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 1966This 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.
"How often in the course of our travels through Kwazulu-Natal do we stop and gaze at the beauty of a distant range of mountains? The Drakensberg stands as a monument to one of the greatest cataclysms the Earth has experienced. As you approach the mountains, you realize why early Zulus called it "Quathlamba", meaning “Barrier of Up-pointed Spears". A cradle of rivers. 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.
Available in the Archive
(Do read it!)
1) Injasuthi to Lotheni
- Epic 6 Day Hike
2) Review: Hi-Tec
Altitude Pro RGS Hiking Boots
3) Drakensberg
Wilderness Hiking - 14 Day Hiking trip - Lotheni Reserve (Part 3)
4) Lotheni - 14 Day Hiking
Trip (Part 2)
5) Lotheni - 14 Day
Hiking Trip (Part 3)
6) The Bushmen of the
Drakensberg
7) Thunderstorms in the
Drakensberg Mountains
8) Before setting out on a hike………..
9) Cathkin Peak – Drakensberg
10) Why backpack and
multi-day hiking
11) Safety in the
Drakensberg
12) In the Shadow of
Cathedral Peak
Photos please make contact with the author, Willem Pelser.
IN
THE SHADOW OF CATHEDRAL PEAK
“Go out
alone on the hills and listen. You will hear much. The winds will hold for you
something more than sound; the streams will not be merely the babbling of
hurrying water. The trees and the flowers are not so separate from you as they
are at other times, but very near; the same substance, the same rhythm, the
same song binds you to them. Alone amidst nature, a man learns to be one with
all and all with one.”
FS Smythe
Ask the tribes who live in the
Ntonjelana Valley the name of the high barrier which separates the Mnweni from
the Cathedral Peak valleys, and each and every one of them will reply,
“AbaMponjwana” (Ridge of Horns). The most northern peak, Cathedral Peak, they
call Mponjwana (Little Horn) and know it by no other name. Surely this name
must have been in use by the Amangwane tribe even before the European settlers
arrived in the foothills?
Cross this barrier and you will be transported into a
land of streams, forests and grasslands where wild animals still roam as they
did before the hunter arrived. High above stands the Cathedral Peak with its
spire pointing towards the heavens, where the noise of the wind echoes from the
Organ Pipes across to Mitre and the Bell. If you stand on the summit of Cleft
Peak, which could well be called the Altar, you can almost hear “Gloria in
Excelcis” from the choirs of lesser peaks.
In 1847 a mission station called
“Emmaus” was built here by the Reverend K. Posselt and another missionary named
Guldenpfennig at the request of the Government of Natal. The site they chose
was only a short distance away from Chief Zikhali’s kraal. At this lonely
mission station dedicated men preached the Gospel to the local tribe but
converts were few.
The mission’s peaceful existence was
disturbed when Bushmen raiders swooped down and stole their cattle. Inn 1868
Mandisa, a headman living near the Umlambonja River, also lost cattle during a
raid. As soon as the raid was reported a party set off and, on reaching the top
of the escarpment, recovered all the cattle except a few which were killed or
wounded by the raiders. This was not the only occasion when Mandisa had lost
his cattle.
Magistrate MacFarlane led a party that
investigated the route used by the Bushmen and found that it led up the
Ndedema. They suggested blasting a section of the route thus making it
impassable. However, from 1874 on-wards there were no more Bushmen raids.
Who it was who actually gave Cathedral Peak the name it
has borne for so many years is not known, but it is possible that the
missionaries at Emmaus gave the peak its name, an obvious one for a peak with a
spire situated next to a perfect bell. Years later the Organ Pipes and the
Mitre were added to the religious theme.
In 1850 the Reverend Carl Zunckel replaced the Reverend
Posselt and there he lived and worked among the Amangwane tribe until 1891. Two
other mission stations were started – Emangweni near Cathkin in 1863 and
Hoffenthal in 1869 in the Mnweni area.
European settlers living on the
plains seemed to favor cattle farming, but lung sickness reduced their herds so
drastically that eventually they resorted to sheep farming., and between 1920
and 1930 certain Orange Free State farmers, who also owned farms in the
Cathedral Peak area, send their flocks to the grasslands of the Berg for winter
grazing. The Little Berg was public commonage and farmers paid 12 pounds per
year for grazing rights.
