Sani and Phinong passes (Drakensberg) Aug 2005

After a meeting I drove to Darrell’s place. Darrell and Liza showed up a little later but by 4pm we were on our way. We drove all the way on the N3 to Mooiriver but only found a dodgy municipal campsite. We continued on to Howick where we got a decent caravan park and paid the R40 pppn. We pitched the tent only and slept peacefully till the next day.

Day 1 (20 August): We left at 05:30 and drove to Sani pass. On the dirt road things went a bit pear-shaped. The road had deteriorated severely since I was there last and Liza and I had to exit the car a number of times and direct Darrell around difficult spots. About 3km before the border post, Darrell decided not to put his car through the punishment anymore. We turned around, drove back to Sani pass hotel (the first decent place we could leave the car) and parked. Then we packed up and started walking on the road. I was confident that we would get a lift at some point but Darrell was very pessimistic. When the first few cars didn’t pick us up I settled into a decent pace and just kept walking. When we haven’t gotten a lift after an hour and a half of walking I started getting concerned. Neither Darrell nor I had water so I was hoping to get to a little stream we saw along the way. I finally got to a little pool where I drank from but the other two were a bit skeptical about it. Soon thereafter I flagged down a Dutch couple in a Jeep. They could only offer one of us a lift and I was trying to think who should go when another empty 4x4 stopped behind them. They were willing to take Darrell and Liza and I went with the Dutch couple. We soon passed the point where we turned around and not much further the 4x4 Darrell and Liza were in had to stop to lock there differential – we would never have been able to get past this point in Darrell’s car! At the border post we said our goodbyes to our friends (they turned around here) and continued walking up after getting stamped through. We walked about 2km before a very friendly couple stopped and picked us up for the last 6km to the top. At the Lesotho border post the wind was blowing fiercely. It was already after 12pm and we were all hungry. Not long after we left the road over the Sani flats towards Mqatsheni, we stopped at a small stream for lunch. Expecting that we wouldn’t have water where I camped to sleep, I filled my Drom bag and carried it all the way. The wind was strong and cold and we had to dress up to stay warm. About halfway to the top of Phinong pass I started struggling with the heavy load and we finally decided to camp on some soft grass next to a pool in the upper reaches of the stream we had lunch in. We dumped our packs and had a short break. Darrell and Liza wanted to go up to the little snow patches on Mqatsheni, but it seemed like too much effort to me. I chose to go towards Thaba Phinong instead. However, not long after we went our respective ways I spotted three people approaching the general direction of our campsite. Not trusting them at all, I walked back to camp and decided to not summit anything that day, despite the 3 people passing the campsite harmlessly in the distance. I rested the rest of the afternoon flat on my back until the other two returned. We pitched the tent and started cooking at 5pm. Unfortunately we didn’t have any condiments for the mince and rice and it turned out very bland. Not long after sunset we were in bed but disappointingly, temperatures that night only dropped to -0.5ºC.

Day 2 (21 August): On the 2nd morning we packed up early. As we didn’t need the Drom bag’s water the previous night, we kept it for the next night on Kokotobangi ridge where I was pretty sure there won’t be water. But I couldn’t carry it alone. I took Darrell’s share of the tent and also the pots and stove so that he could carry the 8 litres of water. We walked to the escarpment edge and was greeted by a ferocious wind. I found Phinong pass easily but noticed the map indicated the start of the pass incorrectly. Descending the pass went slow but we eventually reached the top of Kokotobangi ridge where the wind across the ridge picked up again. Clouds were moving below us in the valleys and high cirrus indicated a possible cold front moving in. We moved well on Kokotobangi ridge but sat down for an early lunch just before we reached Secocosebhaca. After lunch we continued with a fast pace. As we descended from Secocosebhaca, clouds became heavy and just past the sandstone boulders where Shirley Eddie and I slept previously, it started to drip slowly. As I was ahead by about 200m, I started looking for a good campsite. When Darrell and Liza caught up, we put the tent up in a hurry and rushed inside. Although it rained a little on and off for the next two hours while we dozed contentedly, it never came down strongly. The wind removed most of the clouds and we were able to cook a nice dinner of cous-cous and bacon on a nearby flat rock. At sunset we went back to dozing until the next morning.

Day 3 (22 August): With all of us wanting to get down the ridge, we were on our way by 07:30. The last section to the path going past Salt and Pepper went fast. The descending path zig-zagged much more than I remembered and we soon opted for a straighter trail that went down the ridge. Not long after I picked up the original trail again and continued down to the pub where Shirley, Eddy and I came past the first time. Then we were on the road back to Sani pass hotel. I sped ahead, wanting to get the awful road over as soon as possible. Darrell and Liza stayed close behind and eventually we reached the hotel.

Rwanqa and Rockeries passes (Drakensberg) Aug 2005

I left my car at Karen’s place and Gordon picked us up just after 3pm. Traffic through Jo’burg was horrific and we only arrived in Bergville after 9pm. Neither Karen nor I were entirely sure of the way but we got it right first time and got to the Ntonjelana river in fair time. However, we couldn’t immediately find the road where it went through the river but a local herdsman showed us the way and we promptly got to Mnweni Cultural Village. We were welcomed with great gusto and shown around. We settled in our 4-bed rondavel and went to bed.

