Quathlamba
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.
“These are the lofty solitudes I love:
The rock below me and the sky above:
The cool air moving, and save its sigh no sound:
Glory of Golden Light, and peace profound.
Too soon the hushed, uplifted hour must end,
And I to meet the world once more descend:
But something surely will remain my own
Of this great benediction I have known.
Author unknown
Hiking from Injasuthi to Lotheni – 6 Day Exploration Trip
Drakensberg Wilderness
This is another hiking story which
took place at the end of April 2015. It was a hike planned many months in
advance. This hike, years ago, was originally going to be my first overnight
hiking in the Drakensberg ever, but it did not happen like that. Instead I did
other hikes in different areas, and all of them were epic and brilliant.
Over many
months the planning of the route on this hike was changed and refined. I also
needed to do this hike to complete hiking the contour areas all the way from
Didima to Mhkomazi Reserve.
My dream
was always to walk from Injasuthi to Lotheni and finally the time has arrived!
The plan
was to go to Didima first for 2 days and for me to do some day walks in the
area. The purpose of the day walks was to get the legs going and ready for the
long hike from Injasuthi.
We stayed
at the Didima camp in chalet 36a which was quite pleasant and the chalet had a
nice mountain view.
On the
first day there I decided to do the Rainbow Gorge walk which is a relatively
short walk through a forested area. The path started at the conference center
leading up a very steep hill which really taxes the legs! They should call this
heartbreak hill! The pathway was very busy with day walkers and at times the
path felt like a human highway. Obviously there was no solitude or enjoying the
sound of nature as there was just too much human noise. I followed the path and
eventually came to the end of it, and here were 2 beautiful pools. The pools
were occupied with very noisy and destructive people whom had no regard for the
environment. I fled past the pool and ended up at a very big cave from where I
observed the antics of my fellow humans. I returned along the same path back to
the chalet, and at the end of it had to negotiate the steep hill again, this
time just in reverse. I sometimes do not know which is worse, going uphill or
going downhill, they seem to be equally bad!
On the second day, 26
April 2015, I have planned to walk to Doreen Falls and explore the surrounding
area a bit. Bright and early I took on the steep hill at the conference center
again and walked up to the split which turns to the right and proceeds down to
the Cathedral Peak Hotel. This part of the walk was a lazy amble to the
junction at the hotel. Once at the junction, it was a left turn and on my way
down the valley towards the falls.
Eventually you
arrive at quite a pretty river and this made a good breakfast spot for me.
Then, cross the river and follow the path to Doreen Falls. From here the walk
turned into a nightmare as the pathway was extremely busy with very loud people
continuously moving up and down. Finally I arrived at the falls which is a very
pretty place. I saw a cave behind the falls and decided to go and have a look
at it. It is a really nice cave but it was very disgusting as to what the
walkers did to the cave. First there were those who felt the need to scribble
all over the walls of the cave. Really! What type of person is it who decides
to deface nature like that? Do they write on the walls of their homes and
workplaces too? Most probably it is so. This cave is also being used as a
toilet and no effort is made to hide or bury the human waste. Utterly
disgusting! I followed a path out of the falls leading up the mountain to a big
cave which had some Bushman paintings on the walls. Some scribbling by modern
man was done on the wall as well!
I went down the path again and turned
left towards Ribbon Falls. I walked right up to the wooden ladder going up the
mountain and then decided to call it a day. At this stage the valley was
echoing with the sound of humans at their loudest.
The walk back to Didima camp was uneventful
and the weather was good.
The next morning we left Didima quite
early in order to arrive not too late at Injasuthi camp for the start of my 6
day hike. I needed to arrive at a specific point at the end of the day in order
to stay on time for the completion of the hike.
Day One – 27 April 2015
Injasuthi to Marblebaths
We arrived at the
Injasuthi camp just before 08h00. I paid my overnight hiking fees and it was a
pleasure to see Dennis, the camp manager, again. I put on my hiking boots, very
heavy backpack on the back and bid Jenny goodbye.
