I Laugh in the Face of Bad Weather

We are now back in the US, but we have a few more posts on South Africa before we can wrap up the trip.  I may even badger Magge into contributing one last time.

One of our last stops in South Africa was in the Drakensberg region.  The country's highest mountain range, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its natural value and its cultural value as home to San rock paintings.  I took in some of both, doing the Sentinel Peak hike and seeing some rock paintings in Lesotho.  Thanks to Marcus from Stuttgart, I have pictures of the hike, so that's what I'm posting today.  If Sarah from Ireland sends me pictures of our Lesotho day trip as promised, a post of those pictures will be forthcoming.

The day of the hike, I woke up to thunder and heavy rains - not a promising start.  The visibility outside was awful, and the eleven of us who had signed up for the trek debated whether or not we wanted to tackle the possibility of walking twelve kilometers in the rain without actually being able to see any scenery.  Ultimately, four fortitudinous outdoor enthusiasts,  including me, decided to go (Magge was sick and had to back out).  I had asked myself what would ruin my day more: hiking for five hours in the rain, or staying in the lodge and watching the skies clear.  With so little time left on our trip, it was an easy decision.  Fate must have smiled at the decision, because twenty minutes after our bus left the lodge, it stopped raining and the clouds lifted enough for some of the mountains to be visible.

The Three Witches

The Sentinel

Most of the trail was not overly strenuous, with the beginning of the trail consisting of long, gradual switchbacks and the top of the escarpment being nearly completely flat.  Linking the two sections, though, was a very steep gully, called "The Gully", that required climbing over boulders.  Due to the morning's heavy rains, some of the climbing was up a light waterfall.  Upon reach the top of the escarpment, I was disappointed to see that the view was completely obscured by clouds.  We sat down for lunch, and once in a while windows in the clouds would open up, offering glimpses of the green land beneath us.  All of a sudden, the clouds dispersed and the entire landscape opened up, from the fields and reservoirs below to the huge wraparound cliff face called "The Amphitheatre" at our feet.  I tiptoed to the edge and looked down, and my legs got a little weak.  The guide told me the cliffs drop nearly straight down for a kilometer.  Along with the Lost Cave in New Zealand, this location was easily the most spectacular place I've eaten lunch over the past year.

Up the Gully

For a minute, I thought this was going to be the best view we'd get

Thanks, Marcus from Stuttgart

We then walked across the plateau to the top of Tugela Falls.  Plunging 948 meters over the edge, it is the world's second highest waterfall after Venezuela's Angel Falls.  Simply a spectacular place.  We have seen many mountains on this trip, and the Drakensberg ranks up there with any of them.  Those six who backed out sure are suckers.

These pictures give no indication of how stunning Tugela Falls are

Green

Instead of going down The Gully, we got to descend a couple of these ladders.  Our guide, Zim, in the bottom left corner.