Bannerman pass - Giant's Castle (Drakensberg) Mar 2008

For the entire week I had training in Sandton and Gordon and Nicola came to pick me up from the Southern Sun hotel at 15:30. Traffic for the Easter weekend was heavy and it took us about an hour and a half to fight through Johannesburg. Eventually on the N3, we went well, despite heavy traffic, and had dinner at Bergview’s Wimpy. Although the sky looked clear as we started driving to Bergville, rain was forcasted for the next morning and I expected this to start during the night – consequently I decided to rather stay over in Bergville where we at least could have a roof over our heads at the tennis court instead of a wet tent in Estcourt. Arriving in Bergville around 20:30, we pitched the tent at the tennis courts to avoid the mosquitoes and went to bed.

Day 1 (21 Mar): We woke at 5am to drizzle – the decision to stay in Bergville turned out to be a good one. We packed up quickly, had breakfast and were on our way at 06:00. In Estcourt we filled up petrol and drove to Giant’s Castle, arriving not long after 8am. We completed the mountain register at the entry gate and drove to reception where we paid for the hiking, then to the picnic site where we parked under a large tree. It was cold and miserable, so we dressed up in full rain gear. We eventually started walking down to the river at 08:45, crossed the stream on a wooden bridge and took the path heading up towards Bannerman. With all the grass wet from the previous night’s rain, it was barely five minutes before my feet were soaked and it would remain so for the next four days. We made good progress up the valley and then climbed up on a spur and into the mist. Every now and again, a light drizzle would engulf us and when we reached the contour path, we were pretty wet. As there was nowhere dry to sit and rest, we carried on and reached the hut before 1pm. The hut was really a very welcome sight and we even had a nice table and benches to sit at. After draping all our wet gear around the hut and putting on dry clothes, we had lunch with hot soup and tea. None of us felt like going out in the rain again to go up the pass and we decided to stay in the hut for the night. After lunch we climbed into our sleeping bags and listened to the rain on the roof. At around 17:30 we started dinner. With heavy cloud and drizzle still in the air, we went to bed. During the night a very strong wind started down the escarpment – I was hopeful that this would clear the clouds and dry the grass.

Day 2 (22 Mar): When Gordon’s alarm went off at 5am, the wind was still howling and resonating throughout the hut. The clouds hadn’t cleared and fog and drizzle still blew in from the escarpment – it really looked miserable outside – therefore we climbed back in our sleeping bags. A little later I got up and had another look outside – it still looked very unpleasant and I made the decision to not ascend Bannerman pass and change our plans for the rest of the trip. With our trip changed, we felt lazy and climbed back into bed once more. However, we vowed that we could not sit around the hut all day and after a leisurely breakfast after 8am, we finally left the hut at around 09:30. The wind was still blowing but it certainly had calmed down. We decided to walk north on the contour path towards Centenary hut and see if we could climb a point off the contour path named eMankentshani. The wind had dried the grass well during the night, but we still had to put on wet socks and shoes to save our pair of dry socks for another day. We walked without hurry on the path until we saw The Judge, prominently standing out from the escarpment. Although the escarpment at this point was visible, heavy nimbo-stratus clouds still abounded high in the sky and we kept on our thermal and shell layers. We first passed the spur where our summit was and decided to carry on to the spur directly north of Judge’s pass. However, we lost the path going into Judges pass and then decided to turn back, heading for the ridge with the summit. The map indicated the summit was about 2km below the contour path and seemed very insignificant. On the spur we started walking downhill and soon looked at a rock-ribbed ridge below us with a high point that seemed to be our summit without a doubt. Nicola was taking lots of photos higher up on the spur and when she joined us, decided to stay behind while we walked the last kilometer to the summit. This we did quickly and soon claimed our first summit for the trip. Ascending back to the contour path (which at this point was over 2400m) we trudged back to the hut. With a faint sun occasionally poking its head though the clouds we were able to shed our shell layer. At 2pm we were back in the hut and had lunch around the table. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading. After dinner of Smash, bacon, onion and pepper, a heavy rain storm broke and lasted for quite a while – we were starting to wonder what the next day was going to look like.

