Tuesday 26 March 2019

Drakensberg - The Bell

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




  “But risk we must, for the greatest risk of all is to risk nothing at all. he who risks nothing, has nothing, is nothing.”  
unknown



Drakensberg  
The Bell


Immediately southwest of Cathedral Peak, forming the next dominant structure on the Cathedral Peak ridge, stands the petit summit of the Bell. 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 metres high, Bell may be likened to the Arkenstone of the Lonely Mountain. The Arkenstone was the gem that the dwarves considered the ‘heart of the mountain’ and the treasure the Hobbit could not resist thieving. 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 Bell as it would a valuable and treasured possession, the jewel of its haunt.


   Although the summits that surround Bell surpasses it both in height and size, 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 Bell are not size and height, but rather line and difficulty.


   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 broad and can be missed by scrambling up mixed grass and rock from the nek 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, known as Hans and Else Wong, were the first to climb Bell in 1944. Early climbers wondered if the peak was climbable, most saying ‘it is quite out of the question as a climbing proposition.’ 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 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 in 1962.


   As with so many other peaks and areas in the Drakensberg, Bell offers a wealth of new and innovative climbing for the stout mountaineer. In particular an initiative for 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.


   As with Cathedral Peak, Bell is most commonly approached fro the Cathedral Peak Hotel, on good paths via Orange Peel Gap and Bugger Gully. Bell Cave (5 persons) is the most popular starting point, being only a short distance from the nek between Bell and Cathedral Peak. A good but exposed path traverses below the eastern face and provides access to the southern extremes of the peak.


   To reach the Bell Cave from the top of Bugger Gully, continue over the top of the gully and down a loose gully on the other side for about a hundred metres. The path veers off to the right on steep and expose grass slopes. Drip Cave (6 persons), further down the valley below Bell Cave, makes for a less practical alternative.


   The peak may also be approached from the escarpment by a long but spectacular traverse of the Cathedral Peak ridge. The traverse begins at the top of the Mlambonja Pass where the Twins Cave (12 persons) allows for stop over bivouacs. There is no water on the traverse or at the cave.





   Approach from the iNtonyelana Valley is possible, although seldom used. Waterfall Cave (12 persons), en route to the iNtonyelana Pass, is a practical bivouac near to the main gully leading to the nek between the Horn and the Bell and may make a good alternative base camp for new lines on the northern and western faces.



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 – “Serpent Spires” – Duncan Souchon

Photos:  ©W Pelser

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser






Sunday 10 March 2019

GIANT’S CASTLE - DRAKENSBERG

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





“THE VIEW WAS OF A TRIANGULAR PEAK, SOME TWO THOUSAND FEET ABOVE US, STANDING IN A CLOUDLESS SKY.”

CALIBAN. ON SIGHTING GIANT’S CASTLE, 1912








GIANT’S CASTLE
DRAKENSBERG


 On a clear day you can see, from a hilltop in Mooi River (a small farming town in the shadow of the Drakensberg), the Giant’s Castle massif dominating the skyline some seventy kilometers to the west. The image resembles a huge figure lying on its back, staring into the sky, peaceful, silent, and contemplative. The Castle itself, which forms the Giant’s head, has three high points, the middle or ‘nose’ being the main summit. This point rises to 3 314 meters, unusually high for a peak set away from the main escarpment wall.




     Known to the Zulu people as Bhulihawu, ‘the place of the field thrasher’, or Phosihawu, meaning ‘the shield finger’, the peak is the largest example of a singular mass in the Drakensberg, extending away from the range in an easterly direction for more than three kilometers. The more superstitious called it Ntabayikonjwa, ‘the mountain to which you must not point’, for fear it will retaliate with bouts of violent weather. Owing to its size, the peak’s ability to manipulate the forces of nature on occasion is quite feasible.


When looking up from in its immediate valleys, Giant’s Castle’s main summit takes on a spectacular pyramidal shape, with two sweeping ridges descending to the southeast and north, like great arms embracing the valley below. Many of the earlier climbing routes are found in this area, and a beautifully placed mountain hut waits in the valley, providing a good base from which to start most of the Castle’s technical climbs.






THE PLACE OF VULTURES



   Around to the right of this valley extends the mighty north wall. In 1997, one of the most ambitious Drakensberg routes was completed on this enormous precipice. The climb, following an extremely thin weakness, boasts some of the finest and most committing climbing in the Drakensberg range to date, testament to the high level of mountaineering that can be achieved in the area. The route was named after the Bearded Vultures or Lammergeier (meaning lamb grabber’), that grace the peak’s surrounding skies.




   As early as 1941 the peak had been considered as a mountaineering objective, when a climber pioneered a route up the treacherous looking Eastern Gully.



   Despite this early interest, face-climbing proper only began when climbers completed what is now considered a classic line up the north face in 1950. The opening of Schole’s Route fired a new interest in the peak as mountaineering and climbing sanctuary. The establishment of a second route on the north wall in 1971, veering right from the start of Schole’s Route, reasserted the peak’s importance as one of the range’s most challenging mountaineering summits. With routes like Lammergeier and more recently the Land Der Gesetzlosen (‘Land of the Lawless’), the Giant’s north wall is fast becoming a big-wall test piece for southern African climbers.




     On the southern slopes, winter mountaineering and ice-climbing developments add a new dimension of challenge on the Giant, offering an aspect of the sport that is often difficult to practice in Africa owing to the warm climate.




  The Giant, with its shear faces, particularly its north wall, holds numerous future climbing prospects. The peak is likely to be a focal point in African climbing in the 21st century.





Giant’s Castle is a place of dreams, of staring at the stars by night and the blue skies with white cotton-wool clouds by day.




IT IS A PLACE UNTOUCHABLE BY MAN. IT IS A RESTING PLACE OF GIANTS.






1 – Frontal Route – First Climbed 1955

2 – Schole’s Route – First climbed 1950

3 – Colli Extendenticum – First climbed 1971

4 – South East Ridge – First Climbed 1954

5 – Lammergeier – First Climbed 1997

6 – Land Der Gesetzlosen – First Climbed 1998




We as hikers 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 – Serpent Spires – Duncan Souchon

Photos:  ©W Pelser


Compiled by:  Willem Pelser