The Mountain

The first thing that you will see when you enter Cape Town is the Mountain.  It is impossible to ignore.  The city surrounds it and I feel like it defines the city.  Although there are many aspects of Cape Town that help give it its personality, I don't think that any other attribute (beaches, ocean, cultural diversity, history) has the same impact as the mountain.

View of Table Mountain from ferry out to Robbin Island.  Table Mountain is the flat part in the middle with Devil's Peak on the left and Lion's Head on the right.

Now, let me define what I mean by the mountain.  There is Table Mountain, which is the most recognizable image of the mountain and probably most visited, at least by tourists.  But the mountain (as Capetownians call it) encompasses all of the "mountain" that extends from the city bowl to Cape Point.  It has all been grouped into the Table Mountain National Park (check out the website).  The range of hills and mountains extends for 47 miles, along the entire length of the Cape Peninsula.

View of Devil's Peak from Rondebosch.  To the left of Devil's Peak is the side of Table Mountain.  Notice the campus of UCT (with the red roofs) just below Devil's Peak.

Two things about the mountain that immediately grab you are its beauty and its proximity.  When we first moved to Cape Town, I would walk up the hill to the campus, and would stare up at Devil's Peak, which is adjacent to Table Mountain and directly above UCT, and be amazed that it was so close.  Now, it is not particularly high mountain (just over 1000m or 3280ft), but because the city is so close to the mountain, it can feel like it is on top of you, although not every one gets to work under the shadow of the mountain like I do.

The walk up Stanley Road to campus and Devil's Peak.

I hesitate to go as far as I saying that the mountain is the heart of the city, but it is certainly close.  It is a part of everyday life for many of the residents of Cape Town.  It is very common on a Monday morning during the "how was your weekend?" conversation to hear people discuss the time they spent on the mountain.  Two weeks ago, it actually snowed on the mountain and there was a buzz around the department.  This last Friday, rain was forecasted for the weekend and people were scrambling to make plans that did not involve the mountain (although we went hiking anyway).  The mountain is also used as a navigational tool, directions are given relative to the mountain.  The most interesting impact of the mountain is in dreams, on occasion someone's dream will come up and there are an inordinate number of dreams involving mountains or steep slopes or hiking.  I don't think that is a coincidence.

The view of the mountain from our kitchen window.

Lastly, the mountain provides a certain measure of comfort.  While we were in the US, there was this sense of something missing.  We drove into Houston and saw the impressive downtown skyline, which is a comforting feeling, but just doesn't have the same impact of the mountain.  As I sit here writing this, I look out the window and can only catch a glimpse of the mountain (it is rainy and cloudy), but it is just nice to know that it is still there.  Just like the reminders that we get from God to reassure us that He is still there.  Cheers, Steve

Picture of Aaron on our recent hikes.  We got a little wet, but he enjoyed it anyway :)

PS.  We have now been on three hikes on the mountain on three consecutive weekends, so I feel like we are fitting right in as proper Capetownians :)