Day 8

One word to describe today….phenomenal. I woke up with a little bit of a hangover (we all went out to the club last night) and wasn’t sure if everyone was going on the hike up Devil’s Peak at 9:00am. Everyone seemed to be feeling a little rough and decided they were going to skip the hike and do it another time, so I went down to the lobby to tell the people that were going that I we were going to stay back. After talking to Nicole when we got to the lobby, we made a last minute decision to go on the hike. We ran upstairs and put on some hiking clothes, then headed down to the lobby. After a fifteen minute cab ride to the base of the mountain we got out and looked at what we were about to encounter (the mountain was HUGE and the hike was supposed to take an hour and a half to get to the top, and they weren’t lying.) The hike started out good (it was a little chilly) and we were all excited to get to the top. After about thirty minutes of hiking, everyone had removed layers of clothing and was out of breath (don’t drink the night before you hike up a 3,281 foot mountain.) The views got better and better with each step that was taken. Looking out to the ocean, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head was breathtaking. There were some areas that had little streams and rivers flowing where the land was flat, and then ten seconds later you found yourself at an eighty-degree angle, lifting yourself up rocks. Towards the very top of the mountain, it became very difficult to climb. Everyone was really out of breath and we ended up having to take a few breaks, but once we got to the top, the entire group forgot about all of the pain that we just went through. The view was something that pictures cant even explain (also, it was freezing at the top and the wind started to blow really hard.) We all sat down and took in the views for about a half hour and took some pictures. When we decided to head down the mountain, we all realized what we had ahead of us. The hike up was rough, but the hike down was even more dangerous. Rocks would slide under your feet and you had to constantly grab onto trees and bushes so that you wouldn’t fall, because if you slipped, you were done for. After about two hours of hiking down the mountain, we got in a cab and headed to a restaurant called the Eastern Food Bizarre (it was a huge place with different choices like middle eastern, Chinese, vegetarian, etc) The food was awesome and after we all filled up, we came back to the apartment and went to the roof to sit by the pool in the sun. The weather was absolutely perfect (not a cloud in the sky and in the mid 60’s.) For dinner, we went to a pizza place down the street called Divas, and then went back once again at about 8:30 to get some ice cream. There was a mother and her daughter who were singing all sorts of songs and there was a bunch of locals drinking wine and singing along. I am absolutely exhausted and cannot wait to lay in my bed, but I am so happy that I made the last minute decision to venture out. Although the hike was strenuous and exhausting, it was an amazing experience. We will hike the other two mountains within the next few weeks, and then I’ll be a pro. The weather this week is supposed to be really nice (I’m hoping the rain will cease a bit) and I am excited to learn more about my job. I’m still alive after my dangerous mountain climbing extravaganza and can’t wait to do more activities that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. I love and miss you all and can’t wait to let keep you posted on my adventures in Cape Town!

 Lion's Head

 View from the top of Devil's Peak