How did it happen?

  So I walk on,

Where the only sounds, are the thoughts, in my mind,

In search of a peace, that I always find,

In the silence and solitude, of the wilderness kind.

                                         How did it happen?

  The Drakensberg mountain range is a stunning natural landmark located in South Africa, known for its soaring peaks, deep valleys, and stunning views. But how did this majestic range come to be? Let's explore the geological processes that shaped the Drakensberg and formed this remarkable landscape.

   The Drakensberg is part of the larger Great Escarpment, which is a series of cliffs and plateaus that runs along the eastern edge of southern Africa. The Great Escarpment was formed over millions of years as a result of tectonic activity and erosion.

   Around 200 million years ago, southern Africa was part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. The Drakensberg region was situated near the edge of this continent, where it was bordered by a large ocean. As Gondwana began to break apart, the region experienced significant tectonic activity, including the formation of a massive rift valley. This valley eventually filled with sediment and volcanic rock, forming the foundation of the Drakensberg range.

   Over time, the Drakensberg continued to rise, as a result of both tectonic activity and erosion. The uplift of the range caused the underlying rock to crack and fracture, creating deep valleys and steep ridges. The exposed rock was also subject to erosion by wind and water, which carved out stunning formations like the Tugela Falls and Cathedral Peak.

 

   The geological history of the Drakensberg also helps to explain the unique biodiversity of the region. The range includes a variety of different rock types, each with its own set of physical and chemical properties. These different rock types create diverse soil conditions and microclimates, which support a wide range of plant and animal species. The Drakensberg is home to a rich variety of endemic plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

 

   Today, the Drakensberg continues to inspire and awe visitors from around the world, with its rugged peaks, stunning vistas, and rich biodiversity. The geological processes that formed this remarkable range are a testament to the enduring power and majesty of nature. The Drakensberg serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving our natural heritage and the need to protect these unique and fragile ecosystems for future generations

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                                                        

Photos:  Willem Pelser

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser

Drakensberg - Walking in Injisuthi - Grindstone Caves and Marble Baths

 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 Injisuthi

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 Injisuthi River where it tumbles out from a red-shouldered gorge. The valley, whose Zulu name, Injisuthi, ‘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 Injisuthi 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 Injisuthi 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 Injisuthi where you come to it and join the Battle Cave/Lower Injisuthi 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

The Silent Snow

 GREAT THINGS ARE EXPERIENCED

WHEN MEN, MOUNTAINS, AND A WILDERNESS MEET”

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I have been thinking about why I solo-hike the Drakensberg Wilderness. Using the words of author RO Pearce, with some of my own added:  “Here I am, a civilized man, living in the Wilderness, doing my own cooking, getting tired, and hot, and dirty, and enjoying it. It is too easy to say I needed a change, or that the beauty and peace of nature drew me. Why do it at all? I don’t think it is entirely because of the love of nature. It goes deeper than that. I have a deep seated, subconscious hate against the artificiality, attitudes, issues and ease of modern life. We lead such superficial lives, in square houses, in regimented streets, where the procuring of the essentials of life – food, clothing, and shelter – is no problem at all. These things are no further off than the nearest telephone. Life was not meant to be like this. Here in the Wilderness I have only myself to depend on. I have to find shelter, I have to carry my own food, and bedding with me, I have to find my own way without signposts. If I conk in or get lost, or the weather changes, I have only myself to rely on to get me out of the mess. If I sprain my ankle, I can’t phone the nearest doctor. There is no-one to help me. And life is reduced to the essentials – food, warmth, and shelter. It is simplified. It is good for a man that he should sometimes break loose and go primitive once again and enjoy an uncomplicated wonderous life, even if it is only for a short while”.

THE AMPHITHEATER PLATEAU IN WINTER

The Silent Snow

“The Silent Snow Possessed the Earth”

FROZEN AMPHITHEATER WALL

A few suggestions might be useful for those who plan to visit the Drakensberg high peaks and Wilderness in winter.

   First of all, make sure you are carrying plenty of warm clothing and plenty of food. If you plan a multi-day hike, take reserve food for another two or three days. This need not be anything elaborate – some highly concentrated, light-weight balanced food, like Pronutro, which doesn’t have to be cooked, or a few extra slabs of chocolate – enough to keep body and soul together in an emergency. A small pressure stove is invaluable, for in heavy snow fuel is next to impossible to find in an emergency. A groundsheet is essential for keeping moisture from reaching one’s sleeping bag. A sleeping mat improves comfort. It is wise to carry two sleeping bags, an inner, and an outer. Modern sleeping bags are so light that this is easily done. Even if you leave your base camp and intend returning to it that night, slip a sleeping bag into your backpack. If you rick your ankle you can’s ring up a taxi to take you home in the Drakensberg. And remember: at all cost keep your party together. Never separate, even for a short while.

   Remember, too, that the great killer on the summit is not cold, but cold plus wind plus moisture. Your body can withstand tremendous degrees of cold, but if the cold is accompanied by wind, you will quickly succumb without adequate protection. Make sure you have windproof outer clothing with you. If you have to sleep out in the snow, choose a position sheltered from the wind. If the weather is fine you will need no roof over your head. In a snowstorm, your best hope, if you have no tent, is either a cave or a rock overhang. Caves on the summit, unlike the Little Berg, are few and far between, but overhangs can usually be found. Try somewhere along the escarpment edge for these. They are more numerous there. Remember that everything will freeze during the night. Boots and socks are the main problem, for they are sure to get wet during your day’s march through the snow, and in the morning will be stiff with ice, delaying your departure for anything up to a couple of hours, if you do nothing to protect them. Protect them during the night. Slip them inside your sleeping bag when you turn in, together with anything else you are likely to need in the morning, such as your water bottle and essential medicines.

