HIKING FOOD AND CLOTHES

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.

"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

13) Injasuthi – ‘well fed dog’

14) Lotheni Reserve

15) Garmin eTrex 10 & 20 Specs and Review

16) The birth of the Drakensberg – The Ancient Rocks

17) Drakensberg Mountains – Rock Art

18) Drakensberg Mountain Reserve Accommodation

19) Drakensberg – Mkhomazi Area – Hikers Paradise

20) Drakensberg – Hiking Kamberg – Highmoor - Kamberg, Exploring the Mooi

       River Valleys

21) Chelmsford Nature Reserve

22) Bushmen Art – Deep in a Mooi River Valley

23) Missing in the Drakensberg Mountains – Dragon’s Wrath

24) Hiking Food and Clothes

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 am convinced that the wilderness with her beauty and severe laws is one of the best schools of character.”

W Pelser

HIKING FOOD AND CLOTHES

Eland Carcass in the Mooi River - Drakensberg

FOOD

   

   Everyone’s favorite subject and the hardest to agree on is food. It is enormously amusing to hike with people and watch the various foods produced from their packs – everything from smoked oysters to hard, fish-meal squares, commonly referred to as “dog biscuits.” Many factors govern what food to take: the length of the trip, number of people, distance to be travelled, and demands of the terrain, time of year and nature of overnight facilities – quite apart from personal preference.

    In general, hiking food should be nutritious, lightweight, low in bulk, and prepared with a minimum of fuss. I food can be divided into five categories: fresh, tinned, dried, dehydrated and freeze dried.

   Fresh foods such as apples, oranges, cold meats, tomatoes, bread and eggs, spoil easily with exposure to the sun, and are heavy and bulky. They are great for day walks, but for serious hiking only the strongest members of the party will feast on them. However, the enjoyment of one item of fresh fruit a day on any type of hike is worth the extra muscle strain.

Part of the Mooi River Valley leading to the Escarpment - Drakensberg

   Tinned foods should generally be avoided as the tins and the opener add extra mass, and once the contents have been eaten you must put the smelly tin with its rough edges back in your pack and carry dead weight. No, you cannot bury the tin! Exceptions to carrying tins can be made on canoeing or kloofing trips when waterproofing is essential and space for waterproofed items is dear.

   Dried foods (sweets, nuts, energy bars, figs, raisins) will form your diet’s bulk, make great trail snacks and are usually packed with energy giving kilojoules.

    Dehydrated foods such as soup mixes, isotonic drinks, milk powders, instant potatoes, cereals and certain meats and soya, or ready-made meals, are important hiking foods. They need little space, have a long storage life and a higher long-term nutritive value than any other type of food. Their only disadvantage is that preparation takes a little longer. Dehydrated foods are usually less costly than dried or off-season fresh foods, and are certainly less expensive than those which are freeze dried.

   Freeze-dried foods are sliced or processed, immersed or sprayed with a preserving agent, and frozen. The moisture content in the food turns to ice. The food is then placed in a vacuum chamber and subjected to microwaves. The ice is evaporated, leaving the cellular structure of the food essentially the same. The food is lightweight and porous and, when immersed in water, rapidly soaks it up to become reconstituted and ready to use. The convenient and extremely lightweight nature of freeze-dried foods makes them indispensable for strenuous hiking trips. They are very expensive and within six months their nutritional value is lower and deteriorates faster than dehydrated products. Two favorites are freeze-dried pizza and ice-cream!

   When planning meals remember the following:

1)  Energy: Kilojoules required by the average hiker walking with a moderate load during a cool summer’s day vary between 14 700 and 16 800 a day. Hard, mountain walking in winter, such as in the Drakensberg, can increase needs to between 25 000 and 33 600 kilojoules per day.

2)  Properly planned meals, including snacks, need not exceed I kg per person per day.

3)  Seasonings are important and give a necessary sparkle to the trail traveler’s meal.

