Climbing Lion’s Head: A Race Against the Sunset

A few days into our trip, on January 25th, the sun was high in the sky. It was a beautiful and warm day. We were in Cape Town with our group and had visited Robben Island and enjoyed a wine tasting at Groot Constantia earlier in the day. Now we had some free time, and our professor suggested we climb Lion’s Head. I was hesitant at first, but in my good mood after the wine tasting, I decided to go.

Our professor drove us to the start of the mountain trail, and we began our hike. Wanting a challenge, I ran ahead. The path was wide and sandy, not too steep, and at first, it felt easy. The sun was setting, cooling the air. I stopped occasionally to admire the incredible view. After almost an hour of walking, the trail suddenly ended. Confused, I looked around until a couple caught up with me. We realized it was time to start climbing. I hadn’t expected it, but I was determined to reach the top.

Now the path alternated between climbing, narrow paths and ladders. The trails were getting thinner, and my fear of heights was creeping in. I was shocked that there were no handrails, even where the path was barely a meter wide with a steep drop next to it. At one point, a sign offered a choice: a more challenging route or the recommended path. Since I was alone, I took the recommended route, which turned out to be a huge detour. I climbed past a blue lizard that seemed to stare at me as I panted my way up. The trail suddenly turned, and I heard familiar voices, it was part of our group. That’s when I realized how much of a detour I had taken, as they were way behind me earlier.

My legs were burning, and sweat was dripping down my face. We passed a man who grinned and yelled, ”Only 2 minutes to the top!” We pushed on and finally reached the top. The view was breathtaking, the setting sun turning the city gold. The summit was filled with happy people, laughter, and music. I opened my water bottle, which I had been holding all the way, and it was the best water I had ever tasted. But we only had little time to enjoy the view – the sun was setting fast, and we had to hurry down. This was when my fear of heights really hit me. The light was fading fast, and many people were trying to descend at the same time. The rocks were slippery from the sand, making the descent difficult. I put on some music, focused on each step, and did well.

By the time we got to the bottom, it was pitch dark. Luckily, our professor had a headlamp, and we turned on our cell phone flashlights. Finally, we reached the car and drove back to our accommodation. After a shower and a hamburger, I immediately fell asleep.

Siri Lindström

The theological course Abraham Goes Global is a cooperation between Åbo Akademi University and Stellenbosch University (South Africa) funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education and The Polin Institute 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The aims are to widen the perception of theology to cross boundaries of religion at both universities, to exchange expertise on contextualised forms of religion, and to deepen the students’ and teachers’ understanding of interreligious and intercultural dynamics in religions. This blog text is the fourth of eight blog texts to present reflections of the Finnish students visiting South Africa in January-February 2025.