[imagesource: Daniel Dreier/ Getty Images]

Table Mountain has seen its fair share of action lately.

The notorious ‘Table Mountain Killer’ was in court earlier this month, facing charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Blessing Bveni’s alleged reign of terror between October 2017 and March 2018, which took place on the fringes of Table Mountain National Park, led to fears around the safety of hikers and riders right across the park’s range.

His capture alleviated some of those fears, but the mountain still has a way of taking a hike and turning it into an ordeal, especially when that famous cloud makes its way over the table top.

This past weekend, a trio of hikers, two men and a woman, took to the mountain at 4:30AM for a sunrise hike, only to find themselves disoriented and lost, reports TimesLIVE.

Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) was activated after being told they had become disorientated by cloud cover that engulfed the top of the mountain.

A rough position of the hikers was determined after they were asked to take photographs of their surroundings and forward them to an incident commander.

The miracle of smartphones.

Rescue services set up a command centre at the lower cableway station, and a team was dispatched to find the hikers.

The team made voice contact with the hikers, who were stuck on the western side of the mountain, and a second team set out to abseil down the cliff face to get closer to them.

The weather was deteriorating, with rain and poor visibility which ruled out any chance of a helicopter rescue.

“The second team began securing anchor points at a new position, and when they managed to obtain voice contact with the hikers, it was learnt that much longer rope and hauling systems were required. A third team was then dispatched to carry additional technical equipment to the point at which the hauling system was being set up,” WSAR said in a statement.

“As a result of the extreme conditions and the fact that the cableway and rescue helicopter could not be used, it was apparent that the rescue effort was going to be quite an extended one. This lasted through the night and at 6.45am on Sunday the three hikers and more than 20 rescuers were safely off the mountain.”

That’s roughly 20 hours stuck on the mountain.

If you’re planning a hike up the mountain, best check the weather conditions.

Then again, this is Cape Town – you never really know what you’re going to get.

[source:timeslive]