Whether it be Cathkin Peak and its buddy, Monks Cowl, or the Sentinel, what does it matter; it's only a few degrees difference of 'love' we have for these massive, daunting, attractive and dangerous edifices. For the purpose of this blog, we decided to show the many faces of The Sentinel and its surround, a place we find as close to a nature lover and hiker's paradise as we envisage.
Should we have only one choice where to absorb beauty, find tranquility and almost contradictory, seek excitement, adventure and challenges, we would probably choose a place where the Free State, Kwa Zulu-Natal and Lesotho meet. More specifically, it’s a location known as Witsieshoek. It attains these criteria and is positioned above Royal Natal National Park, encompasses the Amphitheatre of the Drakensberg and hosts the Tugela Falls, the world’s second highest, Mont-aux-Sources Mountain and so much more. It’s also where the Sentinel, a massive block of rock, acts as the western buttress of the Amphitheatre. More importantly, the Sentinel and so many of its fellow mountains of this range are, for reasons not easily understood, able to move me (us) as well as provide fascination, interest and awe.
We hope you enjoy it and find something that moves you, too. Better still, please explain why immobile mountains move us.
The Sentinel, washed by rain during the latter part of the hike, and hail, too. (Notice hail on the slopes.)
(Continued from previous blog...and see end.)
With a punctured tyre clinging to a wheel hub in the trunk, a flat, left front tyre that looked in a particularly poor state, we called Hertz for assistance. After a number of calls, all very friendly but nevertheless, unproductive, the company decided it would send a tow-truck for the car which we were informed in the next conversation would be at our expense. Unfortunately, the person mentioned, their closest operator was based 150 miles away. 'How about sending a wheel only?'
An early view at Witsieshoek, the retreat below the Sentinel, reminds one about the treasures that abound. (Always loved the outline of the clouds when lit by the early sun.)
On the western (right) side, the Sentinel props up the Amphitheatre. (From Royal Natal Park.)
The chains, west of the Sentinel, but close-by.
An early morning hike presents us with a treat.
An hour later, the lush rolling hills provide further perspective.
Shower time at the top. This was the first occasion in five visits that little cloud cover dominated the scene.
Don't you just dislike a showoff...particularly when she outshines another showoff. (The second of two chain-ladder pairs is shown to the left side and far below.)
Just protruding is 'dear' Sentinel. Taken from Drakensberg Retreat, some distance away. The horses obviously don't share our passion for the range.
Jen stands near the edge of the wall of the Tugela waterfall, a spectacular place...and drop. It's a short walk on the plateau from the Sentinel.
Another beautiful day dawns, below the Amphitheatre, and the rays shine upon the wild grass. The mountains in the distance are many and multi-layered.
The following two pictures were taken when the 'editor' was a few years younger, Sentinel, too.
We cancelled the ‘helpful Hertz service’; it might have been cheaper to purchase the Volkswagen. Instead, we negotiated a deal with a local operator which was superseded by the kindness of the assistant manager, Anthony, from the Retreat. He took the wheels into town, an hour away the next day. Long story short: By Saturday evening, after removing and replacing the wheel, we were still without a spare as the garage was unable to repair it. Although we had four wheels on the car, we felt insecure without the fifth, especially as we had to negotiate the very poor road again in order to depart. Also, Sunday is not the day to seek repairs as all garages offering the service are closed.
Every road we now travel, gets close inspections: we avoid the numerous potholes using extreme caution and try alternative routes where gravel roads exist. Our type of lifestyle makes this difficult though. By Wednesday, we arrived in Mooi River, had the tyre repaired and felt pretty good about our situation but remained guarded, which we still feel today. We look at those trucks and some of the ‘monster’ cars and their thick ‘tackies’ (tyres) with a new respect and envy. Tank tracks bring joy to our hearts, but we are not quite ready for one. During my army training, I was part of the armored corps, something I appreciate more today than then.
One of the positives of these incidents was observing an elderly man repairing the puncture. He was meticulous in the way he went about identifying the issue, applying a solution and bringing the wheel back to practical use. He was a man who obviously takes pride in his efforts. It was a pleasure to witness what appeared to be application of an ‘old school’ work ethic in action. As I write this missive, I ‘ducked’ out the apartment to collect the washing from the line and give the spare tyre a feel. Good so far.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Meantime, back at the ranch, Jen visits a biltong (jerky) farm.
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