Finally, my
hike has started! It was up the hill at the office, through Yellowwood forest,
out the other side, turning left at the junction and from there make it up to
the Grindstone caves. It was really heavy going up to the caves as it is a very
steep unrelenting climb up to altitude. Never did I realize at this stage what
was waiting for me after Grindstone caves. The mountains were going to grind my
legs to dust and then regrind them all over again! I arrived at the first cave
after a long hard uphill slog and ended up at quite a nice cave with its own
water supply.
I took a breather here and then had to
find the pathway as indicated by the map. I eventually found a very faint path
on top of the roof of the cave, and from here true misery started. The route
continuously climbed ever upwards with not a single flat area or downhill area
for at least 8 kilometers! The route going up just carried on and on and on and
on!
After much
climbing, and by now very late in the afternoon, I finally started going
downhill and could see a valley at the bottom of the mountain which I guessed
housed the Marble baths area. Great was my consternation arriving at the end of
the mountain and finding out that there is no way down into the valley from
here. I had to walk around the point of the mountain and then walk back in the
direction from which I came, just on the other side of the mountain.
Heartbreaking stuff, but, I had 6 days, so who ultimately cared? Fortunately,
my new boots behaved. The only sort of a problem was that my heavy backpack
seemed to grow heavier as the day progressed! Fairies packing stones in them!
The walk thus far was beautiful though, the silence golden and the solitude
sheer bliss.
It was
heartbreaking having to walk back in the opposite direction from where I wanted
to be. But, there was just no shortcut available down the mountain and I had to
persevere. Although, in these mountains of mine, there is always something to
make up for the real hard slogging. Looking up, I saw the most beautiful valley
I have ever seen in the Drakensberg. It was absolutely massive, spectacular and
the valley was close off at the top with mountain spears reaching high up into
the sky! What a sight for sore eyes! The
“Old Women Grinding Corn” could be
clearly seen and the “Gibisila” Valley is indeed spectacular!
After some really hard
slogging I eventually started going downhill into some very bushy areas and I
made my way down the river. The only sad part was that I now had to cross the
river, and make my way down the valley for exactly the same distance and to the
same point, only in the opposite direction! True test of resolve if ever there
was one. I rested for a while at the river crossing. This was a really
beautiful area and I could have stayed there for the whole day. I could not
take my eyes of the stunning valley.
I had
to push on and it was not going to be easy. It was now walking through riverine
undergrowth and I had about 4 kilometers of that waiting for me. After crossing
the river, the path all of a sudden totally disappeared! I was then so
fortunate in that I found a number of cairns directing me for a little while
into the river bush. For the first time ever I actually appreciated cairns as I
normally detest the building of permanent cairns in the wilderness area. It was
very slow going and I got hooked up more than once by snagging branches and
bush. Needless to say that when I emerged from the bush I looked like a wild
cat got hold of me. The last half of the route down into the valley I had to
negotiate my own way through the bush to the bottom of the valley.
Finally I
arrived at the bottom of the valley, now I had to turn right and start climbing
the mountain again. By now my legs felt like lead and I am sure there was a
heavyweight boxer hiding in my backpack. The path now winds up the mountain. It
was a very narrow path with a sheer drop on the left. Big areas of the path was
actually swampy areas where you have the mountain streams cascading down the
mountain and it then flows over the pathway. It made for very slow going as you
had to be extremely careful.
I was
approaching yet another stream running over the pathway and I stepped into the
middle of the mud in the pathway away from the edge of the cliff. As I put my
foot down, the bank collapsed and my leg went straight down. The weight of my
backpack pulled me over backwards and I fell off the pathway. My one foot
caught on the little which was left of the path and as I fell, I grab hold of a
tall piece of grass growing on the side of the cliff. I managed to stop my
fall, but now I was lying upside down a cliff with my head at the bottom and
the weight of the backpack pulling me down. Below me was a sheer drop of about
30meters and it was going to be a fall which I would not survive. By one or
another miracle I managed to hold onto the grass and was able to very slowly
pull myself back up to the remaining path by one hand! It was extremely
difficult as I had to pull my weight as well as that of the backpack up from a
upside down position. Finally I made it back up and so doing escaped death or
serious injury.
I took a
breather after this incident and carried on with the pathway. The path now started
winding its way down and I could see Marblebaths. Once again I approached a
stream running across the path with its associated mud pool. I was very tired
by now and I saw a solid mud and stone bank on the cliff side of the path. I
sat down on the bank and the next moment the bank totally collapsed! Yet again
I fell. The stream flows over the pathway and then cascades down the mountain
via a 50 degree rock face. All of the rock face below the path was very slimy
and very slippery. As I fell, I managed to grab onto the path itself with both
my legs landing on the rock face below the path. I had absolutely no grip with
my boots and started sliding around and down. I knew if I let go, I will be a
dead man! Eventually I again made my way up to the path by sheer will power
alone. Now I was really exhausted. I carried on walking and from my vantage
point I could see a flat spot close to the river on some high ground which
would be sufficient to pitch the tent for the night. I could also see
Marblebaths cave on the other side of the river and I noticed that the cave was
occupied by some hikers.
I made my way down the final part of
the mountain and it was with great relief that I reached my spot for the night.
Taking the backpack and my shoes off, and knowing that this was the last time
for the night, was absolute sheer joy. I just sat there for a while recovering
and enjoying the scenery.
I went
to the river to fetch some water for cooking and coffee. My first cup of coffee
for the day was absolutely spectacular. I had a great supper and pitched the
tent and made ready for the night.
What a day
it was! Beautiful scenery and the mountains extracting their toll on every
forward meter you gain.
About 18h00
I heard some really loud people, and they were not from the cave. Apparently
they have come down from Leslie’s pass and were going to overnight at
Marblebaths. They pitched their tents just out of eyesight on the other side of
me. They kicked up a racket until about 21h00 that night, even swimming in
darkness in the ice cold river pools on a very cold night! But, I was so tired
that I could not really be bothered and just after 18h00 I retired for the
night. I fell asleep very quickly and slept on and off the whole night like I
normally do in the wilderness. I was also very toasty inside my tent and had a
good night’s rest.
Day Two – 28 April 2015
Marblebaths to main pathway, up to Centenary Hut and the
Contour Path
At 05hh0
I was up and getting ready to go. I had to wait for daylight in order to be
able to see where I am going. Eventually it was light enough to move and I was
greeted with some absolutely beautiful scenery as far as the eye could see. It
was most impressive.
I crossed
over Marblebaths and found the path leading through the valley back up to the
main footpath. It was easy going here with time to appreciate the beautiful
scenery all around me. I eventually reached the T-junction at the end of the
footpath and sat down next to the beautiful river in this area for breakfast.
If only I knew what
was laying ahead! Finished with breakfast, I carried on and follow the path
away from Injasuthi. You will now enter a very beautiful valley and proceed
down it for about 4 kilometers. I followed the right hand side of the river and
the path is barely noticeable through all of the undergrowth and swampy grass
areas. The river is stunningly beautiful.
This valley
is really a very pretty area and caves are a plenty. Lots of San rock art to be
found. It breaks my heart that even here in this remote valley people had to
deface the art! I am going to come back and explore this valley as it is very
interesting.
Half-way down the valley the path turns left,
then across a river and then up a very (very!!) steep hill. This hill takes you
from an altitude of 1750 meters to 2750 meters and is not at a gentle incline.
I started climbing and it was sheer murder. It was as if the mountain was
trying its best from preventing you to the reach the top. There was not a
single flat peace of ground anywhere in sight! When you think that you are at
the top, heartbreakingly there is simply another hill, and another, and
another! It took me 6 hours to eventually get to Centenary hut!
Half-way up
the mountain I met a group of 8 hikers on their way down from the Judge. They were going down as slowly as
I was going up and these mountains were not giving an inch either way. They
told me that they did not make the Judge as they ran out of time. Going up
these hills do take a very long time and you have to be fit to survive the
climb.
On my arrival
at Centenary hut I had to take a longish break to recover from the climb and it
was now also late afternoon and close to camping time.
Centenary
hut has been absolutely vandalized and the area inside and out is extremely
filthy. Staying over at this hut should never be an option and it is also clear
that it is part of a drug smuggling route. Use only in the event of a very
serious emergency with absolutely no other option.
With the
area around the hut not safe, I walked up to the contour path and proceeded
down this path. I found a number of streams and was able to fill up my water
bottles for the nights camping.
