South Africa - Day 15

April 11, 2015

The clear night turned out to be a cold one, and it was still quite chilly when we got up around 5:30. The sun came up and lit up the mountains behind the camp as we ate breakfast, and then we headed to Witsiehoek. The drive took a bit longer than expected – a bout 3 hours to end up just a few km from where we started! The most fascinating part of the drive was the last stretch of road up to the trailhead. The first 2-3 km were pretty rough dirt road, with a few sections that required planning and skillful driving. After that we entered a construction zone (speed limit: 20km/h, which is faster than we had been going) and then – a paved road the rest of the way!

We signed in at the trailhead and finally started walking around 9:40. The first part of the trail is called the zigzag – a series of S-curves winding up the side of the mountain. We had sunny skies and beautiful views over the green valleys and hills. After the zigzag, the trail winds a bit further in and then leads to a rock face, equipped with two sets of chain ladders, with a total of about 40m of elevation gain. I was a bit nervous, but the ladder and rock were dry and there were no surprises on the way. At the top of the chain ladder, there is just a short climb to the flat plateau, which is basically the top edge of the amphitheatre. 

 

We walked along the lazy start of the Thukela River, remarking that it would be a shock (as a water particle) to suddenly plunge 860m. When we reached the edge, we got a beautiful view of the mountains – and of the clouds which were swiftly approaching. As the clouds rolled over the peaks, we had our lunch looking out at the falls and then decided to head back down, seeing as we were in pretty heavy clouds and it would be silly to get too cold. We made it over to the chain ladder with our warm clothes, but were back in the sun on that side. The descent on the ladders was tougher for me than the ascent, it was a bit windier and I got nervous as I glanced down to find the next rung. Still, it was never really that bad, and we easily walked down the zigzag.

Not far from the start, there was a lookout point. The clouds had cleared and  we had extra time, so we went and sat there for a while. The view was incredible: we could see the full curve of the mountains, the gorge below, and the sharp rock cliffs of the Sentinel as well. We both think that was the highlight of the day. So, if you ever hike from Witsiehoek – don’t skip the viewpoint!