A chilly night under the stars

Once we had made our way up on top we headed for the flatter section midway between the falls and the chain ladder. There is a hiker's hut up there, closer to the falls, but we discovered that the temperature was dropping fast and after a brief walk about to find it in the shadows, elected to set up camp.



The coldness of the air under the stars really brings out a range of different feelings. It was however, a wonderful experience to jump into sleeping bags after enjoying some veggies and steak on the grill, and WARM UP.



We split the eveing up into a series of 1h15 camp guard watches as we had heard of a tourist from Korea, having is tripod stolen during the day.



The evening was filled with a range of senses. I was exhilrated by the change in the sky as I watched the moon set and the milky way come into view. For the last 15 minutes of my shift I ran around the camp barefoot for some fun and wondered whether I would ever enjoy the experience of going from warm baths to icey showers.



A few minutes later I was back in my tent, dried my feet and put on some warm camping socks and was off for another nap and a nibble of chocolate.



06h30 was there before I could open my eyes. I got up, shook the ice off my water bottle and headed down to the Tugela falls to get some fresh water and enjoy the sunrise. It hatches like a clear glittering golden egg from behind the mountains.



I chuckled as I past the Hiker's Hit having realised that I passed it twice the night before. I admired it is natural fit into the escarpment and how well camoflagued it was.



I remembered the first time we had stayed in their with a group of leaders, some twenty years before. Time flies, but the berg remains the same.



Back at camp, nothing like a cup of coffee and some chatter as members of the party shared their stories of night, their sleep or lack thereof.



We all trundled off to see the view of the Tugela and the valley below. Sunlight is a great healer of spirit and mind. No wonder the poms are such miserable creatures:).