   If you observe these few simple precautions you need never fear anything the summit can do to you in winter – and you will have the time of your life! It is the person who goes hiking inadequately equipped, with no reserves or warm clothing, who lands in trouble. Adjustment to cold is a highly individual matter. There have been many cases of climbers exposed all night on mountainsides in sub-zero temperatures. Some die, while others, in the same party, survive little or no adverse effects. Some years ago it was noted that the Australian Aborigines could sleep naked all night in temperatures close to freezing, while Europeans, even covered with a couple of blankets, could not sleep at all. It is also known that one can condition oneself to cold. It is well known that one always feels the cold more at the beginning of winter, before the body has become adjusted to the lower temperatures.

HEAVY SNOWFALL STRETCHING INTO KZN MIDLANDS

   But cold, or rather hypothermia, which means a lowering of the temperature of the body’s inner core, can be a subtle and diabolical killer. One should never underestimate it.

   When one is exposed to extreme cold the body responds, first of all, by constricting the blood vessels of the outer skin, with the result that less blood flows to the surface to be chilled. This warmer blood is then concentrated in those vital internal organs, which are thus protected from harm. Frost-bite, in its early stages at least, is therefore one of those protective devices of nature.

   The body, having done all that it can to conserve heat, now sets about producing heat at a greater rate, so as to replace any heat that is lost. The heart beats faster, additional adrenalin is pumped into the blood, and the metabolic rate rises. All this result in greater heat. We feel stimulated.

   Then as the temperature continues to drop, other mechanisms are brought into play. The muscles begin to contract spasmodically, and we shiver. Again the result is the production of heat. But shivering also consumes a great deal of energy. If the shivering is intense and prolonged, it can result in exhaustion.

   So far the temperature of the body’s inner core has not been affected. But if the heat loss continues, these organs will begin to be affected, and the temperature of the body will soon drop below 37 degrees Celsius until it reaches about 23 degrees Celsius, when death supervenes.

ICICLES A METER LONG

   One of the interesting effects of extreme cold is the effect on emotions. Moderate cold is exhilarating: extreme cold is exhausting. Fits of depression are common, one becomes irritable, there is a loss of judgment, and also, as we have seen, of memory.

   What causes hypothermia? It is not cold alone. Many a person has survived extreme cold with no ill effects, while others have succumbed when the temperature was well above zero. Apparently it is caused by a combination of four factors. None of these alone, with the possible exception of the first, will be lethal. These four factors are: cold, wetness, wind; and personal pre-conditions, for example being particularly susceptible to cold, or in an exhausted condition.

   Wind, combined with cold, is certainly one of the biggest contributing factors in cases of hypothermia. Worst of all, and a real killer, is a combination of cold, wind, and wetness. More fatalities are ascribed to this cause than any other.

A FROZEN WATERFALL

   To survive on the summit and in the Wilderness, therefore, in a blizzard or extreme cold, becomes a problem of avoiding these combinations.

   Clothing must be adequate. The head is the greatest source of loss of heat from radiation. If your feet are cold, put on your hat! Body heat is derived from two sources – food and muscular activity. Keep nibbling. Sweets, especially chocolates are excellent. Intake of hot liquids will also help considerably. Stay away from alcohol – it will kill!

   Exercise is essential. Hiking can increase heat production as much as six times. If you are holed up, keep flexing your muscles.

   Wind is your worst enemy. Even a moderate breeze in cold weather can lower your body temperature. It has been found that merely to wear windproof garments over wet clothing raises one’s chances of survival, in cold-wet-windy conditions, five times. Wind is made infinitely worse if your clothing is wet. Also always wear clothing next tour skin that breathes.

   Don’t wait to feel cold before putting on protective clothing. Warm clothing will not produce heat: it merely conserves already existing heat. Camp down in plenty of time, while you still have all your faculties about you.

CAMPING ON THE ESCARPMENT IN WINTER – DARK AND COLD CONDITIONS

   Prevent any further loss of heat. Add heat to the body; make a person as warm as possible. Rubbing frost-bitten area with snow is quite fallacious and will add to the likelihood of permanent injury. Then into a warm sleeping bag, out of the wind with warm dry clothing. It will also help to put another person into the sleeping bag. Give warm fluids to drink, and sweetened foods. Remember that carbohydrates are the foods that are most quickly transformed into heat and energy.

   With these few simple precautions you should be safe in the Drakensberg. Even so, always remember that the unpredictable can happen, and be ready for it when it comes.

   There is no more a lovely time in the Drakensberg than when the snow comes and possesses the earth. In summer the peaks have a hard, bright beauty, stenciled starkly against a turquoise sky, with the clouds breaking around them in a splendor of white foam. In autumn they have a softer, more dream-like quality, as they gaze down into the sun-drenched valleys of the Little Berg. But when the snows come that whole expanse of mountain splendor is sheathed in purest white, glistening in the clean sunlight, the snowfields stretch to the horizon, and the peaks stand tranquil and proud over it all. Snow can come to the Drakensberg at any month of the year.

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: Barrier of Spears – RO Pearce/M Pearce

Photos:  Barrier of Spears – RO Pearce/M Pearce

Compiled by:  Willem Pelser