Table Mountain

March 20, 2011 was the most physically challenging day of my life—until today.    

I didn’t think a three mile hike would be as strenuous as a thirteen mile run, but it was.  The Global L.E.A.D. staff surprised us this morning in class and announced that they were taking us to the infamous Table Mountain. What a journey we had waiting on us!

Table Mountain

After studying the importance of core values and reviewing our top five personal core values within our community groups, we filled up our water bottles, grabbed our cameras, and headed to the bus to meet Ish.        

I started out with a solid group, but they fell behind as soon as I took my magic Jelly Bean of energy. I ended up hiking the homestretch with a Cape Town local, Peter, a recovering alcoholic who left his career as a criminal defense lawyer to become a support counselor at a local rehabilitation center. He is absolutely fascinating. I told him about my friend, Louisa, who is studying psychology at Wofford College in hopes of helping drug abusers one day. When we parted ways at the peak of the mountain, Peter encouraged me to keep an active lifestyle and a jubilant spirit. The chances are slim that we will ever meet again, but I hope that I will never forget his story or advice.

I don’t know who would have been more proud of me for reaching the top of Table Mountain: Mary London Carswell or Beth Ann Hamilton. I thought about both of them as I spent nearly two hours hiking. At the beginning, our motto was: “Slow and steady wins the race.” By the end, our motto had become: “Slow and steady takes the most pictures.” We made several pit stops for photo ops and water breaks, but none of the pictures compare to the experience. It was unbelievable.  

Go big or go home.

I ended the day with dinner at Cape to Cuba and a quick appearance at Neighborhood, a bar on Long Street. This program strongly encourages us to step outside our comfort zones, so I’ve decided to take advantage of my temporarily legal drinking age and test the waters of alcohol—responsibly, of course! I took a sip of seven different drinks from my friends, but I have yet to find anything remotely enjoyable. We’re working on it.

Meanwhile, I’ll be working on homework and reading my book about Nelson Mandela as I sit and gaze upon the island where he was imprisoned for eighteen years. I honestly have to ask myself if this is real life sometimes. Hope all is well in the States!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman