-time supporter of Sustainable Ceder — from donating old backpacks that we turned into planting packs to providing tents and camping gear.

This month, they sponsored a full planting tray of 128 trees, as well as three larger saplings, with the goal of planting them on MCSA property in the Breekkrants area in the southern part of the Cederberg. Twelve members of the MCSA Cape Town Section, led by Jess Verheul, joined us on an overnight hike into the Breekkrants Valley.

With permission from the landowners at KromrivierKloof and Kromrivier Cederberg Park to ease access to the planting site on MCSA property, we set off early on Saturday, 26 July. It was a cold morning, with frost covering the ground. Everyone met at Kromrivier, where the hike began at the Disa Pool parking area. From there, it was a steep climb towards Apollo Peak. Three of the members summited Luna Peak while the rest had lunch. After lunch, we headed towards the Breekkrants area, where we pitched our tents before we started planting.

As soon as the sun started to set, the temperature dropped quickly. After a long day of hiking and planting, the team was ready for a hot meal and a warm sleeping bag. We started the next day with a warm cup of coffee before setting off on a circular route via DonkerkloofKop towards Bakleikraal. We made a final stop at Disa Pool before returning to the parking area.

It was a real pleasure connecting with so many passionate, conservation-minded people, and we’re looking forward to many more planting weekends in the future.