There’s only one AC unit servicing the entire apartment, and since we’re in the height of summer here, we’ve had to keep the bedroom door open to stay cool. This means we’re awake as soon as the sun pokes its head over Table Mountain, around 6:30 AM. We’ve been enjoying exploring different parts of the city, which has been fascinating. It’s always interesting to watch the locals go about their daily routines in each place we visit. The food here is amazing, and the service is great. We’ve found ourselves gravitating to “The Loading Bay,” a trendy coffee shop that not only serves excellent coffee but also delicious food.
The pull of Table Mountain was irresistible, so we decided to beat the sunrise and be at the base of the mountain by 6:30 AM to meet our guide, who would lead us up the Platteklip Gorge. In hindsight, we probably could have hiked up unassisted, but Rachel insisted on having a guide for safety reasons and to make sure we didn’t get lost. Our group of four set off with the guide on a steep, winding climb up the ravine, navigating misshapen rocks and large boulders. Fortunately, we started early, so we were out of the sun, which had been pretty harsh over the past week.
About a third of the way up, Roman, who was from Canada, started to struggle and needed to rest regularly, which became a bit frustrating for me. Rachel, on the other hand, was far more patient (I guess she has to be, living with me). By the halfway point, I agreed with Rachel and the guide that I had a personal challenge ahead of me, with a big birthday looming. I decided to charge ahead and meet them at the top of the gorge.
As I pushed through the steep final 400 meters, the climb got more intense, but I eventually made it up the last stretch. After about 1 hour 45 minutes, I emerged on the plateau, greeted by yet more breathtaking views. After a quick hydration break and some nuts, I figured the others would take at least another 30 minutes to catch up, so I headed along Smuts Trek, which was covered in beautiful flora and fauna with even more stunning views. The trek led to Maclear’s beacon the highest point of the mountain at just under 1100m and one for another time, as I had to head back to meet the others at the rendezvous point.
When they finally arrived, we all agreed the hike had been fantastic, but we were all quite happy to spot the revolving cable car in the distance, which would take us down. It had been an exhilarating trip!
Dream Chasers 