The weather at ground and mountain levels is unrelated. It is two different locales. After yesterday’s weather, we were hoping that nature had digested something to settle her. Shame! Such terrible wind. We can understand that a person could live in this city because of the mountains, particular the Table. That’s why Brian Marcus suggested we tackle Skeleton Gorge trail, which commences inside the very attractive Kirstenbosch Gardens. Brian, a former Capetonian and part-time synagogue builder, gave us excellent advice. The hike was outstanding and quite tough. We added to it by continuing up to Maclear’s Beacon, the highest point on Table Mountain (1086 meters or 3,580 feet). We wonder what makes our editor strive to reach such elevations. It’s not for us to ask, we just follow.
Talking of our editor, she displays a lot of ‘guts’ these days. We have suggested tactfully that perhaps she should wear looser tops. Besides, with all the exercise she is getting, the excess should fall off in no time. Seriously, it is a struggle to keep up with her as she takes everything that these rugged mountains ‘throw’ her way. Frankly, we are in awe of her prowess.
The first part of the hike, through a forest, was steep. The highlight followed. It amounts to scrambling up rocks with water flowing down the gorge, but always ascending even more steeply. When we came upon that part of the gorge, we were intrigued but thought we may have missed the trail. Upon arriving at the mountaintop, there was still another two miles or so to get to the beacon at the peak. The approach was from the backside of the mountain, hmm…perhaps there are more elegant means of expression. Whereas the views may not be as attractive as the others we have seen, this was a hiker’s hike. In fact, we did not see a fellow hiker for the first two hours of the day. Thereafter, on the way down, we ‘bumped’ into quite a few. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
At the beacon, we put on jackets as the wind was strong and cold. Whereas we normally eat only a piece of fruit at most, Jenni brought sandwiches as we had skipped breakfast in order to eat at the top. There we sat huddled together behind the rocks, seeking shelter from the wind thinking: We are either two meshuganas or most fortunate people. Take your pick.
We had the option of trying the ‘Nursery Ravine’ down instead of negotiating the wet rocks on the tricky and steep return. Our editor, showing behavior unrelated to the completion of another decade (Nov 25th), remarked, “I’m feeling confident, let’s do it.” As we said earlier, 'ours is not to reason why but to do or di…’. It proved to be a good decision as we got down quickly with all parts intact. At ground level, we looked back at the Fernwood and King’s Peaks, amazed at their height and mass. The pictures cannot provide perspective of these awesome sights. It’s incredible that paths can lead a person to such peaks.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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