Day 1 (6 August): All of us were up at 7am and had breakfast and packed while waiting for the rest of the party to show up. Archie, Bernelle and Chris arrived shortly after 8am. We decided that we were too lazy to walk all the way so we dropped the packs about 3.5km down the road. While all the men waited Bernelle and Karen returned the bakkie. We started hiking at 09:30. Despite it being August, it was warm and we were soon sweating on the uphills. We made good progress however, and around the first bend we saw the Dassie in the distance. At the little stream before the ascent past the last settlement we had our first little break. Then we pushed on and soon found ourselves in the Mnweni valley. Gordon and I had decided to take the high road but as we were getting close to lunch we descended down to the river and joined the rest of the group in the river bed. After lunch we got back on the path on the true left and carried on past the Fangs pass turn-off until we got to the Rwanqa valley. We sat for a nice break at the stream while Archie went to explore camping opportunities higher up. When he returned he informed us that we were probably better off sleeping at the campsite right there (bottom of Rwanqa pass). We all agreed eagerly. After a quick wash and resting around the campsite, we started with dinner. Later, Gordon, Karen and I settled down and read some paperbacks while the other three treated us to some quality folk songs.

Day 2 (7 August): We woke before sunrise and started packing up – we had a hard day ahead. We were away before 8am and started walking strong on a path leading past an overhang cave. The going was fairly easy on the path and we made good progress, resting only after an hour and a half on the march. At around 2100m the path descended down to the river bed. Bernelle decided to stick to the grassy northern slopes while the rest of us felt more comfortable on the river boulders. At around 2400m we walked into a 20m high waterfall. This proved to be an interesting obstacle. I managed to scramble past the crux with my pack on, heart in the throat. Archie then got a short piece of rope out and between Chris and myself we started hauling packs up two difficult sections. Then Chris climbed past me and took packs from me to a safe spot above the waterfall. In the mean time I tied a few alpine butterflies and sat down to body belay Karen and Gordon up the second difficult patch. After the waterfall we were adrenalin rushed and a little shaky but we managed to push on until about 12:30 when we sat down under a large boulder for lunch – we were just over 2700m. Archie and Karen sped off after lunch and managed to get to the top of the pass just after 2pm – the rest of us followed within 20 minutes of one another. We had a look at the map and decided to camp in the hanging valleys above the cutback. Archie took the lead on the path and we made good time despite feeling dehydrated and weak. We finally descended to the river valley and arrived at a little stream at 16:30 – a good long day’s hiking! We immediately started boiling water for soup and Gordon started dinner straight after. I decide to leave the tent as there was no rain in the air. That night the ground temperature dropped to -15.6ºC! Even so, we all slept warm and comfortable.

Day 3 (8 August): Having only about 8km to walk for the day we explored the escarpment below the hanging valleys in the early morning. At 09:30 we were ready to go and headed up the ridge to the south. We soon crossed over and got onto the path that led past Point 3024 which Gordon, Karen, Archie and I quickly climbed. Then we marched around and had striking vistas of the cutback and the Mnweni valley. A strong wind blew in from the ocean and kept us walking rather than sitting still. At our own pace we soon entered the Orange river valley and walked over to the stream bed looking for water. I didn’t see any water just below the waterfall and assumed there wouldn’t be any higher up. I started hiking further down to fetch water, but luckily Archie and Karen spotted some pools higher up and we sat down for a leisurely lunch. After lunch I filled my Drom bag with 7 litres of water for the night in Mponjwane cave. I started before the others after lunch, expecting that I would take far longer with the extra load. I walked well though and got to the top along with Karen and Gordon. After a few spot checks, we found the cairn at the top of the escarpment and descended to the cave. The others soon arrived and we settled in. The wind was blowing hard across the cave and it was chilly in the shade. Tired after the heavy load, I lay down for a while, while the others explored the area. Karen cooked this time, and made a nice pot of rice and chakalaka soup. After dinner I still finished the Roald Dahl book Karen lent me and only went to sleep after 10pm.

Day 4 (9 August): We got up before sunrise and packed up. As the sun rose, all of us took pictures. At 07:30 we were off and quickly got down to the top of Rockeries pass. All of us took pictures on the way down, especially just below the Rockeries. We got to the junction of Nguza and Rockeries, about 1 hour 45 minutes after starting the pass. Clouds were drifting in from Lesotho and a chilly breeze was blowing. A quick breather got us going again and we sped down the path on the right hand bank. At our first main river crossing we sat down for a few snacks – it was 11:30. Then we entered the rural areas and I started to speed up a little. Over the last 5km I took the lead as my feet were getting sore and I felt like a good shower. I arrived at 13:20 back at Mnweni Cultural Village and the others soon followed – all a bit sore and tired after 18km!

A good trip with a new pass and peak, as well as some new friends. The temperatures at night were once again a little warm for winter but we suspect that a cold front was pushing through on the last night as temperatures climbed and heavy clouds built up on the last day – we even had a few spots of rain!