Wilhelm Zunckel, son of the Reverend
C. Zunckel, also farmed in the area where his flock of sheep and goats were
often cared for by his son, Otto. A cave in the upper Mhlwazine called
Zunckel’s cave was often used to shelter the flock.
The Rev. C. Zunckel died in 1899.
His grandson, Otto, as well as his three sons, Walter, Udo and Gerald, is well
known to people who have visited the hotels in the Drakensberg over the years.
Situated in a unique setting, completely
surrounded by mountains, is the popular Cathedral Peak Hotel. The original
farms Inhoek and Schaapkraal were purchased by Philip van der Riet in 1937. It
was not long before a site for a hotel was carefully chosen, having a
uninterrupted view of Cathedral Peak, the Bell and the two Horns. In 1939 the
first guests were welcomed.
Albert van der Riet, son of Phillip,
and his wife Doreen certainly worked hard in those early days as the hotel
became one of the most popular mountain resorts in the country.
Life in the secluded valley was not
always peaceful. On several occasions the Van der Riet’s were called upon to
organize rescue parties to go to the aid of someone who was reported as lost,
or to recover the body of a climber who had fallen. Mountaineers will always
remember the kindness and courtesy of the proprietor and his wife and of Sonya
van der Riet, who has always been a great help to climbers.
A colorful character at Cathedral Peak for many years
was John the Guide, who was a most popular figure among the visitors. It was
his task to lead parties. He assisted in most of the mountain rescues in the
Cathedral Peak area and was the first black man ever to climb the Bell – more
or less dragged up it by George Thompson.
From the hotel the Cathedral Ridge
dominates the western horizon. The spur extends at right angles from the main
Berg and consists of the Puddings, Cathedral Peak, the Bell, Outer and Inner
Horn, the Chessmen, Mitre and Triplets.
Cathedral Peak is situated at the
northern end of the Cathedral Ridge and from its summit a magnificent panoramic
view of the whole range can be seen. It is one point where one can get a bird’s
eye-view of the Mnweni area.
The peak itself was first climbed via
the gully in 1917 by D.W Bassett-Smith and R.G. Kingdon. Since then thousands
of visitors have stood on the summit.
The Bell, perfect in shape, is one
of the wonders of the Drakensberg. For many years mountaineers traversed its
grassy ledges trying to find a possible route to the summit. Some thought it
quite impossible; others felt that it might prove a straight forward climb.
Eventually, on 17th January 1944, the Bell was tolled by Hans and
Else Wongtschowski. Hans described the climb as “an anti-climax to those who
expected the Bell to be impossible, unclimbable and unjustifiable.”
The flat topped summit of the Outer
Horn was conquered in 1934, while in 1925 the Inner Horn was climbed. These two
bastions have been referred to as the Horns for many years but some tribes
living to the north maintain that the name is derived from the outline between
the horns which resembles a Kudu’s horn.
The Chessmen are well named. They have stood
rigid for thousands of years while the wisps of cloud dodge in and out of the
pawns, castles, knights, kings and queens and bishops, watched by the Mitre.
The Mitre was first ascended in 1938.
Close to the Mitre are the Triplets, a peak also called the Twins with three
distinct summits which are visible from the escarpment as well as the valley
below. On the northern side a fine cave called Twins cave, is always a welcome
sight to the tired climber, particularly in bad weather.
A contour path extends from the Cathedral Peak Hotel all the
way past Cathkin Peak to end in the Injasuthi Valley. It was started by Van
Heyningin in 1937. From the hotel this path skirts the Cathedral Ridge and
crosses the Umlambonja River beneath the Umlambonja Buttress, a long
flat-topped buttress with a vertical face.
In and out of the numerous valleys the path contours at about 2000
meters under the Elephant, the Cockade and its plumes, and passes around the
pride of the Cathedral area, the Pyramid and the Column.
The Pyramid is more difficult to
climb than the Bell and was first ascended in 1936. It was on this peak that
the legendary George Thomson started his climbing career.
George, a New Zealander, arrived in
South Africa at the age of 40, having lived most of his life in the wild and
rugged parts of his native land. Anyone who had the pleasure of accompanying
him on one of his long trips across the Berg will confirm that his strength and
fitness were exceptional.
His love of the high mountains
attracted George to the Cathedral Peak Hotel where building operations were in
progress, and as he was a carpenter, it was not long before he was hard at
work, his keen eyes watching the clouds swirling around the summits.
