The Draks

The Drakensberg. The Dragon Mountains. Translated from Afrikaans – draken, meaning dragon, and berg, meaning mountains. The Mountains get their name from two curiously shaped lakes that lie at the base. Looking into the valley from the top of the mountains, one of the lakes is visible, making it easy to understand why the mountains got their name. Folklore says the lakes are footprints left by a gigantic dragon that have filled with water. The mountains themselves are the dragon, covered in dirt and rocks, lying dormant underneath. Whether there’s any truth to this tale, one thing is believable – the mountains are breathtaking.

The Dragon's Footprint

During the December holiday 2014, six friends, Michelle, and I trekked our way through some of the most beautiful terrain I’ve ever seen. In the time I have spent in the mountains, I have been able to gaze at the dozens of 14,000-feet peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and climb a handful of the glacier-capped mountains in the Cascades in Washington. Now, I feel fortunate to say that I have hiked in the Drakensberg, or the Draks for short.

Ready to Start Hiking!  The Gang Bright-Eyed...

...and Bushy-Tailed at the Trailhead

After spending three months along the Eastern coast of South Africa, where it’s sandy and flat, I was eager to lace up my hiking boots and hike up valleys, over rocks, and cross streams. I had heard from various people, including Peace Corps Volunteers and locals, that the mountains were beautiful. Their words paled in comparison to the magnificent views: lush mountainsides, gushing waterfalls, and a sheer cliff that dropped about 1,000 meters.

Early Morning Stroll above the Clouds

In thinking about what I wanted to say when I wrote a post about my time in the Draks, I had trouble organizing my thoughts into one coherent, orderly story. So much happened while I was there that I had lots of little stories that left indelible images in my mind. So another idea came to me… Instead of trying to fit the stories into one frame, I thought I would tell a couple of them and post pictures so you, the reader, could get a taste of what the hike was like.

Racheal, Vivian, Mikayla, Laura, & Michelle on a Scenic Overlook

I’m Sleeping in a Cave
As a boy, I often pretended to be an archaeologist. Not the kind that pours over drawers of dusty artifacts in a museum, but the kind that explores caves and gets his hands dirty (picture Indiana Jones). Getting ready for the hike, Michelle and I did pour over maps, but that was to figure out the route we were going to take to get to the top. According to the maps, there were a couple of caves along the way that could offer shelter in case of bad weather. One of them was called the Sentinel Caves. From the trail, the cave didn’t look like it was going to have much to offer. How deceiving a cave can be! Climbing up the side trail that led to the cave, I came to a fork. Looking up from the trail, I discovered that there were two caves situated across from each other. One was liked I imagined from below. It was small and could sleep maybe two-three people at most. The other cave, though, was huge. The whole group ended staying in that one. Later, in the afternoon, we were thankful that we had the protection of the cave because a frightfully-beautiful thunder and lightening storm passed by. As evening fell, I laid in my sleeping bag, thinking about how cool it was to be sleeping in a cave. The little boy in me couldn’t have been happier. 

Our Tents, All in a Row... in a Cave!

The Chain Ladders
In the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, there’s a popular climbing destination called the Via Ferrata. The Via Ferrata, translated as the Iron Way, is constructed of metal rigging connected by ladders. It was built during the first World War to give soldiers a way of getting over the mountains while avoiding enemy fire. Today, climbers like to scale the ladders and enjoy the peaceful serenity of the mountains. Michelle and I hope to visit someday. Prior to hiking in the Draks, I didn’t think we would get a taste of what it would be like to climb on iron ladders until getting to Italy. It became apparent while we were planning the trip, though, that we would.

 

The First of Two Sets of Chain Ladders

There were two segments of ladders: the first was about 90 feet and the second was about 50 feet. What was more, there were two types of ladders in each segment. One type was the typical ladder with rungs; the second type included rings on the sides that allowed for a better place to grab with one’s hands. Before climbing up, Michelle and I taught the group about the Rule of Three when climbing; meaning, keep three points of contact on the ladder at all times. Now, with the group ready to go, I called out “Climbing!” and then I was off! It was exhilarating climbing up the ladders. I could see the countryside below far and wide. However, the thought of slipping kept me sober and focused. When it was Michelle’s turn to climb up, she yelled out “Dude on rock!”, which brought a huge smile to my face because it’s a fun climbing command we like to use as part of our call and response. (To respond, you yell the phrase in reverse back. I would bet you’ll smile after you say it as well).

