The perils of Table Mountain were recently made clear as two men face an uncertain future. Trevor Ward‚ an experienced hiker and runner‚ may never walk again after his fall from the mountain while on a hike with his family. Meanwhile‚ Taro Spies is still missing and was last seen on the slopes of the mountain.
Ward was hiking with his family on May 1 when he fell without warning. The father of three from Bothasig in Cape Town is currently in ICU at Life Vincent Palloti hospital.
Distraught wife Carol was confused about how her husband fell. “They are all experienced hikers.”
He suffered a fracture in the cervical spine. His spinal cord was crushed. He currently has no feeling in his legs‚ and has minimal movement in his arms.
“At this stage‚ we’re hoping for a miracle. He’s been running for about six years and has hundreds of medals. He was even part of Hiker’s Network Rescue (HNR)‚ a hikers rescue team”.
Head of HNR Anwaaz Bent said Trevor is a “very committed” member of the team. “He takes what he does very seriously‚” he said.
Bent‚ who was part of the rescue of Ward when he was airlifted‚ said it was “a shock” to the team. “We followed normal protocol. It’s not the Trevor we know (to fall while hiking)‚” he said.
SANParks’s Visitor Safety Unit Senior Section Ranger Hilton Blumeris said they dealt with missing persons and rescues on a regular basis. “Persons either come unprepared or they have no knowledge of the routes on Table Mountain‚” he said.
“Weather can also become a deterrent factor but we have a 99% success rate locating missing hikers.”
There are others who do not want to be found. “There are unfortunately occasions where persons come to the mountain to commit suicide and they are reported missing; this can be a difficult task.”
According to Blumeris‚ the numbers of rescued people have varied between 10 and 16 per month since the beginning of the year.
Blumeris said various safety and security measures are implemented such as the dissemination of safety brochures and ranger information available at the start of every hiking route.
Perils of Table Mountain made clear
The perils of Table Mountain were recently made clear as two men face an uncertain future. Trevor Ward‚ an experienced hiker and runner‚ may never walk again after his fall from the mountain while on a hike with his family. Meanwhile‚ Taro Spies is still missing and was last seen on the slopes of the mountain.
Ward was hiking with his family on May 1 when he fell without warning. The father of three from Bothasig in Cape Town is currently in ICU at Life Vincent Palloti hospital.
Distraught wife Carol was confused about how her husband fell. “They are all experienced hikers.”
He suffered a fracture in the cervical spine. His spinal cord was crushed. He currently has no feeling in his legs‚ and has minimal movement in his arms.
“At this stage‚ we’re hoping for a miracle. He’s been running for about six years and has hundreds of medals. He was even part of Hiker’s Network Rescue (HNR)‚ a hikers rescue team”.
Head of HNR Anwaaz Bent said Trevor is a “very committed” member of the team. “He takes what he does very seriously‚” he said.
Bent‚ who was part of the rescue of Ward when he was airlifted‚ said it was “a shock” to the team. “We followed normal protocol. It’s not the Trevor we know (to fall while hiking)‚” he said.
SANParks’s Visitor Safety Unit Senior Section Ranger Hilton Blumeris said they dealt with missing persons and rescues on a regular basis. “Persons either come unprepared or they have no knowledge of the routes on Table Mountain‚” he said.
“Weather can also become a deterrent factor but we have a 99% success rate locating missing hikers.”
There are others who do not want to be found. “There are unfortunately occasions where persons come to the mountain to commit suicide and they are reported missing; this can be a difficult task.”
According to Blumeris‚ the numbers of rescued people have varied between 10 and 16 per month since the beginning of the year.
Blumeris said various safety and security measures are implemented such as the dissemination of safety brochures and ranger information available at the start of every hiking route.
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