Sunday
Dear Elsie
Today was the day we went on a mountain hike but we bit off more than we usually chew. There were some really challenging parts & the ascent was higher than we have gone in a very long time. When we climb mountains – such as Constantiaberg, we start half way up. With this one we parked at Danie Craven rugby stadium in Stellenbosch and walked from there. This is at the beginning, right after leaving the stadium precinct.
The biggest issue with Mike and my hiking exploits is we never intend to go far. In fact, this morning before we left, Mike said it was a walk through the vineyards and we didn’t even need to take hiking sticks, so we didn’t. It also meant I only took a small amount of refreshments: 500ml water each, a muffin, naartjie and fizz pop each.
We were just enjoying the easiness of the road. We got to the first cross.
and carried on walking…
We came to a turn towards the mountain and thought let’s try going up a bit. I called this Protea Lane.
We met a runner going down and asked him if the hike was safe and how long it would take. He said, “to get to the cross, at your pace – probably about 50 minutes”. Then we looked up and saw that there was a cross.
Oh, we had to try get to that, so off we went with alacrity!
The path zig-zags up the mountain. It got rockier…
We realised we had to ration our water. The path got steeper and more rugged. We had to pick our way through the rocks and sometimes it was pretty slippery..
There was no shade and the less cloud, so it became really hot. We encountered a couple of ladies coming down and had a chat with them. They had sunblock on them and offered it to me to lather up my arms and neck. That was really kind.
By half way up, we had drunk half our water, were really warm and it didn’t matter how slow I went, my heart rate just kept climbing. I know from previous hikes when I’ve over-done it, that I really pay the price at the end of the day. I have to keep my heart rate down in order to not have a crazy night of palpitations. So we stopped and rested enjoying the view…
Surrounding mountains…
This arrow shows where we parked.
We had the naartjie and debated not continuing, but then decide to go a little bit further.
And soon, we were very close.
We made it. Heart rate was fine!
There were a bunch of Stellenbosch students at the cross and they took the photo for us, so Mike took one of the 4 of them.
This is roughly where Fish Hoek is…
Table Mountain and Lion’s Head…
The antenna at the top. The peak behind the antenna is a 7-10 hour hike and some continue from the cross peak to that one.
My hike stats…not exactly speedy!
My maximum heart rate was 167. Elevation 478.9m!
We got home mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day recovering. A memorable day. Next time: more water, more snacks, more sunblock – even in winter.
Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