Michelle Climbing Up One of the Chain Ladders

Joe on One of the Chain Ladders with the Valley Below

The group made it up the chain ladders in fine style. Admittedly, everyone was at least a little nervous before they climbed up. They were worried about slipping or not being able to handle the weight of their pack. But when they planted their feet firmly on the ground at the top of the ladders, they beamed with pride, and growing confidence, about facing their fears. On the return trip, we felt secure enough on the ladders that we even posed for some pictures.

Sunrise on Top of the Mountain on Christmas Eve, with Vivian, Laura, & Michelle

A Christmas Miracle
On Christmas morning, the group and I packed our things and made our way down the trail to a parking lot where we were going to spend the night. Right before we left, Racheal gifted us with good luck knots, which she had tied herself. Call it superstitious, but I think the good luck knots that Racheal gave everyone in the group had an influence on the events that took place that day. The plan was to pitch our tents in the parking lot where we would get picked up by a shuttle the next day. Little did we know that the manager, Jan, of a nearby mountain resort (who coincidentally also oversees the parking lot where we planned to sleep) would arrive there at the same time as us. To be honest, when I first saw the manager, I thought he was going to tell us that we couldn’t sleep there. He did inquire about our sleeping arrangement and he did tell us that we couldn’t sleep there, but I was pleasantly surprised when he told us that he was going to give us a room at the resort. I thanked him for the offer, but said that we didn’t have much money because we’re volunteers so we couldn’t afford the room. He said not to worry because he was going to give the room to us for free! Happiness overcame me; especially because I had jokingly said to Laura that it would be great to get a hot shower and sleep in a bed at the resort (at this point, it was day five without a shower).

The Mountain Hut atop the Falls

Christmas Day got even better when later in the day the manager approached my group, who at the time were enjoying lounging on some couches and watching TV, and told us that we could use the resort’s wifi to Skype with our families back in the US. I couldn’t believe it! Cell service was spotty, but I managed to get a WhatsApp message out to my siblings to see if they could get to a computer. Unfortunately, Skype wasn’t an option, but that didn’t matter because the manager said we could use his cell phone! Getting to talk with my family on Christmas was amazing; especially because I fully didn’t expect to be able to do that while I was in the mountains and away from cell service. When Marianna asked the manager later why he was being so nice to us, he simply said, “Because it’s Christmas.”

Photo Op with Jan, the Resort Manager

Other Highlights from the Trip

• Getting to bond with everyone on the hike: Michelle, Vivian, Laura, Mikayla, Racheal, Peter, and Marianna, and even converting some of them into avid hikers who were already talking about their next hiking adventure.
• Belly-crawling so I could peak over the mountain’s edge and catch a glimpse of Tugela (or Thukela) Falls cascading down the cliff face.
• Playing a game of Fish Bowl, which is a mixture of Taboo, charades, one word, one sound, and one pose, outside the mountain hut at the top of Tugela Falls on Christmas Eve.
• The number of unique waterfalls we got to see.
• Meeting a Wisconsinite on trail and spending an evening kicking back, eating great food, and drinking tasty beer, all provided by his wonderful family.

The Mahai Valley

Joe & Michelle with Tugela Falls in the Background

The Top of Tugela Falls

Frolicking in the Mahai Waterfall, with Racheal, Laura, Mikayla, & Joe

I took lots of pictures throughout the hike, so what’s shown above is just a sampling. A complete slideshow of the pictures I took while in the Draks is available here if you’re friends with either Michelle or me on Facebook.

On a personal note, I’d like to give a shout out to some friends I made while I was a member of The Mountains in Tacoma, Washington – Jim Gawel, Mindy Roberts, Steve Klein, Jeff Wirtz, and Troy Mason. There are many others, including climbing partners and instructors, who I could thank. This thank you is for taking the time and energy to teach me how to organize climbs, prioritize and make decisions among a group of people, and, most importantly, how to have fun while in the mountains.

Joe Celebrating a Successful Hike