more hiking in Cape Town

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first, never hike alone because
a, it's very easy to get lost as there are numerous trails and most are not marked;
b, there are muggers in the mountain;
c, the weather could turn nasty very suddenly, for example, so foggy that you can't see anything; and
d, if you get injured, others can get help.
The mountain around here is quite treacherous in many parts and the weather can change suddenly. it could be clear and very hot one minute and very windy (cold) or foggy the next. when the wind is blowing very hard, the cableway will shutdown and you will have to walk down the mountain which is time you may not have considered into your hike (and you end up hiking in the dark which is very dangerous even with a flashlight--it's dangerous enough during daylight). in general, bring plenty of water, jacket, flashlight and your cell phone. and try to tell somebody where you've gone for the day. I think most people don't realize how dangerous it can be. I find going down the mountain the most dangerous. it's usually quite steep with lost of rocks everywhere so one wrong step will send you tumbling down rocks in very steep conditions so you could get hurt quite badly or if it happens to be cliffs or sheer drops where you fall, you can die as many have in Table Mountain. there were 2 fatalities for the 1 month that I was here and John (mountain rescuer) says they can do up to 6 rescues per week.
I've done 4 hikes, 5 rock climbing trips and one mountain rescue, so I've had to walk up Table Mountain 9 times (one hike was along a shore). I'll be doing one more hike tomorrow but not in Table Mountain.
Dec 4 - hiking, 7 hrs, the longest one I did, went to the peak of Table Mountain
Dec 13 - rock climbing, Lower Silvermine
Dec 14 - hiking, Constantianek to both dams, 2-3 hrs, came down the same way. bought sour fig jam (very good with camembert or brie, cheddar works too)
Dec 15 - rock climbing, Silvermine: Blaze of Glory
Dec 16 - hiking, 6 hrs, from Hout Bay to Sandy Bay along the shore, led by Dieter Heiser. he had a post on Gum Tree: "group hike every sunday, contact Dieter at 082 554 1357 [e-mail] This hike is an annual event, always on Dec 16 (statutory holiday in SA), very treacherous in the beginning, lots of climbing (not hiking) up and down rocks, it was so much fun. beautiful scenery, came across seals, a ship wreck and a nudist beach at the end. there were 33 people on this hike so lots of stopping but everything went well without a hitch. there were cold beer and pop waiting for us at the end--what a treat! hooray for Dieter!!
Dec 17 - rock climbing, East Silvermine: Pinnacle; + mountain rescue (Platteklip Gorge in Table Mountain)
Dec 18 - rock climbing, Silvermine: Main Crag
Dec 20 - rock climbing, Table Mountain, trad climbing
Dec 21 - hiking with Dieter, Kloof Corner, there were 3 parts of the hike where it went straight up and you can go up with the help of a chain. the view was spectacular as it was on the north ridge so you can see both sides of the mountain and both shores. it was so challenging I loved it. the pace was super fast, I was running to catch up. there is no official path for this hike, no signs or info anywhere, you can only go with a local who knows about it. there are many routes on table mountain that only locals know about so its quite easy to get lost. for example, there are also many trails that lead to rock climbing routes that only rock climbers know about.
the other thing I need to mention is that when going hiking with locals especially hiking clubs (i.e., people who go hiking regularly), they go at a really fast pace and Table Mountain is quite steep so you have to be in pretty good shape to keep up. most people are nice and will wait for you though.

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