Drakensberg Wilderness Hiking South Africa - Mountain of the Dragons - Where Adventure beckons.....: SERPENT SPIRES - THE BELL

Quathlamba

“A mass of Spears. Named thus by the Zulu warriors before the white man came. Today called the Drakensberg, Mountains of the Dragon. 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.”

“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".

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

“FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE, AND NEVER HELPS A MAN WHO DOES NOT HELP HIMSELF.”

PT BARNUM

SERPENT SPIRES

THE BELL

DRAKENSBERG

Immediately southwest of Cathedral Peak, forming the next dominant structure on the Cathedral Peak ridge, stands the petit summit of the Bell.

Bell from the Outer Horn

This gem of a peak perches on steep slopes that fall dramatically away north and south into deep and wild mountainous ravines. From many angles, whether viewed from the iNtonyelana Valley in the north, the Mlambonja area to the south, or indeed from above when climbing on any of her surrounding companions, this symmetrical peak is one of the most aesthetically beautiful mountains to gaze upon in the entire Drakensberg mountain range.

At only 2 930 meters high, Bell may be likened to the Arkenstone of the Lonely Mountain. The Arkenstone was the gem that dwarves considered the ‘heart of the mountain’ and the treasure the Hobbit could not resist thieving. (Taken from JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit.)

With the imposing Outer Horn towering up on one side, and Cathedral Peak standing guard on the other, it is as if the ‘Dragon’ surrounds the Bell as it would a valuable and treasured possession, the jewel of its haunt.

Although the summits that surround Bell surpasses it both in size and height, forbidding as they may seem, access to their highest points present lesser challenges to the mountaineer than their smaller counterpart. The obstacles that need to be overcome in ascending the Bell are not size and height, but rather line and difficulty.

On the steep crags of the Bell

Bell has two major cliff structures of similar height, separated roughly by a steeply angled grass slope. The first precipice, forming the base of the peak, is sheer and brad and can be missed by scrambling up mixed grass and rock from the neck between the peak and Cathedral Peak. Climbing has subsequently focused on the higher face, which is more fragmented, with small grass ledges breaking the final obstacles to the summit. Two popular climbs ascend the southern faces, while a longer and more challenging route ascends on the northern side.

Climbers Hans and Else Wongtschowski, affectionately known to most as Hans and Else Wong, were the first to climb the Bell in 1944. Early climbers had wondered if the peak was climbable, one person commenting, ‘it is quite out of the question as a climbing proposition.’ But as Whymper had discovered with Matterhorn’s east face in 1865, THE Bell’s seemingly impossible steep slopes were in fact deceptive when seen from a distance, and in the end the peak proved less of a challenge than predicted.

Hans Wong had made two earlier attempts on the peak, in 1942 and 1943, both curtailed by snow and extreme winter conditions. Changing tactics, he and his wife found the key to the Bell when they climbed it in the summer of 1944, pioneering a route up the southern reaches. They named their climb the ‘Gladiolus Route’, after the Gladiolus cruenyus flower, commonly known as the ‘Suicide Lily’, which may sometimes be found on the mountain’s slopes in the summer months.

Within three months Tony Hooper, Howard Fish, and Jacky Botha pioneered a second route, to the right of the Wong’s line. The route has become extremely popular, despite being more difficult than the original line. The only other established route on the peak ascends the committing north face and was completed by Jim Thomsen, Warwick Keating and Peter and Pam Angus-Leppan in 1962.

As with so many other peaks and areas in the Drakensberg, the Bell offers a wealth of new and innovative climbing for the stout mountaineer. In particular, an initiative for future climbing parties looking to open and develop new and more challenging lines on the peak must be a direct route from base to summit, starting on the unclimbed base cliffs and finishing off by breaking the higher reaches without deviating from a specific line.

Stunning to gaze upon and challenging to climb, Bell is one of the more revered peaks in the Drakensberg Mountains.

The End.

Safe Hiking.