Camping at Monks Cowl, hiking the 'Berg

Due to this weekend being a long weekend in SA (and also to celebrate our birthdays), Pete & I along with British expats Gareth & Sophie decided a weekend getaway trip was required and the Central Drakensberg Ranges was chosen as the destination.

We camped at Monks Cowl which is nestled in the picturesque Champagne Valley at the base of the Central Drakensberg Ranges in Kwazulu-Natal. In training for the Mt Kilimanjaro hike that we all hope to hike whilst we are based in Africa, we ventured off on Sunday for a long and hilly hike. We first headed to Blindman's Corner, an 11km return route from the camp. This route takes you steeply up a berg to The Sphinx and then along a flat and meandering grassy plateau to the base of the summits. However, upon arriving there we felt like a further challenge so subsequently climbed 1/3 of the way up Sterkhorn Mt. And up we climbed... at times the hill we were climbing had a gradient of >55 degrees!

We rested for lunch perched precariously on the side of the Mountain taking in the stunning views and watching an enormous eagle fly amoungst the peaks. In the distance the mountain tops had a thin blanket of snow- our first siting of snow in Africa. Stupidly, we thought it would be fun to make a challenge of the return time to camp, so walked/jogged all the way from the summit back to camp. Consequently we feel like cripples today, especially after the 4 hour return drive to Johannesburg.

Thankfully we decided that it was time to upgrade our tent (from a 2 man to an enormous 6 man with outdoor dining/storage area!) so upon returning to the camp there was plently of room to rest & relax in our new tent.

Next time we plan to hike and camp overnight at Blindman's Corner and then hike to the summit.

Monks Cowl campsite

Pete on top of The Sphinx (1,700m)

View from The Sphinx to The Sterkhorn (2,973m)

Plentiful wildflowers on the grassy plateau

Our achievement!

Soph, Ga, Pete & Jen resting for lunch

View from lunchstop... our campsite is ~1000m below in the valley on the right!

Lunch amongst the peaks & soaring eagles

The at-times ridiculously steep hike down the summit. We were reduced to slipping & sliding on our bums on numerous occasions.

Our new camping Taj Mahal!!

Breaking News- "Chandler selected to represent EP "

Pete has been selected to compete for the Eastern Cape Team at the upcoming South African triathlon championships- Go Pete!! Whilst Pete performed admirably in the pre-selection a week ago, he by no means participated to gain selection in the team. As it was, it was the first time that he had raced an olympic distance triathlon. One of his fellow Eastern Cape team mates in the 25-29 age group is James Cunnama, a professional triathlete who came 2nd in the Ironman Austria. Pete's not feeling the pressure at all to perform for the team! Tonight he came home from work and went for a long run immediately. He is still undecided whether we will make the trip to Germiston (in Gauteng) for the South African championships however is some what shocked that he has been selected for the team.

First impressions

Thought it time we touch base and let you know that we are still here!!! We have been very busy since Jen's arrival. Mainly involves trying to lease/buy cars & getting the necessary documentation, sorting out my work VISA, sorting out housing.... We are getting an Audi A3 which we should have by Friday. We can't wait to drive it! Second car to be confirmed (but hopefully purchased by early next week). I have been dropping Pete at work each day so that I can use the hire car... looking forward to sleep in's in the near future and really being a lady of leisure- enjoy it while it lasts I say! I have met with Charles Orbach (accounting firm) and am now in the process of obtaining documentation for VISA (copious amount) and then getting it processed ASAP. They are lovely people and I look forward to starting (probably another 1-3 months though due to length of time to get VISA). I seem to fill my days quite easily with daily food shopping, lunches, breakfasts, gym, organisi...

Karoo weekend- Mountain Zebra NP & Nieu Bethesda

Pete took Friday off work so our road trip of the Karoo started on Friday morning. We somehow managed to squeeze 5 people into the Audi, including pram and bassinet for Harrison! We stayed at Mountain Zebra National Park on Friday night, a reserve established as a sanctuary for the endangered mountain zebra. The reserve is positioned in a natural amphitheatre of the Bankberg Mountains. Whilst the land is quite arid and dry, the scenery and views as you drove around the reserve were incredibly picturesque. Highlights of the game viewing were the Mountain Zebra, an adult & baby Rhino, numerous ground squirrels and the black wildebeests. Harrison's first game sighting was an ostrich- he preferred to sleep for the majority of the time! On Saturday after a morning game drive, we proceeded west to the tiny isolated village of Nieu Bethesda. It is accessible only on dirt roads and is nestled in a narrow fertile valley of the Sneeuberg Range. It is a cute little village with traditiona...

Chandler's Overseas

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