[Image: Wilderness Search and Rescue]
Eighteen months after a terrible fall off Table Mountain that should’ve ended her story, 64-year-old Tania Morkel has flipped the script in spectacular fashion.
She’s just ticked off her bonkers 64 x 64 challenge, climbing the beastly peaks of the Mother City’s iconic mountain 64 times in 64 straight days, all while raising good money. In the end, she was able to gather over R125,000 for Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) and Table Mountain National Park, which contribute massively to keeping our mountains safe and stunning.
That’s not just grit; that’s legend status.
On Monday morning, with WSAR crew, SANParks rangers, EMS medics, and a tearfully proud family in tow, Tania topped Platteklip Gorge for the 64th and final time. Call it a mic-drop moment, except, of course, nobody’s dropping anything on that trail, thank goodness.
Rewind to 13 September 2023, when Tania took a harrowing 18-metre fall down a ravine on Table Mountain. The result was chilling: a spinal and skull fracture, a punctured lung, and battered internal organs – the kind of injuries that usually mean game over. She spent 23 days in the ICU, clinging to life on a ventilator.
But she survived. How? A cocktail of sheer luck, swift action from WSAR, and one rockstar Austrian hiker who kept her stable till help arrived.
Fast-forward just over a year, and she’s turned what could’ve been a full stop into a war cry. Trauma into triumph, as they say—but Tania’s got boots, a backpack, and a mountain-sized middle finger to the odds.
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The Wonder Woman originally aimed to raise R64,000 with her challenge, one climb for every year she’s been on this planet, and to add more magic to the number symmetry of her goals. The mission was always to fund WSAR, the same heroes who pulled her from the jaws of death, and help improve trail safety across Table Mountain National Park. Classic Tania move: start with a bang, end with a landslide – she smashed her goal, raising over R125,000 on GivenGain.
“I hope these funds help them reach the next person in need and keep every hiker a little safer,” said Tania, whose campaign has shone a spotlight on the crucial work that WSAR volunteers perform, often at their own expense.
At the summit of her final climb, the Western Cape EMS paramedic who first treated her post-fall stepped forward and handed her a bouquet of proteas and Cape flowers. If you didn’t tear up a little at that, check your pulse. WSAR calls her the ‘Iron Lady’, and after this? Nobody is disagreeing.
“Tania’s determination on the mountain and her generosity off it embodies the true spirit of volunteerism—a way of giving back to the community and making a positive impact on others,” said WSAR spokesperson David Nel.
“The generous support for her fundraising campaign will help to ensure that our teams continue to provide a world-class rescue service to the outdoor communities of the Western Cape.”
Each of those 64 climbs wasn’t just a physical flex, it was a love letter to the mountain that nearly killed her. With family, friends, and even some of her rescuers joining her on the way, Tania Morkel didn’t just conquer Table Mountain, she made it her home.
What a story, what a woman!
[Source: Getaway]
