If you needed another reminder of how a Table Mountain hike can take a turn for the worse, consider this that reminder.
A 32-year-old Icelandic tourist was rescued after a 13-hour ordeal yesterday morning, having spent the majority of Monday night trapped on the mountain.
Peninsula Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) staff were the heroes, after fading light and strong winds had made a helicopter rescue on Monday night impossible.
IOL reports:
The WSAR said it was activated at 5.22pm after receiving a call from a member of the public who had heard someone shouting for assistance from the area above their house in Camps Bay, where the urban edge interfaces with the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).
The tourist was only reached at 1.48am, with most of the rescue team only reaching the Lower Cable Station at 4.30am.
The WSAR said “this gentleman can count himself extremely lucky. He had survived a fall of approximately 20 metres and landed on a ledge just bigger than a double bed, with a clear drop of about 80 metres below him on the face of the cliff”.
“The wind made it possible for his distress calls to be heard down in the urban area. He had a functioning cellphone with 63% battery life that he could use and suffered no serious injuries.”
Very lucky on how that fall landed him on a ledge, and very specific on the battery life.
In order to reach the man, the rescue team had to abseil more than 300m, as well as cross unstable terrain with sheer drops and cliff ledges.
On their site, WSAR released images showing the exact location of the man:
With the pumping winds, finding the location of the cries for help was tricky. Eventually, using his phone, the man was able to guide a 4×4, along a jeep track, carrying a rescue team to an area below him:
“By 20h38 a rapid response team had docked at the Upper Cable Station from where they began to make multiple abseils towards the patient.
“By this time the daylight had completely faded and it was then that the rescuers could actually pinpoint the position of the gentleman when he used the light of his cellphone to create a visual reference.
“A second rescue team ascended via the India Venster route, while members who happened to be training close by also made their way to a point above the stranded hiker.
“By 01h48 the first rescue climber had reached the patient, and after an initial assessment he was secured into a harness and lowered down to the base of Cairn Buttress, from where he was assisted to walk down to the waiting vehicles by four rescuers.
“The rest of the rescue team took the remaining equipment and ropes, retraced their access route to Kloof Corner Ridge and then down the India Venster route to end up at the Lower Cable Station at about 04h30 this morning.”
Following a debrief, and a check that all equipment and rescuers were safe and sound, WSAR gave the official stand down at 6:44AM.
Which is roughly when the majority of Cape Town woke up and said ‘don’t speak to me until I’ve had my first coffee’.
A few tips from the WSAR, who deserve many thanks from visitors and Cape Town locals alike, to avoid being on the receiving end of such a dramatic rescue
- take extra care when walking in a downhill direction as most knee and ankle injuries occur during these times
- always hike in a group
- make sure that at least one person is familiar with your intended route
- carry a hard copy of a Peter Slingsby map in your party
- familiarise yourself with the various grading of hiking routes
- choose trails that are within the capabilities of the members of your party
A reminder that these rescue efforts occur daily, usually without much press fanfare. If you would like to support WSAR, either with a donation or through volunteering, you can find more info here.
