With the summer season coming up, many are planning a hike day with family and friends this holiday season. To make matters easier, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is yet again celebrating international Take a Hike Day.
Because we have three seasons in one day in the Mother City, the hike is scheduled over three days to accommodate the crazy weather in Cape Town.
Wahida Parker, managing director of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, said: “Starting Wednesday 16 and ending Friday 18 November, we are appealing to everyone to take a hike up the mountain and spend some quality time on the various trails.
‘’While you are doing this, we invite you to collect the rubbish which has been left behind by some irreverent individuals which tarnishes the image of our New7Wonders of Nature site.“
According to Parker, Take A Hike Day has seen a major outcome since 2021, with 310 hikers taking part in the campaign, collecting 28.5kg worth of litter. This will also be the third time that TMACC will host a Take a Hike Day event.
“Colloquially, the day’s name might encourage people to ‘go away’. We have refashioned it to be a call to action and to serve as a reminder of how fortunate we are to be surrounded by so much natural beauty. With this blessing comes the responsibility to care for and maintain the site in a pristine condition and ultimately preserve it for future generations.”
The mountain clean-up is set to take place from 7.30am to 3pm – which started yesterday – beginning at Platteklip Gorge hiking trail towards the top of Table Mountain, and all the trash collected gets discarded at the Twelve Apostles Terrace.
Partakers receive a light snack pack and some water and a bin bag at the start and a free ticket will be issued to come down. You are free to choose any of the other trails too. The last cable car will depart at 5pm.
This is a great way to help the environment.
“We encourage everyone who shares our commitment to avail themselves on the day,” Parker said.
Parker offers some tips:
- Check-in and checkout: tell somebody where you are going and how long you expect to be.
- Stick to the route you have researched and plan to hike.
- Every party should have a leader. The larger the group the greater the need for one.
- Keep together and travel at the pace of the slowest. Do not split up and go in different directions.
- Do not wear jewellery or take other non-vital valuables with you.
- Watch the weather and time, and turn back in case of threatening bad weather.
- Know what to do in an emergency.
- Save the emergency numbers on your phone.
- Download the Trigger app – it could help locate you in the event of a mishap.
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