About 3
kilometers away from the hut I found a camp spot for the night. What a
brilliant view I had from my tent that night looking out over a thousand hills
and the Natal Midlands! I had a very good supper and as darkness fell I
disappeared into my tent. Once the sun goes, the temperature drops down to near
freezing. I was treated to a stunning sunset with the mountains covered in all
sorts of beautiful, soft color
It was not
long and I was fast asleep, nice and warm and very content. This was also the
first night that I started hearing the song of the mountains again. Do not
laugh, there really is a song! As you sit in front of the tent, you will hear
the song start up and carry on for hours.
Day Three – 29 April 2015
Contour Path past Bannerman Hut to Langalibalele Ridge
I got going when it was still dark and
started packing. I had a nice cup of coffee waiting for first light and I was
treated to a spectacular sunrise. The Natal midlands were covered in cloud and
from my altitude I was looking down and over this big mass of clouds.
It was eventually
time to go and again I was going to have a very testing day ahead of me! It was
a real tester and went as follows: Up the hill, down the hill, cross a river,
up the hill, down the hill, cross a river, up the hill, down the hill and cross
a river. This was the pattern for the rest of the day and made for some very
heavy, taxing hiking.
I did
see some spectacular river and stream sceneries. There never was a shortage of
water. Unbelievably, going up and down like this, one still gain altitude
continuously! A couple of antelope barked their warnings now and then and made
a bee line for it, even though they were very far away from you.
This is
a really difficult route and as the day wears on, the backpack also grows
heavier and heavier. I loved to take little breaks at the river and stream
crossings. Taking a rest and just sitting there absorbing nature.
Up to now my new
hiking boots came to the party and did not bother me at all. The rest of my
equipment have been tried and tested on previous trips and proved their
reliability. It is very nice to have reliable equipment on a hiking trip.
Coming down
the one hill, the Bannerman Hut in the distance comes into view. I proceeded
down into a beautiful valley and river area just at the bottom of the hut. I
crossed 3 rivers and walked through the river bush area which is quite pretty.
It was quite a surprise to see Bannerman hut intact and not vandalized as is
the others! It is most probably because it is not near a smuggling route. I
really love this area around the hut because it is so pretty.
Late afternoon
found me having gained quite some altitude and it was time to start looking for
a camp spot. This area being so hilly meant that it was very difficult to find
a spot on which to pitch the tent. I eventually considered sleeping out in the
open, but then manage to find a small spot on the side of a mountain.
Once again
it was sheer bliss to remove my backpack and shoes for the day and to relax
with a cup of coffee.
I again had a magnificent view in all
directions from my tent and at this time the song of the mountain started up
again. I sat outside after supper with a cup of coffee appreciating the view
waiting for darkness. As soon as it gets dark the temperature drop severely.
That night I again had
quite a good and cozy rest.
The last 2
nights the baboon troops in the vicinity woke me up at all times of the night
due to them fighting. As it is so quiet in the mountains, especially at night,
it is indeed quite a racket. I do not know what they fought about, but it was
loud and vicious!
Day Four – 30 April 2015
Langalibalele Ridge, Bannerman Path, Giants Ridge, Giant’s
Castle Hikers Hut, past Oribi Ridge, Forget Me Not Hill.
Up before dawn again
and having a nice cup of coffee, I packed up very early and was waiting for
first light to get going. Today I had to do an extra couple of kilometers just
to make sure that I arrive in time at my destination.
I was
still gaining altitude and the uphill, downhill route kept on repeating itself.
I eventually arrived at an altitude of 2800 meters, and it seems as if the
serious hilly parts were for now done with.
Just before
Langalibalele Ridge I met 2 hikers on their way to Giant’s Ridge. It was
obvious that some very bad weather was brewing up on the escarpment. The
escarpment was totally clouded over with this continuously rolling black mass
of clouds. I mentioned this to the hikers, but they were not concerned,
explaining to me that they expect a clear night. By now it was also late in the
morning.
I had a very, very long hike to get to
Giants Castle hikers hut and pushed on. At one stage I thought that I was never
going to get to the hut as the path just went on and on. Eventually I was close
to False Corner and far away in the distance I could see the hut. It took me
another good hour and a half to reach the hut.
