I’m the kind of person who literally does not use the incline feature on the treadmills, like ever. I’ve used it once in my life and it made me sad. I didn’t think of that until I was about halfway up Table Mountain at 3:45 am hiking with only a flashlight and my friends. Two of those friends who are actually athletic and hike mountains semi-regularly and complete ironman races and are gymnasts. I should have also considered that before I agreed casually to hike a freaking mountain in the middle of the night with them.
Would I change a single thing?
Maybe the wind, so that it wasn’t blowing Jenna and me nearly off the mountain while Hanna and Kelsey easily trekked ahead. Also, I would have checked a little sooner than 3 hours after we were on top of the mountain to see that the cable cars, and shops and all buildings, were closed due to ‘adverse weather conditions’.
But for all intents and purposes and the experience itself, hell no.
To say that we were alone on top of one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, alone, for at least 2 of those hours is absolutely mind blowing. We got a lot closer that day, physically huddling in a doorway together and finding ways to not turn into an icicle will do that.
We had hiked up for sunrise, which we missed completely because we were in a huge cloud. Our friends hiked Lion’s Head, the other mountain, that morning and showed us this picture of just how big it was.
We did however get to see the sky turn a lighter, brighter shade of blueish-gray as we reached the top of the mountain and it felt like that moment was crafted for us and us alone.
While we were all sitting in the doorway that blocked the wind the best, I meditated. It was a cool way to forget about how cold it was and how much I wanted to be on the other side of the door, but to also soak in my surroundings and appreciate how incredibly wonderful that moment was. I hiked a mountain and I sat on it alone with three amazing people and we got to watch the clouds drift (very) slowly away to reveal a stunning view of Cape Town and the ocean beyond it.
We were on the edge of a world, it felt like. Hiking that mountain was the hardest thing I’ve done, mentally and physically. It was also one of the coolest, most rewarding things. I think that the concepts of difficulty and fulfillment go together a lot more than I give credit for, though.
Eventually, we had to hike down because we knew there was nobody coming up to give us an easy way out. Hiking again was exactly what was supposed to happen for us. The sky was clear, and the air was becoming warmer and we got to the see the side of the mountain in a new, illuminated way. The flowers and trees and the views were perfect, and I can’t imagine if I had missed seeing those things because I had chosen to take a cable car down.
Our last day in South Africa could not have been better. After seeing Robben Island, going on a safari, kayaking with penguins, going to my first karaoke bar (I’m still not sure how I’d never been before), and doing a day-long wine tour, Table Mountain let me finally soak in all of what I had just experienced in only a few days.
To say that I fell in love with Cape Town would be an understatement, but so is most of how I describe these experiences that I can feel slowly changing my entire life.
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