I had spoken with a group of shipmates about the possibility of hiking Table Mountain to the top, and four of us decided to do that. One of the women had communicated with a guide, Margaret Curran, who could pick an appropriate trail (she picked Platteklip Gorge) and go with us to the top, and we all agreed to pay her asking price which was very reasonable for transportation to and from Table Mountain, water, snacks and safe hiking. Our plan was to hike to the top and take the cable car down on our first day in Cape Town, meeting Margaret in the port around noon. The person in our group who had found our guide received an email that morning from Margaret saying the wind had come up and the cable car had been shut down, so if we were going to do the hike, it meant we would be walking down as well. We decided to go ahead - after days at sea we were all looking forward to having some physical activity so we didn't mind doing some extra hiking. It was only 3 km (1.86 miles) up the mountain and the elevation gain was something just over 620 meters (2000 feet), so a demanding hike but nothing we couldn't do.
We met Margaret at the assigned location and found that she had added two other hikers to the group, which was fine with us. They were vacationers from elsewhere in South Africa and we were pleased to meet them. After making our way to the trail head, Margaret told us how difficult this trail would be and emphasized that if anyone felt in the early going that they wouldn't be able to make it, or if there was anything that made us unhappy, we should let her know right away. There were definitely times during this hike that I felt I should speak up, but just couldn't do it. The surface of the path was boulders. I have told others, it was like climbing a 3 km stairway with 18 inch risers. It is easily the most challenging hike I have ever done. Although I have climbed that distance and steepness, the surface was so challenging, and the day was so warm, that I began to doubt that I could finish. At some point the sun gave way to the cloud and mist that can so often appear on Table Mountain, and I was relieved that the heat at least would not be a factor for me. The others felt the challenge as well, but I really was the slowest (of course I kept telling myself I am twice the age of the next oldest person on the hike, not counting the guide). The others insisted I was not holding them back; we kept running into our SAS students, and we all encouraged each other. We did lose the other two hikers when they asked Margaret about going ahead on their own. In the end they went down on their own as well. At one point I began to really worry about getting back down again, but then reminded myself that I had to focus on the next step, not the whole climb and descent. And we all made it! We spent quite a lot of time at the top. The mist and cloud had cleared some, but moved around and made for some very interesting and spectacular views. I was so happy to be there and could not believe we had just sailed halfway around the world to see the beauty in this country, and that I have been fortunate enough to do it twice! We saw some beautiful birds and a dassie or rock hyrax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassie), probably waiting around for someone to feed it. We spent about an hour, enjoyed the fabulous views, took lots of photos, ate some snacks, drank some water. We expressed our hopes that the cable car would open since the wind had died down a bit, but Margaret assured us that because of the time of day, it was not likely to do that. So we gathered our reserves and headed down.
The trip down, while daunting, was not a surprise for us. We just put one foot in front of the other and did it. I fell behind again, and walked alone much of the time, but about three quarters of the way down Margaret fell back and walked the rest of the way with me. It was helpful to be able to chat with her as my knees and hips were starting to feel the strain. I was afraid if I slowed down I wouldn't make it the rest of the way, but of course I did make it down and was thrilled to have finished. We made our way back to the ship feeling most triumphant. I was meeting John and one of the other faculty in the area around the port for dinner, and they had already gone. I didn't even go back to the ship for a shower because I thought if I did I would never make it out again. We had a great dinner - the best burger I ever ate in my life I think, and came back for a great night's sleep. I was sore for a couple of days, but recovered quickly. John and I again stayed in a hotel in town, actually quite near one of the beaches, and enjoyed exploring Cape Town. More on Kirstenbosch and Tutu in the next posting.
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