It was
now late afternoon again, and I was extremely tired. The hills took their toll.
On my arrival at the hut it was disgusting to notice the extend of the
vandalism. The hut has been ripped apart and even the door frames have been
burned! A huge amount of waste was stacked in the one room. The silver
insulation has been ripped from the roof and some of it was used to line the
walls and ceilings of one of the back rooms. Food was still standing around on
a window sill. The area outside of the hut looked like a demolition yard, as
well as an open air toilet. The hut gave me a very bad feeling and it was quite
clear that to sleep anywhere close to this hut would be extremely dangerous.
Even staying there during daylight could end up being a problem! It was quite
clear that the hut was used by drug smugglers making use of the passes in the
vicinity. It is beyond me why anyone would want to so vandalize a place that
could and will be a safe haven in times of emergencies or just to stay over at.
It is clear that the vandalism was done in a very vicious spirit and that it is
ongoing. I made a rather hasty retreat out of there! I do not know why Kzn
Wildlife do not demolish and remove the 3 huts, as at this stage they serve no
purpose and are actually a danger to the hikers, apart from being a big
eyesore.
As I was walking down
the path away from the hut, the roof plates of the hut were found thrown all
over the veld. It just does not make sense as to why anyone would want to do
this.
Close by the
hut I found the most beautiful of river areas and took a break here as it was
out of view from the hut. This is a very pretty area with a nice waterfall and
pools. It was quite evident that during rainy season this will be a spectacular
area. I left this beautiful river and
started climbing again. Once on high ground, I looked back from where I came
and it was amazing to see all the hills and valleys that I hiked through. Only
now was it clear what a mammoth task it was! It was absolutely worth it though.
My original plan was
to sleep in the vicinity of “The Needle”, but I decided to push on a bit
further and to put some more distance between myself and the hut area. In this
area the pathways totally disappear and you have to navigate your own way. It
was now late afternoon and the temperature was seriously dropping. I was
exhausted but pushed on. 4 Kilometers past the Oribi Ridge trial and just past
the turn-off to Highmoor camp, my legs informed me that it is time to stop.
There were no decent camping spot available, but eventually I found a washed
out, eroded area in which I got to pitch the tent. It was about 17h00 and
bitterly cold.
It was
a nice relief to get rid of the backpack and take the boots off for the day. I
pitched the tent quite quickly as the temperature kept on plummeting. Sitting
outside the tent preparing supper was quite an ordeal as by now it was
absolutely freezing. Needless to say I did not stay outside for very long and I
retired to the inside of the tent very quickly. I was treated to a spectacular
sunset once again.
Later that
night I was lying inside the tent listing to the local baboon troop having
their nightly fight. A short while later a jackal started crying from the top
of the escarpment with an answering reply from down in the valley. About 6
jackals then joined the chorus from all over and I was entertained by a jackal
symphony for about 10 minutes. Combined with the baboon fight it was quite a
racket, but not a unpleasant one! Two hours later I was woken up by the soft
call of an owl.
The temperature
kept on dropping during the night and eventually I had to put on extra layers
of clothing to stay warm.
I did not have a restful night. I just
could not settle down and my right knee decided that it was now very unhappy
and constantly reminded me that at this stage it has had a long hike behind it!
I was also lying slightly downhill and kept on sliding down to the bottom
corners of the tent every time I moved. It was most annoying.
It was obvious that
with me pushing the kilometers for the past 2 days, I was going to finish my
hike a day early. At this stage I was about 20 kilometers away from Lotheni
camp.
Day Five – 01 May 2015
Forget Me Not Hill, Kambevula area to Lotheni Camp
I woke
up pre-dawn in icy conditions and it was bitterly cold, even inside the tent!
Every piece of equipment that I touched inside the tent was so cold it actually
felt like it was wet. It was now 04h00 and I still had two and a half hours
before it would be light enough to start walking.
At 05h00
I decided to open the tent and view the outside world. The flysheet flap did
not open like it normally does, but instead it opened like a wooden door! It
was frozen solid! Outside the tent it was really cold and on closer inspection
I saw that the tent was a solid block of ice. The tent had this thick layer of
ice on every single part of it.
