What began as a planned mountain hike quickly turned into a high-risk rescue operation, as two young hikers were left stranded on a sheer cliff face on Devil’s Peak with no safe route to escape.
The incident unfolded on Devil’s Peak, part of the Table Mountain range, where Wilderness Search and Rescue teams were called into action after the hikers became trapped above the contour path.
The pair, aged 22 and 20, had set out from Rhodes Memorial at around 1 pm, aiming to ascend the First Waterfall Ravine, a route known for its steep climbs, narrow ledges, and exposed sections.
At some point during their ascent, the hikers decided to turn back. Instead of retracing their route, they attempted to traverse across the mountain and descend via a different path, a decision that quickly escalated into a life-threatening situation.
According to WSAR spokesperson David Nel, the terrain left the hikers with no margin for error. “The first hiker managed to reach a ledge approximately one metre wide, where she wisely stopped,” he said. “Her companion, however, slipped while attempting to find a route down, coming to rest on an extremely narrow ledge estimated to be just ten centimetres wide.”
With no safe route up or down and the risk of a fatal fall increasing, the hikers contacted emergency services, triggering a large-scale rescue response.
Teams from Metro EMS, High Angle Rescue, Delta SAR, TrailSAR and Mountain Search and Rescue were mobilised, but deteriorating weather conditions and unstable rock formations made access extremely difficult.
Rescue climber Brent Russell described the urgency of the situation. “When we arrived, the situation was desperate. It looked like the male hiker was minutes from falling,” he said. “The rock face is made up of mud shale, a soft, brittle material that breaks easily and does not allow for safe anchor placement.”
In a carefully coordinated operation, a technical rescuer climbed above the stranded hikers and abseiled down to reach them. Each hiker was secured in a harness and guided down the cliff face in a controlled descent.
The male hiker, who had been standing on the narrow ledge for nearly four hours, was reported to be physically unstable, while both hikers showed signs of cold exposure after prolonged time on the mountain.
The operation concluded later that night, with both individuals brought safely off the mountain without injury.
The incident has once again highlighted the risks associated with technical hiking routes on Table Mountain, particularly in wet conditions. First Waterfall Ravine is widely regarded as one of the more dangerous paths on Devil’s Peak, with steep scrambles, narrow ledges, and sudden drops.
Rescue officials have urged hikers to plan carefully, stick to known routes, and avoid taking shortcuts, warning that a single misjudgement on these slopes can quickly turn into a life-threatening emergency.
Source: Independent Online – Theolin Tembo.
