Tracy and Catherine went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens today. They had a nice time walking through the displays and having lunch.
Mark and I woke at dawn to hike Table Mountain. We were joined by Riian (a colleague of mine from the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies), Riian's wife Jeanne, and Riian's uncle Mark. Mark has significant hiking experience on Table Mountain, so he was our guide today. He took us up the India Venster trail. India Venster goes up the front face, around the western or Twelve Apostles side, and ascends to the top via the back or Southern side of the mountain. India Venster was more challenging than the route I have taken before, Skeleton Gorge. But, Mark really enjoyed the rock scrambles (which were difficult to distinguish from climbs).
We started at about 08h15 and reached the top at 12h15. Mark gave a shout when he realized we reached the top. It was a challenge for him, but he did a magnificent job. He took lots of breaks in the early going, but he was a great climber during the challenging portions. He was probably better than me, because he is more agile and weighs less. We took the cable car back down.
Along the way, we had stunning views of Cape Town, the cableway and cable cars, the Cape Peninsula, and Camps Bay. This evening, Mark said he thought it would be easier to climb the mountain. He has a new appreciation for the size and height of this natural wonder.
--Matt
