A ramble around the back table of Table Mountain ...

On 14 October I took my good friend Steve for a ramble around the back table of Table Mountain.
Starting in Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden we climbed up Skeleton Gorge, visited the Waterworks Museum just below the Hely-Hutchinson Dam and hiked along the old railway track to the top of Kasteelspoort where we had a magnificent view over the Southern Atlantic.

After a lunch break we retraced our steps along the old railway track and crossed the dam wall of Woodhead Reservoir. We walked along the jeep track past Victoria and Alexandra Reservoirs after which we cut back, northwards along the Eastern edge of the mountain to the top of Nursery Ravine. After a visit to Castle Rock, the top of the buttress between Nursery and Skeleton Gorges we returned and descended by Nursery Ravine back down to Kirstenbosch Garden.



The video that I took of the hike is recorded below in four parts
(Parts 2 - 4 have yet to be uploaded to YouTube but I'll do that over the next couple of days and update this post as I go.)

PART 1




Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



After our hike we delivered Steve to the Airport later that evening and in due course he arrived home in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Climbing the India-Venster route up Table Mountain ...

One lovely Saturday morning ...




... on 9 October 2010 a bunch of friends climbed Table Mountain in Cape Town


















... and rested often
















What gorgeous scenery ...




















India ravine in green which we traversed, right to left, just below the rocks.

You can just see the path on the right hand side.











Looking across India ravine to the base of the crux section.














Higher and higher and more rests to take in the scenery.














Resting below the crux















Resting above the crux.

I used Andi's video to film the crux pitch so there will be links to you tube here soon!












And up and down went the tourists.

We were having much more fun.














Carla says, "Don't let my Mom see these photos!"

"It doesn't look so bad in this photo, you can't tell why i'm grabbing on that rock so hard :)"




















Carla says, "Do not do this if you cannot deal with heights! But for me the challenge bit was the one with the staples and chains...and greasy hands.."



But unfortunately we all need to use sunscreen!














Andi catching breath and settling the wobbly knees.

Go girl - you did good. Much less swearing compared to the first occasion!


















Steve was very casual about the entire climb. Very laid back.






















Hup we go Steve





















Hup we go Gigi





















Life is good





















Steve sharing one of my favourite places on the planet.

Carla says, "Mine too"


















Andi and Steve chilling out for a moment.





















Up here Andi and Steve - don't look back!




















Christian bouldering















Ride that rock Christian














Carla adds to the cairn on the edge while the gobbed smacked tourists sail by


Carla says, "This is the one I don't want my Mum to see!"


















Then we walk around on to Fountain ledge and Carla photographs an Agama (Bloukopkoggelmander!)



















Carla with the corner of Clifton Beach and the whole of Camps Bay beach far below














Photographing the rock climbers above Fountain ledge














A couple of tricky scrambles to ascend up levels on Fountain ledge















Look at that wonderful view again






















There are the rock climbers everyone was photographing. they were taking the more direct route!

The 3 fixed ropes were those of Absail Africa, a commercial group that allows climber/tourists to absail off the top of the mountain.















Nice work Andi.

Although you don't seem quite vertical to the horizon?


















But we didn't go down!

Andi and Steve arrived first.




















And were shortly joined by all the others.

One of the rules of the mountain is never to loose contact with anyone in the group!


















We walked right across the mountain (Christian and I taking a detour to the cable station to fill everyones water bottles) to Maclear's Beacon, the highest point on the mountain.


















The plaque on Maclear's Beacon















Steve posing on Mclear's Beacon



















After 'climbing' the beacon we all had a well deserved lunch break in the amphitheater just below the beacon













Walking back from Mclears beacon across the Eastern Table towards Platteklip Gorge and the upper cable station on the Western Table













The National Parks staff have built walkways across the marshy sections to prevent erosion















Chondropetalum sp. (Restionaceae) beautifully back lit in the late afternoon sun


















Everlastings (Helichrysum sp.) on the Eastern Table















Carla admiring the view from the top edge of the mountain














Gigi and Carla at the upper cable station before we all took the lazy way down!














All of us at the upper cable station before the decent.














Carla hamming it up for Xanic as we left the lower cable station