My problem
now was that I could not wait for the ice to melt before I could pack the tent
away. As I rolled the tent up, it was like folding up solid pieces of wood! I
thought that by the afternoon the tent would be really wet inside its carrier
bag, but I would worry about that then. Hanging it out to dry would be a simple
process. Standing outside meant that I was really freezing by now and it was
barely light when I moved on.
My original
plan was to go down Taylor’s Pass into the Lotheni area, and once I reached the
turn-off to the pass, it would be mostly downhill all the way to the Lotheni
camp. Now, on this day, my plan was not going to work. The reason for that was
that I had a way-point on my navigation unit indicating the start of the pass
and the turn-off to that pass. The only problem was that I tested the
way-points on a previous trip to Lotheni and found the points to be way out. So
I did not trust the way-points although they would guide me in the general
direction!
I started
walking from my sleep spot and I made very good time. I did 5 kilometers in
just over an hour and was very surprised at it! I was at very high altitude now
and in a reasonably flat area. Very shortly Garmin indicated that I must turn
right to the Taylor Pass way-point. Because of my distrust in the location of
the way-point I decided to ignore it and do my own navigation. I am very
familiar with the Loteni area and thought that I would find the pass. At this
stage I was still walking through grass and there was no footpath.
Eventually after
about 2 kilometers of slogging through the wet iced up veld, I found a footpath
and decided that this path could only lead to the Pass. Big mistake! It
actually took me further away from the Pass!
Carrying on
with the path eventually made me decide that it is going in the wrong direction
and that I need to get off it. Turning around and going back to the way-point was
not an option I considered. I could make out clear points in the distance I
knew, and I decided to make a sharp right and get to the edge of the mountain.
It took quite a bit of walking to get to the edge, and once there I looked down
into these big massive valleys with numerous streams and rivers. It was a
beautiful panorama.
I was on top of a mountain and would
have to do some serious downhill climbing at very acute angles for a long
distance to get down to the bottom of the valley.
I decided to not go down this specific
valley, but rather to carry on walking at the edge and to find the next valley.
After about another kilometer I came upon the start of another valley and
decided that I will have to go down now.
I had a 4 kilometer descent down a very
acutely angled valley to complete and it was going to tax me to the max. I
decided to stay next to the river running down the valley in this area. The
undergrowth was very thick with lots of marshy areas which added to the
difficulty of the descent.
It was
a spectacularly beautiful valley and the river scenes were out of this world!
Going downhill was an extremely slow process and one had to take great care not
to fall and break a leg. Most of the time I had to walk sideways in order to
get down as it was that steep. The grass also made a habit of tripping you up.
All of a
sudden the river started forming a series of beautiful waterfalls. I have not
ever seen so many waterfalls in one stretch of river. It was spectacular! After
the 3rd waterfall my way was blocked by yet another waterfall
cascading down a 20 meter cliff, blocking my way. I had to turn left and start
climbing up a big hill in order to get around the fall. From my vantage point
it was clear that I will not be able to proceed any further down this valley at
this point. It was heartbreaking stuff!
At the top of the
hill that I was climbing, I had to walk on the side of a massive cliff area for
a distance of about 3 kilometers. Very far in the distance I could see the point
that I was trying to reach. The cliff was about 30/40 meters high and any slip
would mean certain death.
Reaching the
end of the cliff face area, I was very tired and decided to take a break. I
just sat down when out of the blue a Bearded Vulture appeared and started
investigating me. He flew so close by me that I could see the individual
feathers on his face. What a magnificent experience! The Bearded Vultures are
magnificent birds and it is an experience to be so lucky to see them, never
mind one at such close quarters!
I still
had more than half the distance to go to get to the bottom of the valley and at
the same time to make my way back to the river. Easy it was not going to be.
I turned
right back to the valley and started to make my way down through smaller
valleys. The going was so slow due to the acute ascent and you had to walk
sideways and one foot at a time to get down, and grabbing hold of anything
close to prevent falling or sliding. This process was agonizingly slow and
painful. Eventually I was halfway down and found a marshy area with long marsh
grass I had to walk through. The grass is so long and thick that you actually
walk on top of the grass rather than on the ground! These types of areas also
always have hidden water holes which will trap a leg and break it. Some of
these holes are up to 2 meters deep. I happened to step into one and my leg
promptly disappeared right up to my hip, and being off balance I fell quite
badly. It was a very hard fall and I twisted my knee badly in the process as
well. It happened so suddenly that I ended up just sitting there covered by
long tall marsh grass. I could not see anything but the grass in front of my
face. I could have so easily had break a leg. I was also exhausted by know.
