Cathedral Peak (Drakensberg) Oct 2005

It was a rough drive and we only arrived in Bergville just before midnight. No-one was home so we drove down to the tennis court where I was very surprised to find other people sleeping there already. Whispering in the dark we quickly settled down. Neither Camilla, nor Laurel had sleeping pads so I gave mine to Laurel, folded open the tent’s flysheet for Camilla, and used the tent for myself.

Day 1 (8 October): We got up at 6am and packed quickly. The weather looked a little ominous and I had a feeling we might have a wet weekend. We first went to the BP garage to get some more food and plastic bags, then left for Cathedral Peak. After signing in and paying we parked the car and started walking. As we approached the trail head it started raining. We all whipped out our rain gear, put our pack protection on, and then started up the trail. The next hour saw the rain coming and going and some welcome sun poking through now and then. Despite the sweaty work in our rain gear, we made good time and soon we were approaching the gully leading up to Orange peel gap. At the top we sat for lunch, but the cold wind blowing over the ridge forced us to hurry. As we got up, a couple returned from the top and said we didn’t have too far to go. The walk on the back ridge leading to the peak was pleasant and flat and we made good progress. My concern for water at the cave was alleviated slightly when we got to a small puddle that we used to fill up our bottles. From there it was a short walk to the start of the gully. It was a hard climb and by now we were tired, wet and cold. We took it slowly but Laurel and Pip pulled a little ahead of us. Pip managed to return and help Camilla with her pack. I rested frequently on the way and finally also stood on the saddle between the peak and the gendarme. Getting down the other side of the gully proved interesting on the wet rock and by the time we got to the traverse it was raining softly again. We were very relieved to find numerous small streams tumbling over the cliffs and the walk over to the cave was full of expectation – expectation of a dry, protected spot, hot tea and a warm sleeping bag. At the cave I decided to pitch the tent in the upper section which was most protected. Having just the 3-man tent between the four of us, I planned to sleep on my space blanket between the tent and the cave wall. It was already 4pm as Pip started brewing some tea. The wind picked up and he had trouble keeping everything together. I was very cold at the time and climbed into my sleeping bag to warm up. Pip made dinner of spaghetti and pasta sauce which I supplemented with chips and chocolate. The weather gave us a little break just before sunset, but when it started growing very dark suddenly, I realized we were in for some more rain. The girls were already settled in the tent, Camilla with my sleeping pad and Laurel, this time with nothing besides her sleeping bag. I retreated to my sleeping bag and spent a restless night tossing and turning on the hard ground. After some heavy squalls pushed through, strong drips developed above my bag that I only discovered when my legs and feet got wet inside the bag. Covering my legs with the space blanket helped a lot but when I finally passed out, a new drip developed so that I was very wet when I woke up the next morning.

Day 2 (9 October): It was a beautifully clear day when we woke up – sunny and bright but with a strong breeze blowing from the east. I got up first and spread all my wet stuff in the sun. Just after 6am the others rose as well. We had breakfast and packed up quickly. Typical of a clear start, clouds were already forming in the valleys again. We were still hoping to get up the peak, so soon after 7am we were on our way. The climb up the gully was tough so early in the morning but the weather looked good from the saddle. After dropping my pack and climbing to the path going up to the peak, I decided that the peak was attainable. While Pip decided to go, the girls opted out and walked down to the path to wait for us. Pip and I made short work of the trail and were up and down in under an hour. We picked up our bags and descended to the girls. As we left down the gully, another group of two guys came walking up. They slept in Sherman’s cave and also wanted to climb the peak. The path down the gully took us a while and the weather looked a bit ominous, but once on the contour path on the ridge, the weather cleared and we sprinted to Orange peel gap. Down the gap and onto the last ridge we were walking well and soon found ourselves back on the tar road. We had a quick shower at the campsite before driving back.