Oh.My.Word.
Let me start off by saying that I have a fear of heights, nothing major I just don't like 'em.
So suffice to say I was a bit nervous when I heard that we'd be going up to MacClear's Beacon - and not via Platteklip Gorge - but hey, how bad could it really be?
We parked at Rhodes Memorial and starting up towards Devil's Peak. Going this route you need to first summit Minor Peak and (carefully) go along Knife's Edge until you get to Devil's Peak proper!
They say the quickest way is always the straightest, so naturally we scaled up the rock face which even for me wasn't too bad if you didn't consider the long fall down but made the beacon is one relative piece, just dripping with sweat and my back aching from the pack, but the best was yet to come!
We went down Devil's relative quickly, its not one of my favourite paths, its very stoney, and then starting climbing, and climbing and climbing - and all the time I kept thinking,
"yes, sure no worries, I'm sure there's a path or something SOMEWHERE among the SHEER CLIFF faces".
Alas, no - this route is called Ledges - it was slow going, the true mountain people Iain, Janette, Tony & Pete were great! Their were two ledges where they used a garness of myself "just in case" - inspite of this and a complete panic attack going up the second ledge (I found myself hanging off table mountain unable to move) made it to the top. I have never EVER been soooo glad - anyway from MacClear's Rob and I ran the Puffer route back down to Constantia Nek, in two o'clock heat with my tongue swollen and stuck up on the roof my mouth with thirst.
This was truly one of those memorable runs - check out the photos!
Let me start off by saying that I have a fear of heights, nothing major I just don't like 'em.
So suffice to say I was a bit nervous when I heard that we'd be going up to MacClear's Beacon - and not via Platteklip Gorge - but hey, how bad could it really be?
We parked at Rhodes Memorial and starting up towards Devil's Peak. Going this route you need to first summit Minor Peak and (carefully) go along Knife's Edge until you get to Devil's Peak proper!
They say the quickest way is always the straightest, so naturally we scaled up the rock face which even for me wasn't too bad if you didn't consider the long fall down but made the beacon is one relative piece, just dripping with sweat and my back aching from the pack, but the best was yet to come!
We went down Devil's relative quickly, its not one of my favourite paths, its very stoney, and then starting climbing, and climbing and climbing - and all the time I kept thinking,
"yes, sure no worries, I'm sure there's a path or something SOMEWHERE among the SHEER CLIFF faces".
Alas, no - this route is called Ledges - it was slow going, the true mountain people Iain, Janette, Tony & Pete were great! Their were two ledges where they used a garness of myself "just in case" - inspite of this and a complete panic attack going up the second ledge (I found myself hanging off table mountain unable to move) made it to the top. I have never EVER been soooo glad - anyway from MacClear's Rob and I ran the Puffer route back down to Constantia Nek, in two o'clock heat with my tongue swollen and stuck up on the roof my mouth with thirst.
This was truly one of those memorable runs - check out the photos!
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