After a while
I picked myself up with great difficulty and it was quite a struggle to get out
of the hole. Shook myself off and carried on. The going downhill seemed to be
utterly non-ending and will severely test any person’s resolve.
I carried on with my slow downhill
process and came upon an area with quite a number of caves. Definitely worth an
exploration trip! I was now getting closer to the river and the bottom of the
valley but still had to negotiate a very, very steep descent. I got so tired of
the slow going and walking sideways that I decided that is it. The hill was
very steep. I sat down, lifted my legs and started sliding down the hill at
great speed on my backside. Now and then I had to put down my legs to slow the
descent or to break myself in order to get down around some rocky patches.
The going
was much quicker now and in now time at all did I make up a huge amount of
ground. I stopped my sliding process and got up and walked the last bit down to
the river. I ended up at a very beautiful part of the river and valley and was
so exhausted that it was the ideal place for a break. Sitting on a rock in the
middle of the river, the “Mountain Song’ started up again! It was so loud that
it caused me to start looking around to find the people singing so loudly in
the Wilderness!
I took
a couple of photos and placed the camera back in its bag and left it on the
ground next to the backpack.
I was
still standing looking around at the beautiful scenery, when all of a sudden I
heard this very loud hissing noise at my feet. I looked down and saw my camera
bag jumping up and down and sideways and growling/hissing at the same time. I
could not understand how it is that I place the camera on top of one or another
animal or snake! Eventually I realized that I did not switch the camera off
before placing it in the bag! When the camera did its auto shut down, it was
trying to retract the lens, couldn’t do so and that was what caused all the
growling, hissing and movement from the bag. Quite a scary, unexpected moment!
The river now blocked my way going
straight down for the last part of the valley. It forced me back uphill through
the undergrowth, and only then could I make my way down to the river again. A
short while later I arrived at the Emandundini Trail footpath. Saw some
beautiful Eland coming out of a forest in this area.
If I
followed the Garmin waypoint to Taylor’s Pass, I would have had a much shorter
and easier going route. I would have saved about 6 hours of bad walking. But,
by not following the way-points, I have discovered some spectacular valleys and
river areas! The beauty in the areas which I saw made all the suffering
absolutely worthwhile. I have seen and discovered new areas which I did not
know existed. These areas are definitely worth an exploration hike of their own
and I will be back to explore them to the fullest extent.
I had another 5 kilometers left on the trail footpath before
reaching the Lotheni camp and the end of my hike, and fortunately it was all
downhill mostly. At 15h00 I reached the Lotheni office, and from there to the
chalet booked for the night.
On arrival at the
chalet, I had to open up the tent and hang it out to dry as I expected it to be
dripping wet from the melted ice. Great was my surprise when I opened up the
tent and flysheet and it was still fully iced up! Can you believe it! The ice
did not melt at all.
I was now walking around very
unbalanced since I took off the backpack! I looked like a sailor setting foot
on dry land for the first time in 2 years!
I finished
my hike a day early, but, I had spare time built into my hike. I always built in
spare time because one never knows what could happen and you might just need
the extra time to complete a hike without raising alarms all over.
The next morning it
was the worst time of the hike again. The return to civilization! I never look
forward leaving the mountains and wilderness and returning to civilization.
Thus ended
an epic hike.
The memory of the suffering always fades, while the
fulfillment grows brighter. For all the richness of “normal” everyday life, it
is good sometimes to trespass in the Wilderness and live life with uncommon
intensity, experiencing something that gets close to the sublime. I have no
idea when I will return to the mountains and the wilderness, but I know that I
had more than my fair share of those sublime moments. I have touched and seen
some of the most magical places on Earth – places whose beauty is inherently
dangerous and where man was never meant to go – and I will be back soon!
The End.
Safe Hiking.
References and Acknowledgements
Photos –Willem Pelser
Compiled by - W Pelser
