Just call me Tenzing...

So...going from never having done anything of the sort in my life, to hiking 31 kms in 2 days...I think that's pretty sweet. Riley and I are in the Drakensberg right now, staying at probably the best hostel we've found so far. Yesterday, we signed up for a hike that read "Only for the fitter hiker", which should have read, "anyone who's name is not included in the following list: Arnold Schwarznegger, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, Tenzing Norgay; need not apply". Unfortunately, they didn't say that, so we signed up. 19 kms and a 1500 m altitude change later...Let's just say I've never felt so proud of myself. Except possibly when I finished that one dogsled race...Anyway, it was misty/cloudy on the way up, so we couldn't see where exactly we were going. Everytime my legs were about to buckle under me and I thought we were nearing the top, another peak emerged from the fog and we staggered on. Sho, it was hectic, bru. ;) It was definitely the most wicked hike I've ever heard of, nevermind accomplished. We hiked toward Cathedral Peak and came within 200 m of the top, but were forced to stop due to heavy fog and slippery rocks. We passed waterfalls, climbed through tangles of thorny brush, clambered over boulders and skirted entire mountain passes (whatever that means, but it sounded good). It took us 4 1/2 hours just to hike in, with a short lunch break at the top. On the way down, a few of us (there were only 4 of us, including the guide, Josh) stuck our heads under one of those beautiful waterfalls to cool off. The way down was cloudless, crystal clear, perfectly serene. The most amazing feeling in the world was to look back over what seemed like miles and miles and realize that I was just standing at the base of that peak there, yeah, that one, the one waaaay off in the distance. I felt as if I'd conquered the world. And the view, oh my word, it was amazing, pictures and videos can absolutely not do it justice. Despite waking up this morning with aching limbs, joints, muscles and basically everything else, we decided to join a 12.5 km hike which was way easier; nice gentle slopes, breaks every 15 mins or so, and a much bigger group as well. Despite being an easy hike, my legs were still sore and stiff after the two hour drive home. I felt like an old woman trying to extract myself from the van...but I made it, I made it. That was the Amphitheatre Hike, in which we hiked around the back of the Amphitheatre (part of the Drakensberg peaks), climbed up a fantastic gorge and emerged at the top of the second-highest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls. :) A fantastic day, for sure. Anyway, we are just trying to decide whether we want to hike into Lesotho tomorrow or not, and whether our legs will let us...Unfortunately, Riley's account was hacked (or something) and someone's been stealing all his money, so we're still trying to figure that out as well! Our next stop after this is Durban, where we're planning to only stay a night before heading down toward the Wild Coast! Wish us luck! Much love,

Karli