My First Time Hiking Table Mountain
Hiking Table Mountain for the first time was a real eye-opener! This blog post isn’t just about how awesome Table Mountain is or how tricky it can be. I mean if you search online, you’ll find tons (and tons and tons) of people talking about how great it is or how hard it was for them. But this story is all about my own adventure: the good parts, the tough parts, the tiredness, and most importantly, the amazing views, the cool people, and the incredible South African landscape.
Unprepared BUT NOT Overwhelmed
Let me be honest: when I decided to hike Table Mountain, I had no clue what I was getting into. I had seen it from the air on a previous trip, but now, embarking on a big overland journey across Africa, I was trading flights for drives. After leaving the southern tip of Africa, I was staying at a hostel with my new friend James. We met because we were sharing bunk beds, and he, like me, was here for an extended amount of time with no real plans-just trying whatever seemed fun.
One morning, after a big night out in cape town, while having breakfast on the balcony, we saw Lion’s Head mountain. James suggested we go there for sunset, and I casually mentioned hiking up Table Mountain. He thought it was a cool idea, but I didn’t even know it was possible! it was more of a slip of my tounge and the over flowing confidence of being on the road again with my backpack. I mean my big plan was to head north, all the way to Egypt, and I hadn’t really thought about doing much in Cape Town.
Looking up at Table Mountain, I thought, “It’s just a big hill, right? How hard could it be?” I mean, I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. Shouldn’t this be easy in comparison? We quickly made a plan and asked at reception how to hike up Table Mountain. We were super excited, armed with just a map and no real knowledge of what we were in for. Naturally they warned us about safety-like not bringing phones, cameras, or money-and we took that seriously. Seriously enough to documents the adventure, capture our conquest and naturally to buy a beer at the top.
In hindsight, being unprepared made the hike tougher than it needed to be. But despite our lack of readiness, we did it. Nothing bad happened, and we didn’t see anyone else on the trail until we reached the top, where tourists who had taken the cable car were hanging out. Now, I have a story to tell-not about a perfect adventure, but about learning from our mistakes.
The mountain isn’t super high-just 1,084 meters above sea level-but it felt like quite the climb. Or maybe it was last night’s beer? ?? or maye it was my new hiking books which I’m yet to break in. Either way and after a few hours, we finally reached the top, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.
The setting sun painted the landscape and the city below in an array of colour. Standing atop this iconic mountain made me feel intensely alive and oddly also alone. I noticed as we watched the sunset that I really was here at the bottom of (my) world, thousands of miles from home. utterly solo. And I began to reflect on what it all meant.
In a country with a complicated history, the sunset made me appreciate the rich diversity of South Africa. It reminded me that life isn’t just about black and white-it’s about all the colours in between.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, I felt deeply connected to the world around me. That night, I dreamed in full colour, feeling proud of who I am. And where im going.
Here’s to celebrating the beautiful mix of life and all the colourful stories we have to share.oh wait. maybe it was the beer dreaming.
#HelloAfrica
The ‘Table’s set’…
So why not enjoy a glass of Red, forget my Blues and appreciate the Oranges.
This place isn’t all about Black and Whites.
Tonight, I dream in vivid HD as they call me Coloured
#Hello Africa
Goodnight #CapeTown.
