South Africa - Day 14

April 10, 2015

We woke up dry and cozy after lots of rain last night – just a tiny bit of water on one side of the tent where we hadn’t tied down the side of the cover. So, the tent seems like a good purchase so far!

It was cloudy and foggy (but no longer raining) when we got up. We got on our way toward Thendele and then Thukela Gorge around 8am – what a treat to just walk right out from the campsite, no driving! The first part of the trail took us over rolling hills in deep, wet grass – so wet that we needed rainpants. The first part of the actual gorge trail, which we reached after about an hour and fifteen minutes, was also mostly a slow climb through grass. We could see hints of the mountains ahead of us, but they were mostly in fog at the beginning.

As we walked on, the path was easy – gentle climbs through increasingly forested landscapes – and we heard and saw the river more and more. After the first boulder crossing over the water, it was only a short way to a point where there are two options: walking through the river between two steep rock faces in a narrow “tunnel”, or climbing up a chain ladder. We took off our shoes and explored the tunnel, but eventually took the ladder up. The climb up the ladder was very easy compared to what came next: crawling up a narrow crevice with tree roots and a few metal pegs for support. We made it up, the proceeded to climb over boulders for another 1.5 km or so, working our way up the river bed, following the cairns. 

The clouds cleared and we got to see the amphitheatre mountains, as well as the Thukela waterfall (~860 m drop). Climbing over boulders was tiring, and we didn’t really have time to go all the way to the falls, so we sat down on a rock for lunch and enjoyed the view. The walk back was simple – at least, after that crazy climb back down. We looked back often to see the mountains, which eventually were completely visible. In all, my watch measured 23.3 km of walking, and my legs are pretty tired from the big steps over the boulders. The highlight of the evening was being able to see all of the stars on a perfectly clear night (in a place with very little light pollution).