Following Footprints Part Six

I said that day 5 was the least spectacular of the 8 days but the morning of day 6 was one of the most spectacular.

  Seeing the sun rise against the majestic Naukulft Mountains was a privilege which I know many will never get to experience. The range of colours and the immensity of the whole area was humbling.

The morning starts with a huge climb up (200m) to "Die Valle" (The Falls) and while it was dry, there were still some pools of ice cold water (no swimming - too cold). There were some chains to "help" with the steepest parts at the top, but it was a very technical climb which requires a lot of concentration and hard work. You have to find your own pace and "path". When you see the little mountain buck or even the baboons running up the side of a hill or mountain it looks so easy, but humans are not built for hills and especially not with a 15kg bag attached to their backs.

                       Here is the view from the top, those trees below were where we started the morning.

  Once you reach the top of Die Valle, you follow the side of the mountain and then along another river bed.

  I am still amazed at how the trees attach themselves to the cliffs and rocks in the hope of withstanding the river when it comes down in full force.

  
The second part of the day is spent descending into another valley to the Tufa shelter. The path made it "easier" than some of the descents which we had done, but it was still tough going, my feet were really burning. Today was our longest hiking day, 7 hours, and I for me it was the most tiring.

The well point was in the river and nothing more than a trickle of water. I did manage to have a wash in the river, but as the water is no more than 1-2cm deep, it was more like a stone washing.

The Tufa shelter was our home for the night and would be the last place we would be able to collect water for the remainder of our hike. It was also going to be the launching pad for the most dreaded day of climbing.