Canary Eastern Loop Trail Run

Our trail grading: ORANGE 5A

Distance: 11.68km

Extremeness: Technical single track
Location: Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Joggers: Deryck Nel & me

We only had 1.5 hours for this jog and decided to cut down on our initial plan of 20km. I am glad we did, since I could not do a single jog in the past week due to work and terrible weather. Today was a perfect sunny winter’s day and we started our jog in the best possible way… all three sections of the Canary. The days of walking on the Canary are long past, and we kept a solid “slowly but surely” pace all the way to the top. I did briefly stop once or twice – just long enough to take a proper photograph. We then took the contour jeep track back towards Stellenbosch - not ascending any further. This road links to our well known jog, the Jonkers Eastern Loop, which took us back to the Jonkershoek gate. When we arrived, my wife and son (Riana & Adriaan) was still walking in the forest. I joined them and Zoe (Deryck’s daughter) took the awesome photograph of Adriaan and me below. 

Deryck on the lower Canary MTB route 

Deryck, still on the lower Canary MTB route

Deryck moving up in the world, on the middle Canary MTB route

Deryck moving further up... now on the upper Canary MTB route

The Twins (Pieke) on a beautiful winters day

Zoe the 6 year old photographer  

Adriaan and me, as captured by Zoe