Day 3 - North/South Peak to Hanging Valleys
After a windless day beforehand, the wind made its presence known during the night, blowing strongly as dawn broke. Undeterred, the professionals were out early with their tripods and cameras, whilst I elected to stay in the tent as I am not a fan of cold wind! However, it died down as the sun rose higher and we set off in calm conditions. We crossed the ridge into North/South peak valley and enjoyed the views from the top. Here we saw a lone hiker with a small pack approaching us along the ridge and wondered where they had come from and where they were headed. It was great to meet you Warren and hats off to you for what you achieved that day! We walked along the escarpment edge between North and South Peak before heading off past the top of Nguza Pass and then dropping down into the Mnweni valley. We cut straight across the Mnweni valley to join the path that winds around the cutback - this took some time and reminded me yet again that these valleys are so much bigger than they appear on the map! As we approached the Hanging Valleys we came across a large group of ladies that were on a multi day hike with a guide and porters. We stopped and chatted with them and it was interesting to hear that they were a mixture of foreign and local women, with the foreign ladies currently working in the country. We had wanted to set up tent in the valley directly in front of Ukikicane and were pleased to find that the river there was still flowing. We spent some time finding a suitable tent spot and then enjoyed the spectacular views. The Hanging Valleys is a remarkable geological feature of the Berg and well worth spending time at.
