The Dragon Mountain

DRAKENSBERG

KwaZulu-Natal  South Africa

Mountain of the Dragons

South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.

 Where Adventure beckons..........

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

“WE ARE THE PILGRIMS, MASTER, WE SHALL GO. 

ALWAYS A LITTLE FURTHER, IT MAY BE.

BEYOND THE LAST BLUE MOUNTAIN BARRED WITH SNOW.

ACROSS THAT VALLEY OR THAT GLIMMERING WATERFALL.”

UNKNOWN

The Dragon Mountain

The Drakensberg range is part of the Great Escarpment which is the edge of the interior plateau of Southern Africa and which extends from the North-Eastern Transvaal, near the Tropic of Capricorn, for a distance of about 960 kilometres to end in the Stormberg in the Eastern Cape

The Wolkberg, in the extreme North, is spectacular and well deserves its name – “the Cloud Mountain”. It rises at the point where the range separates the Highveld from the Lowveld. It was on the slopes of the Wolkberg, where the clouds cling to the lichen-covered cliffs, that John Buchan, the novelist who was eventually to become Governor General of Canada, dreamt his dreams and from the highest point, the Iron Crown of Prester John, one can see the great chain running southwards towards the KZN border.

At this point the range turns in a south-westerly direction, separating KZN from the Orange Free State, until it climbs majestically to Mont-aux-Sources. Here it swings in a south-easterly direction, now separating KZN from Lesotho and seems to tower over the rest of South Africa. At Giant’s Castle the mountain wall swings once again in a south-westerly direction and continuous as part of the “Roof of Southern Africa” to the Cape border. Continuing on its journey, but not quite as high, it now separates Lesotho from the Cape Province finally to end in the Stormberg of the Eastern Province.

From Mont-aux-Sources to the Cape border the escarpment is known as the KZN Drakensberg or the “High Berg”, where the range averages a height of about 3 000 metres and is one of the most important geographical features in Southern Africa, containing some of the most rugged and wild mountain scenery on the African continent.

The origin of the name Drakensberg is obscure and probably we shall never know who actually decided to call the range the “Dragon Mountain”. But one thing is certain that long before the Voortrekkers reached the area in 1837, this was its name.

Did the name perhaps originate from the serpents of Bushman mythology? Bushman certainly believed in supernatural serpents, which can be seen in paintings in the various shelters of the KZN Drakensberg. It is possible, however, that the tribesman, after seeing these paintings, or having heard stories about mythological serpents related by the Bushman, believed that these creatures actually lived in the remoter regions and on meeting Europeans they told them about these monsters. The Bloemfontein Advertiser on 26^th April 1877 published a letter to the editor which described how a Boer and his son had seen a huge dragon, the thickness of a wagonwheel, with wings and a forked tail. The Boer called it a flying Dragon. Old Boers on being asked why it’s called the Dragon Mountains would reply “because there is a dragon there”. Local tribes’ people would confirm the story. The range is also referred to as Quathlamba. This name was also used in early maps. It means “a barrier of up-pointed spears”.

The KZN Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in South Africa giving rise to many of the major rivers so important to the economy of the country. The High Berg is really an escarpment and many a visitor has climbed to the top expecting to find a great drop on the other side similar to the one looking back into KZN. Instead he finds, confronting him, the desolate mountainous plateau of Lesotho.

The watershed, which is often the edge of the escarpment, is the national border between Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa.

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 – A Cradle of Rivers – The Natal Drakensberg – DA Dodds

Photos:  ©Willem Pelser

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser

HIKING THE WILDERNESS - WHAT CAUSES MENTAL MOODS

DRAKENSBERG

KwaZulu-Natal  South Africa

Mountain of the Dragons

South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.

 Where Adventure beckons..........

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

“ENDURANCE IS NOT JUST THE ABILITY TO BEAR A GREAT THING……… BUT TO TURN IT INTO GLORY……..”

UNKNOWN

HIKING THE WILDERNESS

WHAT CAUSES MENTAL MOODS

There’s more to wilderness hiking fitness than just physical strength and flexibility. As all hikers know – you often go through a full range of mental states on a long day in the wilderness. But what causes these see-saws of mental mood? You have to look at it from your brain’s point of view.

You start

   Commonly the point when people feel the worst. This stage of the walk is the equivalent of a short-intensity workout, which catches the body unawares. Still struggling to adjust to the new level of activity, your brain has not yet started to release inhibitor molecules called endorphins – a natural equivalent of morphine – secreted into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland.

Brain control

   Spend five minutes doing gentle stretching exercises before you start to ease your body into the increasing level of activity.

You click into gear

   At some point during your initial slog, you will experience a second wind. Exercise-induced acidosis of the blood occurs, due to reduced oxygen flow to the muscles. This is detected by the pituitary gland, causing it to release endorphins which bind to pain receptors and suppress discomfort. This results in a mild state of euphoria, making you feel far better about the steepening slope ahead. While endorphin release isn’t governed by fitness, if you are out of shape you may not feel the effects of endorphins at all.

Brain control

   Don’t be fooled by the release of endorphins: the euphoria will tempt you to speed up your ascent, but it is far better to stick to a comfortable rhythm that you can sustain during the entire ascent.

