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
“It is remarkable that one can
walk all alone in the wilderness and not feel lonely at all, while within the
human antheap of a modern city you can become totally isolated and lonely –
reduced to a mere number……..”
Unknown
Drakensberg
Walking in Injasuthi
Grindstone Caves and Marble Baths
It’s amazing sometimes how wrong things can
seem to be for so long and how suddenly they can then come right. For years and
years conservationists and mountaineers bemoaned the fragmented land control of
the Drakensberg and its lack of an overall conservation plan. Then it seemed
that one day, overnight, we had a new government, and then we had the
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park stretching for some 300 kilometers from Royal
National Park to Bushman’s Neck. And now, not only that, but this park is a
World Heritage Site. One of the prime pieces of the Berg that for many years lay
in private hands was a small chalet resort called Solitude, close to a
yellowwood forest on the southern bank of the Injasuthi River where it tumbles
out from a red-shouldered gorge. The valley, whose Zulu name, Injasuthi, ‘the
well fed dog’ suggests it was a rich hunting area. However, the uppermost
reaches of the valley were among the last areas of the Drakensberg to be
explored by mountaineers and hikers.
Grindstone Caves and
Marble Baths
Route: From the camp to Grindstone Caves then
up to the Contour Path, heading generally to the south to the Injasuthi Valley
and back to the rest camp.
Distance: 19 km
Duration: 2 Days
Grade: Strenuous
General: This is a great 2 day hike, which can
be increased to three days by linking it to Wonder Valley Cave. If you do that,
spend the first night at Wonder Valley or your second day will be an epic.
There’s no other sensible way between the 2 caves except vie the camp, so just
accept it and enjoy the cold water on your way through.
From the camp make your way up
to Grindstone Caves. At the caves take the path between the 2 caves to climb
Old Women Valley and on to Gibisila Ridge, which is a pleat in the skirt of the
Old Women Grinding Corn. After 1 km of steady uphill work the path splits
around the ridge. From there the path heads up the inner, right-hand flank of
thirst the Injasuthi and then of a northern tributary below the Old women.
After a further 3 km of climbing, gaining about 250 m along this stretch, you
finally reach the Contour Path, where you take a breather and then turn left
(south-east).
Very soon you start your descent. Eland are
plentiful in this area, and you’d be unlucky not to see them between here and
the cave at Marble Baths. After 500 m, where the path veers sharp right to
descend a long, steep valley going upstream. The stream is unnamed on maps; the
path crosses the stream and heads down the right-hand bank. This is still the
official Contour Path, hard as it may seem in certain places.
Soon after you cross a tributary from the right, a
path heads off around the spur to the right and makes its way into Buttress
Fork Valley, reaching this stream at Marble Baths. The baths – a polished chute
through the soft, cream-colored rock – the brave among you will strip down and
take a plunge. In summer this chute makes a wonderful ‘bum slide’. This by the
way is the base of Leslie’s Pass, leading up to the escarpment. If you are
going to sleep in the cave, remember to book it at the camp.
From Marble Baths go down the right-hand bank,
which takes you past Junction Cave after 750 m. Although it was popular in days
past as a shelter, the cave is close to the river and its roof has partly
collapsed and flooding has made it unusable. Where the streams converge and the
forest begins, the path seems to go all over the place, crossing the river here
and there, and then finding its way onto the steep, heavily eroded right-hand
bank for the last 1.2 km to the confluence with the Injasuthi. The first part of
this section is pleasant, along the forest edge of the left—hand bank, but the
latter section decidedly uncomfortable, crumbling in places.
Cross the Injasuthi where you come to it and join
the Battle Cave/Lower Injasuthi Cave path. From here on it’s an easy 5 km walk
along a good, wide, well-maintained path back to camp.
We as hikers, explorers,
and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!
The End.
Safe Hiking.
References and Acknowledgements
From the book – “Best Walks of the
Drakensberg” – David Bristow
Photos: ©W Pelser
Compiled
by: Willem Pelser
