Amphitheatre (Drakensberg) Nov 2004

We all met outside the Biochemistry kitchen at just after 16:00, Friday afternoon. When everybody arrived, we packed the two cars and were just able to squeeze nine people and packs into the two cars. We left after 16:30. Traffic was heavy and the rain we had on the alternative route made driving difficult. Even so, we got to Harrismith at around 9pm, without incident. We soon got a nice spot at the municipal campsite and pitched the tents before the rain started again.

Day 1 (13 November): We woke to a lovely looking day. We had breakfast and took down the tents. At 06:30 we were on our way to Sentinel car park. We got to the car park, signed in, sorted out all the gear and got underway. It really was a lovely morning with a few wispy cirrus clouds in the sky and a cool wind blowing from Lesotho. Having sprained my ankle badly at badminton the past week, I was favoring my left foot and stepping gingerly over the rocks. We kept to a reasonable pace and got into the zig-zags just behind a group of Germans. At the viewpoint we took the higher path and got in front of them at the breakfast rock. The walk around Sentinel and onto the Amphitheatre was pleasant but I could feel that my ankle was protesting a little. Clouds also slowly started materializing and I guessed it was probably going to rain a little later. At the chain ladder I quickly set up a belay system to help Erika to the top. Yolandy came up slow but steady. All the others managed to get up with their packs and while I carried up Erika’s pack everyone made it past the second ladder as well. We rested a bit at the top of the ladder and watched as clouds started building even more. We then continued onto the plateau and then walked straight for the Tugela lip. I was walking quite slowly at this time due to my ankle but when a few rain drops started to spit, I had to stop to put on the Splash cover. But the clouds didn’t really open and we got to the Tugela lip where I decided to have lunch. Most of us got about halfway through when it started raining. We donned our rain gear and started heading for the cave when the rain stopped again. I then sat down to rest a little more and finish our lunch. Finally we packed up again and we headed for the cave. Not far past the hut it started dripping again. About halfway to the cave, small pellets of hail started to fall. I was lagging behind and having a hard time getting up the slope and by the time I had about 100m to go, it was hailing quite hard. Thunderbolts also hit frequently and one got so close that Yolandy, Corné and I all felt a tingly sensation. I finally made it into the cave and we all watched the spectacular electrical storm. We were frightened more than once by terrific lightning flashes and counted five distinct spots on the plateau where it hit. It hailed for about an hour and the entire Tugela bowl in front of us was covered in white hail so thick that it looked like snow. Surprisingly, there was no hail towards the south. We took some photographs and mainly sat around chatting or snoozing while it was still raining outside. The hail later saved us the walk down to the river to collect water. We started dinner at 5pm and it was nice to sit back and relax while Ingrid and Gordon did our group’s cooking. Dinner was finished just after seven and we still chatted well into the night before finally settling down.

Day 2 (14 November): Luckily we did not have any unexpected visitors during the night. Most of us got up for a spectacular sunrise and the cameras flashed away as the sun ascended into a thick bank of clouds. The entire group except Erika wanted to go to Mont-aux-Sources so I walked around with the group to show them where to go while I stayed behind with Erika. I managed to take some pictures of the group on top of Mont-aux-Sources and they were back within the two hour limit I set. We packed up and started to walk to the chain ladder just as it started raining again. But as the group descended, the sky cleared. Just past the saddle between Sentinel and the main wall, I stopped for a rest and tried to give my foot and ankle a rub. Then we were on our way again and eventually we made it down the zig-zags and all the way to the cars. We got there just before 12pm and left for a Nando’s lunch in Harrismith.