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Table Mountain

Nicole Itzkowitz
August 14, 2014

Table Mountain, Cape Town’s natural wonder.

The iconic, plateau-esque mountain runs right through the city of Cape Town. We began our hike up from Kierstenbosch Gardens, a gorgeous area with a greenhouse, endless plant species and a few trailheads leading up Table Mountain. Out of the over 500 trails on Table Mountain, we picked one called Skeleton Gorge, which runs alongside a small waterfall. The Gorge is one of the more direct routes up, so it was a lot of vertical climbing. At the end of Skeleton’s Gorge we finally climbed past the tree line for a breathtaking view of the city. Once we reached the “top” (despite to how it looks from the ground, the top isn’t actually flat… There are lots of smaller peaks all over the top of the mountain), we took Smut’s Track through a good chunk of Table Mountain to reach McClear’s Beacon, the highest point on the mountain. We continued on to the Western Table where the Cable Station and Table Mountain Cafe are located. Our entire trip took about 4.5 hours. The Western Table also had an incredible view because it was above the clouds. It looked kind of like it does when you’re in an airplane, except you’re standing on the edge of this gorgeous mountain and feeling the breeze and hearing all of the sounds of the nature that’s around you.

After enjoying the view for a bit, we took the cable car down while enjoying the sunset.

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Nicole Itzkowitz

<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi! My name is Nicole and I am a junior at the University of Rochester, originally from the suburbs of New York City. I am majoring in public health with minors in biology and studio arts. I love ethnic foods, Halloween, the color purple, strange artwork and marine animals. You can find me around campus volunteering as an EMT, planning on-campus concerts, or hanging out in Starbucks. My dream is to one day have a pet tortoise. I am excited to study public health in Cape Town next semester and share my experiences through photography!</span></p>

Home University:
University of Rochester
Major:
Health Studies
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