So in addition to wine tasting, a hike up Devil’s Peak was offered as a one-day excursion for the week before classes. Of course all of us being so gung-ho about getting to see South Africa and all it had to offer, signed up right away. Now the description that we were given explained to us that we would be embarking on a difficult, but doable hike. While some of the girls were a bit worried about their slight fear of heights or the fact that aside from walking to restaurants or frozen yogurt, we haven’t had much physical activity since arriving in Cape Town, no one was too concerned with the day that we had planned. Well we were wrong, very wrong.
The “hike” started off just like any other. We walked a good 45 minutes up a dirt path surrounded by trees and rocks that seemed so much cooler than the rest simply due to the fact that we were in Africa. At the first break, we were a bit sweaty and had to catch our breaths, but nothing out of the ordinary. We were doing all right. As we got higher and higher up the mountain, the dirt started to turn into rock. And more rock. And more rock. Before we had the chance to take a look around and absorb our surroundings, we found ourselves stuck on a narrow pathway of rocks between two larger bases. This is when it hit me. This was no hike. This was a climb. A climb in which if I took one wrong move or stepped on one loose rock, would be ended abruptly, along with my life. Although inside a part of me was dying to pause and take a picture of this breathtaking view, another part of me was dying to continue moving without even taking note of the view that could result in my death. Yes, I know this all sounds so dramatic as I am sitting here typing completely alive and well, but I am telling you it does not sound so silly hundreds of meters above sea level with little to hold onto. After we got through the first “tricky part” as out guide would call it, things only go harder. There were parts in which we were literally mountain climbing, as we had to wedge our bodies in between two large rock structures and shimmy our way up. Despite my mild fear of heights, I loved every minute of this “hike” as I felt the adrenaline rushing through my body.
At the front of the group, we left no time for talking or taking a breath as we went full speed to the top and pushed ourselves to finish. In my opinion this is the best way to get a great workout. If you know me at all, you know that I hate running in any form. Only when a soccer ball is put out in front of me will you see me go at “full speed,” and even then, you might not be so lucky. But when on a hike, you are using so many different parts of your body to reach the top. And despite the pools of sweat collecting about your shirt or the fact that at some points you cannot feel your legs beneath you, it barely feels like a work out as you are surrounded by some of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. After over three and a half hours of working our way up the mountain, he finally made it up to the beacon, where I was first to touch the pole at the very top. Yes, I will admit that I let my slightly competitive side get the best of me at the end when a boy was trying to lead the pack…but regardless, we all made it. At the top we enjoyed our packed lunches and whatever view we could find passed the cloud that we found ourselves in.
Of course the hike down was far less exciting as we did not have the extra push to make it to the top and to be quite honest, were losing more and more steam by the minute as the amount of time on foot built up. The final paths were filled with perhaps even better sights than the way up the mountain, as we traversed through a meadow in between two large sets of rocks. However, we soon lost interest in our surroundings as our attention turned to our budding blisters, cramping stomachs, and for one unlucky traveler, a broken shoe.
No this hike was not what we signed up for, not at all. For some, it had turned into their worst nightmare and took all they had to face their fears and not turn around. For others, like me, it was a wonderful surprise and only convinced us even more to get out there onto the mountains as much as possible. Either way, almost everyone finished the day feeling accomplished and extremely self-satisfied, whether or not they had worked to overcome their greatest fear or had simply had a great workout. I for one liked it so much that I plan on doing another hike up Lion’s Head next week at sunset and even possibly getting paid to help out the travel company as our guide offered me.
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