Hiking In Cape Town: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

THE OLD BAT 😍

Hiking FOMO

So, I was a bit put out that it was time for my annual whirlwind stay with my 92-year-old aunt in Cape Town. For the past couple of years, I’ve spent a few heartwarming days with one of the most inspirational women I know. We catch up like two old tannies, I soak up her wisdom, we haunt coffee shops, and—because we’re too busy laughing and talking—we usually do very little else.

And what, pray tell, is the “problem” then? I hear you ask.

The problem (entirely manufactured by yours truly, of course) was that I’d booked the trip months earlier, back when hiking wasn’t yet my full-blown personality trait. Well… it kind of was, but clearly not enough for me to anticipate this very specific “tragedy.”

So yes, I suddenly realized I was missing a hiking weekend, and it felt like the end of the world. (Oh, stop. Trust me—no one is rolling their eyes at me harder than I am right now.)

Hiking in Cape Town: Apparently “Too Dangerous”

Last year, my son Salt came with me and, as the freshly minted hikers we were, we decided: Cape Town? Hiking compulsory.

But when we asked around about trails, the response was unanimous: “You can’t hike here, it’s too dangerous.”

Well, Sharon, that’s exactly what non-hikers say in Johannesburg too — and yet do you see me “not hiking” over 100 trails there in the past year? Exactly.

Still, I had to accept the grim reality: hiking would not happen.

I briefly considered contacting a Cape Town hiking club, but eventually told myself to calm the hell down. Perspective check: I get rare, precious time with a woman who, at 92, isn’t just surviving—she’s living, and who struts the Sea Point promenade with me every year like we’re a pair of geriatric gangstas—minus the bling, but absolutely with the attitude. So yes, we’d definitely get our daily walk in.

In The Airport When I Should Be Up A Mountain

So, morning of, there I was, in the overpopulated, questionably hygienic O.R. Tambo International Airport. (I know, I know—first-world problems at their finest.)

It’s 6:15 a.m., I’m already three queues deep, and I’ve been herded like a confused cow through check-ins and bag drops, and yes, of course my laptop was packed in my carry-on and now had to be taken out at security. So there I was… seriously irritated, kneeling on the floor, rummaging through my suitcase, while people streamed past me like I was the world’s least organized traveler.

Naturally, I was not at my finest, and that's when the mood started to get dark. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I got the full body search treatment. Never happened before. Apparently, I just screamed “drug smuggler”,  or possibly it was that “dark energy chic." that I had begun to radiate.

Standing there (furiously, but silently) like a background suspect in Law & Order: Airport Unit, the thought hit me: I could literally be out there right now—already on a trail, breathing in fresh mountain air, in the middle of nowhere, blissfully un-body-searched.

But no. Instead, I’m clutching a boarding pass, marinating in recycled airport air, and silently calculating how long it would take to contract some mysterious airport plague.

How people do this frequently without losing their minds? Truly a mystery.

Kirstenbosch: The Botanical Gardens I Didn’t Know I Needed

Day 2, and I had finally resigned myself to a hike free trip, we decided (fine, I orchestrated the whole thing—because if I couldn’t hike, I’d at least sneak in a glorified stroll) to visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.

The moment we got inside, my aunt lit up: she wanted to take me straight to the famous "Tree Canopy Walkway". Of course, I said yes—while simultaneously catching a glimpse of the "hikers-only" path disappearing into the mountains.

Oh, be still my FOMO-crushed heart.

When A 92-Year-Old Slaughters The Stairs

So my aunt had forgotten that to get to the canopy walkway, there are stairs. Loads of them. Endless. Stairs. (Especially fun when you’ve got a 92-year-old national treasure beside you.)

And there I was, escorting this “old bat” up step after step, clutching her hand—though honestly, it was anyone’s guess who was really supporting whom.

Did she complain? Absolutely not.

Did she pause to catch her breath? Not even once.

In fact, she got irritated with herself that she wasn’t able to go faster up the stairs and promptly surged ahead.  I mean, who does that at 92? A legend, that’s who.

The Tree Canopy Walkway Experience

Finally, we reached the suspension bridge. I overheard a few people muttering that they hadn’t previously realized that it was a suspension bridge—but on this occasion, dozens of rowdy schoolkids started bouncing up and down, screaming like banshees.

Teachers? Please, teach. Supervisors? Supervise.

Tourists and other visitors were just trying to enjoy the moment. but nope—bedlam. Honestly, slap a sign at the entrance already: “This Is Not a Jungle Gym. Behave.”

For the first time all day, my aunt actually slowed down—not for the stairs, not for the walkway itself, but for balance.

And yes, I grabbed her hand again—this time 100% for my own balance as well.

Final Thoughts:Gratitude Beats FOMO

So yes, no Cape Town hike for me. Did my 92-year-old aunt summit a mountain with me?

Sadly, no  (and yes, I’m mildly furious with her—don’t worry, she’s adorable, so it barely counts.).

But what I did get was better: a reminder that the best adventures aren’t always trails—they’re moments. Like walking hand-in-hand with your 92-year-old aunt, through what might as well be paradise.

At that moment, I realized how ridiculously lucky I was. Sure, it wasn’t the mountain hike I’d been pining for, but it was a memory I’ll treasure forever.

Blessed? Beyond measure.