(2/4) Platteklip Gorge

Today we climbed Platteklip Gorge, a trail beginning at lower cable station to Table Mountain and ending at the top station. Although it is one of the relatively shorter hikes time wise on Table Mountain, the 2 ½ hour hike from 400m to 1050m above sea level was basically equivalent the stair master on crack. With the suns beating on our packs, we quickly went through over 2 liters of water each.

Reaching the top was exhilarating. The views of both the city and ocean were fantastic and lunch was devoured. We took the same trail down, which was more of a mental test than physical (how not to fall face first down a mountain as opposed to falling backwards). We met quite a few groups of people ranging from England, Australia, and New Zealand. At one point we met some Brits who informed my friend Daniel (who was wearing a Virginia shirt) that they once "owned us." Needless to say an interesting conversation of post Revolutionary War America and President Bush managed to find its way on to the mountain. I love random conversations!

After hiking we met some friends at Tank, a sushi restaurant, for half price cocktails and sushi. Delicious. My legs were quivering by the time we sat down and although I originally thought sushi might not be a fitting food choice for dinner, it turned out to be exactly what I needed.