Platteklip Gorge to Maclear’s Beacon: The Mountain Doesn’t Care About Your Plans
Nearly three months after we started our 13 Peaks Challenge Cape Town journey, we finally got to Leg 2. Go here for Leg 1.
Not because anyone lost interest.
Not because people quit.
But because every single Sunday we planned this hike, the weather gods launched an assault on Table Mountain like they had personally taken offence to our WhatsApp group.
Honestly, it became ridiculous.
We’d pick a date.
The forecast would look hopeful.
Then boom. Biblical rain. Gale-force wind. Full apocalypse mode.
Platteklip Gorge to Maclear’s Beacon was always going to be one of the harder climbs physically, but somehow it became the hardest leg simply to start.
And yet, one month later than planned, there we were. Standing in the dark on Tafelberg Road before sunrise, adjusting headlamps and pretending we were mentally prepared for Platteklip Gorge.
The Original Plan Was… Ambitious
The idea for the day was simple enough on paper:
- Peak 2: Maclear’s Beacon
- Peak 3: Grootkop
- Peak 4: Judas Peak
A proper day out on the mountain.
But in hindsight, maybe we should have recognised the warning signs earlier. Because when we couldn’t even find the 13 Peaks flag…
Well.
(Cough cough, Bapoo.)
…we should probably have accepted that the mountain gods were still entertaining themselves at our expense.
Still, off we went.
Despite a few suspiciously absent key players.
(Cough cough, Maan and Ellen.)
The group was still strong enough, cheerful enough and sleep-deprived enough to make things interesting.
One of Those Cape Town Autumn Mornings That Tricks You
Cape Town has a very specific kind of autumn morning that convinces you your life is completely under control.
No wind.
No rain.
Soft golden light creeping over the city bowl.
The kind of morning that whispers: You’ve got this.
And for a while, it really felt like we did.
The climb up Platteklip Gorge naturally split the group into pace categories almost immediately. The fast hikers disappeared up the gorge like they had somewhere urgent to be.
Some people climb Platteklip like they’re trying to escape their problems. Oh wait…
The rest of us settled into a slower rhythm. Stop. Breathe. Climb. Repeat.
And that’s exactly how these hikes should work.
Not everybody hikes at the same pace. Some people float uphill like mountain goats. Some of us require emotional negotiations with our lungs every twenty minutes.
All of it counts.
My Deeply Toxic Relationship With Platteklip Gorge
I need to say this publicly.
I hate Platteklip Gorge.
There. I said it.
I know it’s iconic. I know it’s efficient. I know tourists love it because “it goes straight up Table Mountain.”
But emotionally?
Spiritually?
Mentally?
It feels like climbing an endless medieval punishment staircase designed by someone who enjoys watching hikers suffer.
And yet…
It is also one of the best training hikes in Cape Town.
If you are training for trekking in Nepal, multi-day hikes, altitude or endurance events, Platteklip delivers every single time. There’s nowhere to hide on that climb. It forces you to work. Every upward step quietly deposits something into your future fitness account, even if your legs disagree at the time.
That’s why we keep coming back.
Not because it’s fun.
Because it works.
Maclear’s Beacon Bagged
By the time we reached Maclear’s Beacon the mood was actually really good.
People were tired, yes.
But there’s something satisfying about earning your way onto the Table Mountain plateau on foot instead of floating up in a cable car with tourists eating ice cream.
Peak 2 was officially bagged.
And honestly, considering how long the weather delayed this hike, that already felt like a victory.
The original plan had been to continue toward Grootkop and then descend via Kasteelspoort after covering decent distance toward Peak 3.
We had absolutely good intentions.
Then the mist arrived.
Enter The Mist
Sometimes the Smartest Decision Is the Least Glamorous One
One thing mountain hiking teaches you very quickly is that flexibility matters more than ego.
The mountain does not care about your route plan. It does not care about your spreadsheets, your timelines or your ambitious WhatsApp voice notes.
Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is adapt.
I had really hoped we’d cover substantial distance toward Peak 3 that day.
Today simply wasn’t that day.
Even Chucky and I, remembering we still had a marathon the following weekend, eventually admitted defeat and headed for the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.
Naturally, because Cape Town enjoys comedy, the second we reached the cable station the sun came out.
Not gradually.
Aggressively.
The mist got smacked off the mountain. Blue skies appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly the mountain looked like it belonged on a tourism billboard again.
Classic Cape Town behaviour.
We just stood there laughing because what else can you do?
The Important Thing: We Showed Up
It would be easy to focus on what we didn’t achieve.
We didn’t get Grootkop.
We didn’t tag Judas Peak.
We didn’t cover the distance we hoped to.
But that would completely miss the point of the 13 Peaks Challenge Cape Town.
People showed up despite weeks of delays.
People climbed despite lack of sleep.
People pushed through low motivation, heavy legs and fitness struggles.
That matters.
Actually, it matters a lot.
Because this challenge is becoming more and more obviously a mental challenge disguised as a physical one.
Nobody feels strong every weekend. Nobody wakes up motivated all the time. Some mornings the bed wins the psychological battle before your alarm even finishes ringing.
But if you keep showing up, something slowly changes.
Your legs get stronger.
Your recovery improves.
Your confidence grows.
Climbs that once destroyed you become manageable.
That’s how this challenge will eventually be completed.
Not through perfection.
Not through giant heroic moments.
Just commitment.
One peak at a time.
Peak 3 & 4 Loading…
Next time we change tactics.
We’ll take the cable car up and head across the spectacular Valley of the Red Gods toward Grootkop and Judas Peak.
New peaks.
New kilometres.
New stories.
Hopefully less emotional warfare from the weather gods.
And honestly?
I can’t wait.
How We Are Doing
Thanks
For pics and vids:
Meenakshi
Shameema
Wasielah
Zunayd
Absolutely Stunning Blog. Loved reading the Blog.
Love the spirit with which the day was embraced. 👏👏
Some people climb Platteklip like they’re trying to escape their problems. Oh wait…🤣🤣🤣🤣 excellent read