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“A few days before my next trip out of South Africa and with a desire to be outside for an unreasonable amount of time, 13 peaks seemed like a good thing to tick off the list and gave me the excuse to drag some friends into it as well.” ~ Angus Teeton

The 13 Peaks Challenge invites hikers to take on this adventure of a lifetime! This challenge not only tests your skills as a hiker but also demands strong endurance, motivation, and a love of exploring the great outdoors.

The idea was born from Ryan Sandes in 2018, when one day, he decided to plan out a route, linking some of his favourite peaks into one exciting adventure that would showcase the true beauty of the Cape Peninsula Mountains. As an exceptional ultra-distance runner himself, Ryan was no stranger to extreme challenges outdoors, which is perhaps why this epic challenge appealed to so many other outdoor lovers!

He sketched the route roughly in a notepad, with the finish line ending in the same spot as the beginning, mimicking the famous UK ‘Rounds’. What began as an estimated 55 km trek turned into a 19-hour adventure that took Ryan and his friend Kane across 100 km of mountain tops, with 6,000 meters of vertical ascent.

While they only completed 12.5 peaks due to their headlamps dying out, Ryan and Kane promised to go back and try again. But, in the meantime, they knew that this was an adventure they needed to share with the world! The magical experience of trekking Table Mountain on foot is indescribable, and something that every outdoor explorer needs to try at least once in their life.

Years later, many adventurers heard word of this daring challenge, and they too, decided to try their hand at it.

Angus Teeton’s Experience Completing the 13 Peaks Challenge

Fast forward to the present day, Angus decided that he was up for this challenge!

As an adventure-sports enthusiast and freelance sports journalist from the Eastern Cape, Angus has spent the last 4 years living between high-altitude training camps around East Africa and Switzerland. He has created mini-docs of some of the world’s best middle/long-distance runners in their preparation for competing on the world stage.

When he’s not filming them, he is often training with them, joining for some of their easier runs. Although mountain biking is his first love, trail running became a big focus for him in 2020 when he suffered an unfortunate wrist injury that required him to take some time off his bike.

Here’s what he had to say about his journey, embarking on the 13 Peaks challenge:

I have loved Cape Town since moving to study there in 2016. Time with friends on Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain will forever be some of my fondest memories and the things I miss the most while away. I have known of the 13 Peaks route for a few years and helped support a couple of friends in 2020, but didn’t really know too much about it other than that it was long, and that it connected parts of the mountain that I hadn’t been to before. A few days before my next trip out of South Africa, and with a desire to be outside for an unreasonable amount of time, 13 peaks seemed like a good thing to tick off the list and gave me the excuse to drag some friends into it as well.

I set off from Signal Hill, Peak no.1, at 4 am with James and Andrew Goodhead, for company (and bravery). We made our way up Lion’s Head, which was Peak no.2. There was an incredible inversion layer of cloud over the city below us, blocking out the light pollution, and revealing the most spectacular star action I have ever seen from the Mother City. Table Mountain, with a backdrop of stars, is quite remarkable!!

Plattecklip at sunrise left me feeling quite uncertain about the day ahead. My legs weren’t quite with me, and my energy levels were low. By the time I hit Mclears Beacon (Peak no.3), I figured maybe today just wasn’t it and this might just be a 6-hour long run to Hout Bay. 6 Hours (and 2 peaks later) though, my long time adventure buddy, Tim Chambers, and my sister Caitlin, couldn’t have found me in a better spirit as we set off to tackle Little Lions Head (Peak no.6), Suther Peak (no.7) and a colonel burger.

This first big stint I did in my beautiful, white, fresh, out-of-the-box Agility Peak 5’s. This was a last-minute adventure with a couple of last-minute shoe choices. The aggressive lug patterns, trail-focused design and decent stack height made these the perfect shoe for the challenging terrain I had been on so far.

However, on long journeys like these, it’s always a good idea to have a 2nd pair of shoes in a different design, ready to go if at all possible. The Morphlite fit the bill. Less aggressive and better suited as an all-terrain trainer, this shoe was on my feet and ready for the tarmac up Chappies, as well as the trail and jeep track that would link me to Chapmans Peak (no.8), Noordhoek Peak (no.9) and my friends waiting for me at Silvermine.

The legs weren’t feeling quite as fresh as I jogged up to Lauren, Anna and Jess in the Silvermine carpark, but the smile couldn't have been more genuine. Fresh smoothie and Bitchie Bites™ cookies were on the menu before our halfway dance party at Muizenberg Peak (no.10).

Time to call in the Big Guns! Lance Kime (one of South Africa’s greatest Adventure Racers) and Rob Le Brun (one of South Africa’s greatest Adventure Race organisers) were on duty till the end. Sunset at Constantiaberg (Peak no.11) was beautiful, while the slog down to Constantia Nek made me realise that at this point my legs preferred going up to going down.

Another support stop and shoe change got us ready to chuck it back over Table Mountain to our biggest route decision of the day, to tackle Ledges or take ‘the milk run’ down Nursery.

Ledges is one of the trickier routes around town, and connects Table Mountain to Devil’s Peak. You rely on cairns to guide you from cliff to cliff, and finding the way is hard enough in the day; descending at night is daunting. But why not?

Lance took the lead on navigation, and with the help of Mappy.cz, we made our way up the backside of Devils Peak, with the end well in sight.

With a hop, a skip, and a shuffle, 23 hours later, the finish line never looked so good!

A Few Tips For Hiking Mountains

 If Angus’s epic journey inspired you to embark on a similar adventure, then you’ll probably want to start getting ready! Here’s some advice from Angus to keep in mind;

1. How did you prepare physically and mentally for the journey?
I’m always out running or riding. I don't like to think of it as training at all. It’s just about having fun in creation.

2. How did your body feel after? Any recovery tips?
I was surprised by how good I felt after!! My top recovery tip: Sugar consumed during or soon after hard exercise goes straight to muscle recovery and topping up your glycogen stores in your legs (not your waist). Ditch the protein shake for a cold Coke!

3. Were you happy with your Merrell Agility Peaks 5’s and Morphlites? How do you think it impacted the experience overall?
So happy! Although very different in design, both shoes performed superbly on the challenging terrain we covered. Being able to switch between them was such a game-changer, and I finished with my feet feeling fresh! I have struggled with stability issues in previous pairs of shoes, where my ankles and foot muscles get super tired. Not a problem with these Merrells!

Ready To Conquer A Summit In Your Area?

So, now that you have the inspiration and the preparation tips, there’s just one more thing left: the right footwear to help you take every step.

As Angus mentioned, our designs were quite literally engineered to support legendary outdoor adventures such as this! With our strong grip technologies and cushioned soles for comfort, your feet will have all the support they need to keep on going.

Planning your very own summit adventure? Then don’t forget to tag us online and share your story!