4))  Always carry extra high-energy and quickly digestible food, some of which can be eaten cold, in a separate re-sealable plastic bag. Suggestions include glucose-tablets, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, soup and energy bars. Always carry more tea than you think you will need; not coffee or alcohol, both of which if drunk in excess can cause hypothermia.

Mooi River Valley - Drakensberg

CLOTHES

  High, exposed windy summits; warm sun-heated valleys; hot midday sun and cold nights – these may all be experience in a 24 hour hiking day. Always be prepared for a wide range of temperatures, as well as humidity and rain. Two important principles to keep in mind are that several light layers are more adaptable than a single, heavy garment, and that wool is the only fabric that retains its warmth even when wet. Wearing wet cotton clothing actually makes you feel colder than walking naked!

Warm clothing: Adopt the layered look and be as warm or cool as you like. Here are suggestions, starting with extremities: light wool or synthetic socks under heavy woolen ones (avoid cotton inside boots as cotton holds moisture next to the skin, promoting soft skin and blisters); thin leather glove liners and wool or fiberfill insulated mittens; a brimmed cotton hat for sunshine and a woolen hat for or balaclava for the cold; cotton shorts or long pants for winter or high altitudes; water repellent, breathable nylon, wind-resistant pants: a thin, cotton, long sleeved shirt for summer, a woolen one for cold weather or high altitudes; a woolen jersey or a down or fiberfill sleeveless jacket; a down or fibrefilled hooded parka; and a waterproof/breathable hooded parka and long pants for rain. Do not take denim jeans on a hike; lightweight tracksuit pants are more comfortable and not as bulky or heavy.

Choose versatile clothes. For example, a long sleeved cotton shirt can be worn buttoned or unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up or down, and it has pockets for all sorts of stuff. T-shirts has none of these.

A small but useful hint for day hikers, leave a change of warm clothing at your base camp. It is a most encouraging prospect to look forward to if you become cold and wet in the course of an outing.

Mooi River Valley – Route to Highmoor – Drakensberg

Rainwear: The biggest clothing dilemma hiker’s face is choosing between waterproof and water repellent outer-wear. If, when trailing, you walk wearing a waterproof jackets and pants, you keep out the rain but keep in body moisture. Water repellent clothes allow body moisture to escape but, as the waterproof coating wears off, will eventually prove useless in keeping out the rain. Waterproof rain gear has the advantage, however, of keeping out wind associated with rain and thereby allowing your body to warm its trapped moisture. In this way the waterproof jacket and pants work like a diving wet-suit.

Some people have expressed dissatisfaction with Gortex or Ventex and similar fabrics that claim to be windproof and waterproof while allowing condensation to escape. This is because these fabrics work well only if the rate of perspiration is low, there are significant temperature and humidity differences between the inside and outside of the material, and the outer surface is not coated with a layer of water, such as during a torrential downpour. These are also the reasons why the large dome Goretex tents have failed while the tiny one-man Goretex tents work very well. In pouring rain you will get damp no matter what you wear. How wet you get will depend on how ingeniously you arrange your clothing layers.

Underwear and pajamas: Select your underwear by taking into consideration the weather conditions you are likely to encounter. The coolest type of underwear are those made from pure cotton or cotton and nylon combinations. Cold weather underclothing requires more thought. Long johns made of cotton in a conventional weave or net construction are warm, but woven wool or silk combinations are even warmer. In really cold conditions wear 2- or 3- ply thermals – which usually consist of a wool outer layer, with silk or cotton next to the skin. For winter night wear, long wool underwear inside a tent is good. In the summer, a cotton track suit or clean, light underwear is all that is needed.

Never wear your walking clothes in your sleeping bag. Apart from reasons of hygiene, the fibers of your walking clothes compress and fill with dirt and moisture so that they are no longer able to trap and hold warm air.

Happy hiking!

The End.

           

Willem Pelser – The Mountain Man