You hit a knife-edge ridge

   That flutter in your stomach or the weak feeling in your knees is all down to the hormone adrenaline. Released by the adrenal glands on the kidneys, it attaches itself to receptor sites on your heart, brain, eyes and intestines. It kicks your heartbeat up a notch, dilates your pupils and reduce circulation to your intestine and stomach, leading to that wide-eyed nauseous feeling you get in high places. This allows extra oxygen to be redirected to the limbs, so you may feel agitated, jumpy or unusually energetic. This is known as the ‘fight or flight’ syndrome. It provides extra energy to the parts of your body that will get you out of harm’s way quickly – at the expense of areas that won’t immediately aid your escape, such as your digestive system.

Brain control

   Your butterfly-filled stomach is a physical result of your brain recognizing the danger and not because you are a whimp. Take deep slow breaths to improve oxygen intake.

You reach a false summit

   The exhaustion that takes hold at a false summit is a balance between physical and psychological fatigue. As you approach a point you believe is the end of your ascent, it’s common to increase activity in a final push for the top, in much the same way as an athlete will sprint the last few yards of a race, using up the last of your energy reserve. Discovering the summit lies ahead, up yet more ascent, can cause apathy and fatigue due to your reduced energy levels.

Brain control

   Eat a banana. It’s not only a good source of slow-release energy; it also contains tryptophan and vitamin B6, which together help your body to produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical that improves your mood.

You hit the high point

   The euphoria you experience on hitting a summit may not merely be the result of achieving a hard-earned goal, though this does have a lot to do with it. Research has linked this feeling with a substance called phenylethylamine, a chemical naturally produced in the brain that’s linked to the regulation of moods during exercise. An enzyme changes the chemical into phenylacetic acid, which has a similar chemical structure to amphetamines and can cross from the blood to the brain. It has been suggested that phenylacetic acid may be linked to the phenomenon known as ‘runners’ high’, a feeling experienced by many top athletes on completion of a race. This may make you think you are ready for another summit due to its seemingly revitalizing effects.

Brain control

   Be aware that your brain, awash with chemicals, may trick you into thinking you are less physically tired than you really are. Sit down for five minutes and have a snack before making any decisions.

You descend

   The jarring movement of descent are the most stressful on joints, and the endorphin production of the walk’s earlier stage slows or even ceases as your heart return to normal levels. This makes you increasingly aware of your aches and pains. The fitter you are, the less you will notice this; but if you are only an occasional hiker, descent may well be the most uncomfortable part of the walk.

Brain control

   Break the descent into several short sections, with a food reward for completing each. This goal-achievement will heighten your mood.

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 – The Ultimate Hiking Skills Manual – Hinkes/Bagshaw

Photos: Willem Pelser

Compiled by Willem Pelser

Drakensberg - Walking in Garden Castle - Sleeping Beauty Cave

DRAKENSBERG

KwaZulu-Natal  South Africa

Mountain of the Dragons

South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.

 Where Adventure beckons..........

 

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

  “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us…..”  

RW Emerson

Drakensberg  

Walking in Garden Castle

Sleeping Beauty Cave

Ask any farmer in the Mzimkhulu Wilderness area what the major issue here is and he or she will say stock theft. It’s an old ‘custom’ invented by the Bushmen when white settlers moved into their hunting grounds, and later adopted by the Basotho as their national sport. But, whereas the Bushmen had just cause, the modern Basotho cattle and horse thieves are brazen criminals pillaging the rich pickings of a foreign country. The two points to the south of Sani Pass are the major landmarks of the Southern Drakensberg: Hodgson’s Peaks are named after a farmer who, in 1862, joined a posse to follow Bushmen cattle thieves into the mountains. While chasing a mounted Bushman along the summit near Mzimkhulu Pas, Thomas Hodgson was severely wounded in the thigh. He died the following day and is buried somewhere up there. Robert Speirs, who was among the commando, was lost without horse or food for about two weeks after the incident. He spent some time in a cave, which must still have been used by Bushmen after this because scenes depicting the incident were painted on the walls. It was named Speir’s Cave and hikers who are persistent will locate it along the Mzimkhulu Pass route. The gateway to Garden Castle Wilderness is the town of Underberg.

Sleeping Beauty Cave

Route: From Garden Castle camp up The Monk to the cave

Distance: 8 km return

Duration: 2 hours up and 2 hours down

Grade: Strenuous

General: Since the Bushmen Caves route was closed to hikers not taking a guided tour, this has become one of the favorite shorter hikes from the camp site. However, it is more than a little steep, gaining nearly 400 m in altitude over just 4 km, mostly in the last 1.5 km. On the other hand, it gives the opportunity to camp out in a cave just a short way from base, and so for groups with teenagers it is suitable.

   If you are not camping at the camp you can park at the entrance gate, pay an entry fee and sign the mountain register. If you plan to overnight you’ll also have to book and pay for the cave accommodation.

   Follow the road to the camp site, and carry on up the right hand side of the Mashai River. There is a small forest on the right hand side of the river. About 1 km past the camp site the valley narrows as it enters the sandstone portals of the Little Berg., but the path itself remains user-friendly for some way yet, even though you have started to ascend by now.

   Up on your right are the castellations of Swiman and further up The Monk, while dead ahead looms the 3 313 m bulk of the Mashai Peak. Although there is a Mashai Pass in the vicinity, it does not go up anywhere near here, or indeed anywhere near Mashai Peak, which stands as the headwall of the river up which you progress. From here the path tends to become rank with grasses and bracken.

   Once you feel you are getting really high up in the Little Berg, the path crosses the river and makes its way ever higher to Sleeping Beauty cave, above the river on the right. Some 700 m on, over a knoll, you come to Engagement Cave which must have some previous romantic tie. The only return is to backtrack along the same route.

  

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