Table Mountain looks imposing and there appears to be no visible pathway to the top. The truth is there are a number of clear pathways up the mountain, some easier than others. Most will require zero upper body strength. Table Mountain is not a particularly big challenge and very few people that have joined us on a guided hike have opted out and not completed because of their fitness level. The truth is that unfit people just take longer to finish and we help to select a pace that is comfortable. At the other end of the scale are the people that believe they are fit because they can walk at a strong pace over long distances on flat ground, maybe for two hours or more. But two hours hiking uphill on Table Mountain is a different ballgame from walking on flat ground. And Platteklip Gorge, which is the shortest and most direct route to the top, has about eight hundred double height steps and the muscles and effort required differs from climbing ordinary stairs and is very far from flat ground walking.
Although every route up Table Mountain is steep and stepped, we know that the slightly longer routes are much more interesting, and hikers doing these more exciting routes find they are distracted by the beauty, cliff faces and stunning views, all working together to get the summit under your feet in an apparently shorter time.
Provided you have had a good breakfast, drink plenty of water and hike on a ‘normal weather’ day, you should get to the top without too much strain. However, if you are a total couch potato, we suggest you do Lion’s Head first as a tester and then progress to Table Mountain once you have conquered that little peak.
Here’s a rule of thumb test. If you can do any one of the following 3 things, you should manage Table Mountain without too much effort…
• Jog 5 km without stopping
• Climb 15 flights of stairs (slowly), but without stopping
• Cycle 25 km non stop, in a respectable time
If you would like to discuss a hike or want advice of any sort, please feel free to call Dave directly on + 27 (0) 837888888