Quathlamba
“A
mass of Spears. Named thus by the Zulu warriors before the white man came.
Today called the Drakensberg, Mountains of the Dragon, a name given by the
Voortrekkers. Evocative names, both equally applicable to South Africa’s
mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the
saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.”
Panorama April 1966
This blog is all about the Drakensberg Mountains and its Wilderness area, South Africa. I have lost my heart and soul to this area and every single time I hike these mountains, I stand in awe all over again at this magnificent beauty.
Listen to the streams as they gurgle from their cradles and you will hear the story of the mountains. You will hear fascinating tales if only you listen! Lie next to a stream and listen to the song of the mountains. The smiling faces of the flowers, dancing in the wind. Venture into the remote valleys or stand on a peak at sunrise or sunset, after snow has fallen, and you will hear a song that you will never forget - the Song of the High Mountain". (DA Dodds)
Hiking adventures, hiking gear reviews, day walks, accommodation, books, articles and photos, all related to these magnificent mountains will feature here.
Should you want to accompany me on a hike, or need some information or advice, please make contact with me. I hope you enjoy the articles.
Please visit the archive for some more interesting stories, photos and reviews.
Please note that all photos on this blog are copyright protected. If you would like to obtain
Photos please make contact with the author, Willem Pelser.
“I HAVE TOUCHED SOME
OF THE MOST MAGICAL PLACES IN
THE DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS,
PLACES WHOSE BEAUTY
IS SPECTACULAR AND WHERE MAN
WAS NEVER MEANT TO GO”
THE
BRIGHT FACE OF DANGER
Let’s talk about some of the dangers that maybe
encountered in the Drakensberg. This mountain region is becoming increasingly
popular among the general public as a place for recreation, where one can
escape, if only for a brief while, from the pressures of life. But it has its
dangers, and unfortunately all too often visitors to the area are completely
unaware of these dangers. More and more people are becoming victims to these
hazards, and every accident means the calling out of rescue teams, entailing
loss of valuable time to the team members, and often endangering life and limb.
Accidents should not happen in the Drakensberg. They are almost always the
result of carelessness or sheer recklessness. It is hoped that we can create an
awareness among the public of the latent dangers and a desire on their part to
do all they can to minimize these dangers.
At the same time, the Drakensberg should not
be regarded primarily as a potentially dangerous place. Rather it is a gateway
to joy and peace, to physical exhilaration and fitness, to relaxation and
spiritual renewal. Let us do all we can to keep it so!
BLIZZARDS
Blizzards in the Drakensberg have been the cause of a
number of tragedies and deaths. What can we say about them? The weather pattern
in the Drakensberg is fairly predictable, but it is wise to remember that the
unpredictable can happen. A basic knowledge of Drakensberg weather, and of what
sudden changes may be expected, is of tremendous value to the hiker, for sudden
changes can spell disaster. Obviously one must prepare to face, and to cope
with, such changes.
Weather patterns are governed by a complex interaction
of a number of different factors. One should be familiar with the general
pattern.
Broadly speaking, there are four main factors that
govern Drakensberg weather.
First is the configuration of the land. The
Drakensberg forms the edge of a high, inland plateau which, towards the west,
slopes gradually down into Lesotho and on to the west coast, and to the east
drops almost sheer from a height of 3 000 m down to the plains of KZN, first to
the Little Berg, at a height of roughly 2 000 m, and from there more gradually
down to the foothills and the plains of KZN. The sheer drop from 3 000 m to 2
000 m is known as the escarpment. Altitude plays an important part in weather
changes.
Secondly, we have the
high and low atmospheric pressure systems. Generally speaking, in summer high
pressure systems form over the south-east Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, while
inland, especially over the Northern Cape and north-western Free State and
Gauteng areas, we find low pressure systems. In winter this is reversed, low
pressure systems being found over the Southern Ocean areas, and high pressure
systems occurring inland over the Free State and Gauteng. These high and low
pressure systems determine the direction of airflow, winds blowing from high to
low pressure areas.
Thirdly, we have a regular system of cold, wet air
moving up periodically from the Antarctic Polar regions towards South Africa,
always in a north-easterly direction and travelling roughly parallel to South
Africa’s east coast. This movement of cold, wet air is called a cold front.
And finally we have the warm Agulhas Current,
flowing in a south-easterly direction along the east coast of South Africa,
above which is a layer of warm, moist air.
This may appear to the experts to be an
oversimplification, but it is all the hiker needs to know if he wishes to
understand Drakensberg Weather.
Rain occurs in the Drakensberg in two different
ways, as a result of the movement of two entirely different systems.
In summer the
warm, moist air over the Agulhas Current moves inland, from the high pressure
system over the Indian Ocean to the low pressure area of the interior. It
strikes the Drakensberg Escarpment and is forced upwards, into the cooler air
of the heights, where it condenses to form huge masses of cumulo-nimbus cloud,
towering high up into the atmosphere. In summer, from midday onwards the whole
summit of the escarpment is often covered, day after day, with these heavy
cumulus clouds. Soon they break into afternoon storms, with lashing rain and
sometimes hail.
The second
system is the moving up, from the south, of a cold front, which creeps slowly
up from the Cape to KZN, in a north-easterly direction. I winter these cold
fronts, laden with moist air, can be particularly severe, for in the higher
areas the rain turns to snow and that is how blizzards occur.
These blizzards strike with unbelievable ferocity
and speed in the Drakensberg. There is a common believe that South Africa is a
land of sunshine and of balmy, warm days: blizzards are associated with places
like Switzerland and the Himalayas. This is certainly so, but blizzards can
occur in the Drakensberg, and they are sometimes as lethal as anything
experienced in Europe.