He
started his climbing career when he accompanied Stan Rose in the third attempt
at the Pyramid. George asked whether he could have a crack at it, and soon they
were on the summit. This fired his enthusiasm and it was not long before he
stood on the summit of the Bell, again a third attempt.
After he became familiar with the Hooper route on the Bell
he repeatedly led experienced as well as inexperienced climbers to the summit.
The call of the higher peaks got the better of him. On
the 9th December 1945 he gathered a few enthusiasts and set off to
look at the Column. From the base the peak looked quite impregnable. Even the
most experienced climbers were of the opinion that the climb was hardly practical.
However, in the end one of his party agreed to climb with him – only to beat a
retreat and descend after the first pitch. George was determined to get to the
summit. On and on he climbed alone, having thrown down the rope earlier. His
friends watched this amazing feat with intense anxiety. At length they saw a
minute figure standing on the summit. The impossible had been achieved.
The drama was not over when George
reached the summit. He still had to descend. Alone he stood. There was no rope
with which he could abseil and the exposure was considerable. As he started to
descend his foothold gave way, and after falling about 10 meters he grabbed a
protruding Erica bush and, with only a minor injury, climbed down to the base.
Had he missed the Erica or not been able to grab it, he certainly would have
fallen to his death 200 meters below.
At age 54 George could still outpace
the fittest.
George’s last feat was in December
1948, when he and Charles Gloster climbed the western flank of the outer Mnweni
Pinnacle, a climb with tremendous exposure and of extreme difficulty.
In addition to rock climbing he
loved to visit the various rock shelters and study the Bushman paintings.
In
1949 he left his beloved mountains and went to live in Zimbabwe. His name will
live forever. He was one of the most extraordinary characters who have lived,
roamed and climbed in the mighty Drakensberg.
The
hotel route to Cleft Peak climbs past the Camel and the Nose and then zigzags
to the base of Castle Buttress, up through the Windy Gap. The final slog up
Organ Pipes Pass brings one to the top of the escarpment.
Cleft Peak lies to the north-west of
the Indumeni Dome and is one of the highest peaks in South Africa. The view
from its summit gives without a doubt the finest panoramic view from the edge
of the Drakensberg escarpment. Cleft was first climbed in 1941 via a diagonal
route, and in 1946 via the cleft.
From
the top of Organ Pipes Pass there are 2 passes that lead down. The first is via
the Tutumi Ridge and the second, commonly used by the Basotho, is down the
Tutumi Valley into the Ndedema. From the bottom of the Tutumi Ride the contour
path is crossed once again.
The
contour path becomes a road before it enters the old research area. High above
the Indumeni Dome, Windsor Castle and Little Saddle are part of the escarpment.
The road ends on a knoll where the
path descends far down into the wonderful world of the Ndedema Gorge – a
paradise of forest and sandstone cliffs, once a favorite haunt of the Bushmen
who hunted wild animals and chose to decorate the sandstone faces of the
Ndedema to display some of the most important primitive art ever found.
Spend a stormy night in the Sebaaieni cave, close to where
the contour path crosses the Ndedema River, and you will agree with the tribes
who named it ”Ndedema”, which means “the reverberating one”. As the thunder
echoes through the gorge and, as the waters rush towards it, so the noise of
the large oval, basalt boulders being moved about by the force of the rushing
water adds to the noise of the thunder and racing waters.
The Ndedema River rises on the High Berg and
flows over the edge of the Ndedema Falls, watched by the Sphinx and Sugar Loaf
and guarded by the Ndedema Dome.
After
the contour path has crossed the Ndedema River, a long climb leads to the
slopes of Eastman Peak, named after “Grandpa Eastman”, a Cape climber, and then
descends into the Nkosazana Valley and River. This river has its source on the
slopes of Champagne Castle and passes fairly closely to the Nkosazana Cave and
crashes down into the Nkosazana Valley, the head of which is called the
Vultures Retreat, and lies between the Litter and Dragon’s Back. After crossing
the Nkosazana River the contour path skirts Ntunja to enter the deep wide
valley of the upper Mhlwazine.
So how come
your backpack is not packed yet? Do a 6 day hike and go and explore. You will
not be sorry!
The
End………..
Acknowledgements
Compiled by
- Willem Pelser
Extract from
the book - “A Cradle of Rivers – The Natal
Drakensberg” -
D.A. Dodds
Photos
from - “A Cradle of Rivers – The Natal
Drakensberg” -
D.A. Dodds
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