Student Bloggers
Take a Hike
Date
May 23, 2018
If you know me, you know how much I love a good view. Hiking has become a good outlet for me to both exercise and experience various beautiful views.
Most recently, I attended an excursion with other students from the Arcadia Program, led by Alan Jansen (Arcadia's Resident Director in Cape Town), that finished with a gorgeous view from the top of Table Mountain. Table Mountain is said to be one of Cape Town’s most famous landmarks. It offers a variety of hiking trails with various lengths, time and difficulty. The trail we used took us approximately 3 ½ hours to trek to the top, and every minute was worth it (despite our 7:00 am start time). As Table Mountain’s official website states, “Table Mountain – the mother who keeps the city safely within her grasp – is a timeless icon, with a rich history for locals, tourists and celebrities alike. Its picturesque views, combined with its exquisite fauna and flora, make her a spectacle to behold.” If that doesn’t make you want to hike to the top to experience Table Mountain, I don’t know what will.
A Little History About Table Mountain
- 1790- Lady Anne Barnard became the first Capetonian woman to reach the summit.
- 1880- It was suggested that a rack railway be built in order for citizens to enjoy the splendor that is Table Mountain. However, the implementation of this had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the First Anglo-Boer War, which began in 1880.
- 1912- Proposals and work began on implementing the cableway.
- 1929- Marked the official opening of the cableway.
- 2010- Colombian filmmaker Federico Velasquez was lucky number 20-million to buy a cableway ticket and travel to the top of Table Mountain. Passengers in the past have included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Sting and the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Not only does this beautiful area offer a hike up to Table mountain, it offers trails to these other various locations as well:
- Lion’s Head
- Chapman’s Peak
- Newlands Forest
- Kalk Bay Mountains
Hiking, and exercise in general, has become my outlet for stress since high school… leaving me happier and healthier. It’s important for everyone to have an outlet for the different obstacles that they may face in their everyday life, I encourage you to find yours and stick with it! It can be anything really, whatever works for you!
H I K E M O R E W O R R Y L E S S