For the ill-equipped hiker or mountaineer these
blizzards can be terrifying, but there are one or two reassuring facts.
Although at the time they strike with lightning speed, they can, in the long
term, be foretold, so long as one can interpret the weather signs. For
instance, they are often preceded by several days of hot berg winds. These
westerly winds are regular features of late winter and early spring weather in
KZN. On the 3 000 m summit plateau they blow for days on end with a ferocity
that is hard to believe. It is impossible to stand upright against them, and
the hiker simply has to call it a day, find some sort of shelter, and sit it
out. Then comes a sudden drop in temperature, and the blizzard is upon you. But
remember that this cold front usually takes several days to move up from the
Cape. Although it adds to the weight of your pack, it is a wise precaution,
especially in winter, to include in your pack a small radio capable of picking
up weather reports. The experienced mountaineer, fortunately, can usually sense
beforehand, subconsciously, a change in the weather, and plan accordingly for
it.
Against this is the fact that the summit plateau is
bleak, desolate and inhospitable. There is hardly any shelter. At one time the
Basutoland Government tried to establish a police post on the summit at
Mont-aux-Sources, but this had to be abandoned as it was found that the area
was too bleak, and at too high an altitude, for permanent occupation. There are
few caves on the summit, but even the best of these is open to the weather.
It follows
from all this that the mountaineer and hiker, on the summit at least, must
always be on his guard against a change in the weather. In addition to the
signs we have already described, watch the clouds. The sudden appearance of hig
cirrus clouds in the west is often a sign of approaching snow. An unexpected
rise in temperature during very cold conditions can also herald a snow storm. A
build-up of thick, black cumulo-nimbus in winter is a sure sign of thunder
conditions and the certainty of a bad blizzard.
The Little
Berg, of course, the mecca of your average tourist, is a different matter
altogether. Here hotels and permanent dwellings are never far away, there are
innumerable caves, and the snow is never very deep, nor does it last long.
First of all, make sure that you are properly
equipped. Practically all of the blizzard tragedies have been due to the
parties being improperly equipped. Always, even in the hottest summer weather,
carry plenty of warm, windproof clothing, wear heavy boots, and, if you are up
for more than a day, carry at least one sleeping bag, preferably two.
Nowadays it is especially necessary to give a
warning against thieves. Also, be sure that you have at least two or three
days’ reserve food, even if it is only an extra packet of oatmeal and a few
slabs of chocolate, enough to keep body and soul together in an emergency.
Carry with you more gas cooking cylinders than you need. Make sure your
first-aid kit is adequate, and don’t rely on caves for shelter. A light tent is
the answer.
If you see a
blizzard coming on, it is better to get down from the summit in good time if
you can. The danger is that the passes leading down from the summit, through
the precipitous rock wall, are few and far between, and even the best of these
can become so choked with snow and ice as to render them impassable after a
blizzard. Remember, too, the extreme danger of breaking or twisting a leg or
ankle while walking over snow on the summit. That glistening sheet of snow that
so entrances you can cover huge rocks and fissures, into which you can slip or
fall with dire results.
If you can’t
get down, and have no tent, find what shelter you can, a cave or rock overhang.
You are more likely to find these on the actual edge of the escarpment than
further inland.
If the worst
comes to the worst, your food is running out, you are mist-bound and lost, and
there is no hope of descending into KZN, head for Lesotho. Here, within a day
or so, at lower altitudes, you are sure to find a shepherd’s hut, or shelter of
some sort. Make sure though, that you are heading in the right direction. Don’t
depend on a compass. In this rock-strewn mountain area a compass will often
give you a faulty reading. Simply follow a stream. On the summit streams will
always flow in one of two directions, either eastwards over the escarpment edge
(you’ll soon know if, in the mist, you have chosen such a stream!) or westwards
to south-westwards into Lesotho. Keep to the stream-bed and you can’t go wrong,
though it may take you a few days to reach help. Today there is a rough
mountain road from Butha-Buthe to Mokhotlong, running parallel to the
escarpment and from 20 to 50 kilometers inland, along which vehicles
periodically pass. You will strike this road eventually.
The biggest thing to guard against in a
blizzard is hypothermia. This is the lowering of the temperature of the body’s
inner core to a point where the vital body functions, such as of the heart and
lungs are impaired, resulting in death. It can be a rapid killer.
Cold, alone, rarely causes hypothermia,
certainly in the Drakensberg where temperatures rarely go below minus 15
degrees Celsius. It is cold plus wind plus wetness that causes the condition.
Cold is difficult to avoid, but with due care one should be able to avoid the other
two determining factors. So if you have to sleep out in a blizzard, try to get
out of the wind, and have dry clothing to wear.
The main symptoms of hypothermia are slurred
speech, a dreamy, confused state of mind, loss of memory, stumbling and falling,
and bouts of shivering and cramp, followed by eventual collapse, loss of
consciousness and death.
To treat a victim of hypothermia, there are
two essential things you should do. First of all, raise the victim’s body
temperature – not an easy thing to do if you are out in a blizzard. Warm baths
are obviously out of the question! What you can do is get the victim out of the
wind and into dry clothing. Then put him into a sleeping bag – if possible a
warm sleeping bag. You can do this by first putting somebody else in the bag
for a short while, preferably stripped so that his own body heat can be more
quickly and easily transferred to the bag. Another way is to put someone else
in the bag with the victim. Then give him warm, sweetened fluids to drink, and
feed him well with high-energy foods, such as chocolate, dates and glucose
tablets. Throughout the treatment the victim should be kept awake. Don’t give
alcohol!!
Safe Hiking.
Willem
Pelser – The Mountain Man
Acknowledgments
Extract from
the book “Serpent Spires” – D Souchon
All photos
by W
Pelser
