Table Mountain at last

So, one of the hikes I've been meaning to do for awhile but haven't is Table Mountain. It was a perfect day and a great hike. It was a bit crowded, as this is the first week that the road up to Artist Point has been open; but I managed to find my way to the lonely spots. It's only about 1 mile to the top and from there you can wander all over the place, which I did.






THERE ARE MORE PICS - can't put them all on the blog, but they're all on my website here.

I was also painfully aware of the word "preparedness." I ran into a couple of nice women along with their 11 year old son who fit the mold of "un-prepared." No packs, 1 water bottle, no food, one in tennis shoes and the son was wearing Crocs with no socks. Now to be sure, Table Mountain is not the most difficult hike, but it is alos not the easiest. It gets narrow in places and with most hikes around here, you are frequently only a couple of bad steps from a long fall. Well, to shorten the story, I helped them out and on my way down ran into the son who was already about 15 feet off the path, on an avalanche field, and slipping further. The two women (his mom and aunt) were nowhere to be seen (they were already down to the parking lot). The boy was looking scared and after we got him back up to the trail, I decided I better escort him down the rest of the way.

Me? I was planning on a 3-4 hour, 4-5 mile hike. I had a big breakfast, packed 5 energy bars, two water bottles, a first aid kit and an "essentials" pack (with more food, water purification, and the other 12-15 essentials). And I had wished I'd brought my trekking poles. Live and learn!