Day 3 (23 Mar): At 5am Gordon’s alarm went off and we looked outside with high spirits at a clear sky with a very light breeze. Our aim was to do a very ambitious day trip up Bannerman pass, traversing south on top, descending Langalibalele pass and hiking back to the hut on the contour path. With a quick breakfast and fast packing, we were on our way at 6am. The path was good and we were able to stick to crossing the stream a number of times. With just daypacks on our backs we walked fast and we only stopped for a short break when we reached what looked like Spare Rib cave at 2750m. Gordon and I went to have a look at the cave but were dismally disappointed – there was not a dry spot in sight and your only options were whether you want to sleep under a heavy drizzle or an outright downpour! This was definitely a winter cave. The higher we climbed in the pass, the more I noticed that the water pouring off the escarpment was relentless – there did not seem to be an end to it. As the gully of the pass narrowed we started to climb more and more in the stream and despite putting on dry socks at the start of the day, I was now walking in drenched shoes once more. Clouds started forming fast around the escarpment peaks and by the time we topped out, it was cold and misty. But we managed to do the entire pass in 2 hours 45 minutes! Into Lesotho things were a little more clear and we could see the big valleys south of Popple peak extending into the distance. Gypaetus point was peeping out occasionally through the drifting mist and we decided to give it a go, as we had done so well up the pass. I was amazed at how wet the top of the ‘Berg was – it was impossible to avoid marshes that were covering every square inch of the ground. We made it to the top of the peak and were a little surprised at how airy the summit was – unfortunately we also could not see a single thing in the heavy mist and after a brief rest, descended back towards the top of the pass and started skirting south east. The mist occasionally cleared enough to see where we needed to go and we finally reached the ridge summit that looked down towards the Langalibalele valley. As far as we went, water was either running down into the valley or standing in huge puddles all over the place. I was trying to find Bannerman cave but failed once again. Descending towards the pass top on GPS coordinates, we noticed white patches in the distance that we initially thought might be snow. But when we finally came across some of the patches we discovered that it was hail – probably still remaining from the previous night’s heavy storm. It was now cold and miserable and clouds were building into Lesotho as well. Getting to the top of Langalibalele pass just after 11am, we immediately started the descent. Right at the top I spotted a fountain that was gushing water out of the ground at 2900m – astonishing! We found the path down the pass to be almost impossible to follow at the top as it was an ankle-deep river. We had to stick to the grassy slopes next to the path to try and stay less wet but every now and again our options ran out and we got filthy in the process. The path eventually traversed right and onto a drier slope down which we made fast progress. We stopped briefly where the path crossed the river bed and started to contour to the spur on the left. The weather looked threatening and we heard thunder every now and again. Reaching about 2400 on the spur, I opted for a short cut to the left as soon as I saw the contour path below us. Although we could see patches of sunlight over some of the Little Berg ridges, rain was already falling around Giant’s Castle itself and it looked like we were going to get wet. We had 7km to go on the contour path and set off at a fast pace. We had a number of close lightning strikes and a spatter of rain between the pass and the hut but we were lucky to avoid the worst of the storm. Over the last 500m, the clouds actually began to clear from the west, leaving the escarpment clear and a warm sun finally making an appearance. Back at the hut we were able to lay out our wet clothing to dry in the remaining rays while we had a late, but very well-deserved lunch – we did 20km, up and down two passes and added a peak! Later we were treated to some rainbows and some dark thunderstorms to the east – luckily it all seemed to be going further east. Dinner of pasta, tomato relish, meatballs and cheese went down spectacularly and this was followed by Lindt hot chocolate donated by Nicola – a truly great meal for our last night.

Day 4 (24 Mar): The night was uneventful and we rose bright and early at 5am. At 06:10 we were on our way, back-tracking the contour path we had already walked twice. It was a stunning morning and promised to be hot. At the junction of Bannerman path we decided to go the long way down Langalibalele ridge to have the opportunity to have a look at Main caves. I measured the distance of the section between Bannerman and Lanagalibalele ridges as I was convinced the map was wrong. Measuring 3.43km instead of the 2.5km as indicated on the map, I was proved right – but it also meant our last day would be 14km instead of 13km. Down the ridge, Nicola’s calves started to act up and she had to slow down. Finally making it down the ridge we had to take our shoes off to cross a stream and then had only about 2.5km left to go. At the junction to Main caves, Gordon went ahead to see if we would be able to get in. He returned and reported that there was no-one there and we’d be able to squeeze through the gate. However, Nicola was suffering and I wanted to avoid her making it even worse by climbing the steep concrete path to the caves; I made the decision to can the idea and rather get back to the camp as soon as possible. From here we lightened Nicola’s pack with Gordon taking her sleeping bag and me her share of the tent. Gordon then went ahead to fetch the car and drive up to the office to try and save Nicola the last bit of the walk. While Nicola started to plod along, I chatted with two couples before catching up with Nicola. I overtook her and speed walked the last little bit to the office where I dropped my pack and returned to fetch Nicola’s. With both of us at the office, we waited about 2 minutes before Gordon showed up. We couldn’t find anywhere to shower so we got in the car as filthy as we were and started to head back to Pretoria.

Platberg summits Feb 2008

I drove down to Harrismith on my own and spent the night below Platberg. The next morning a hiked through some plantations to an obvious grass ramp leading to the top of Platberg. The grass was wet with dew and soon my boots were soaked. However, I made it to the first trig beacon quickly and then walked on a jeep track across the entire Platberg, past a small dam where workers were busy repairing the dam wall. A semi-detached buttress at the very end of Platberg had another trig beacon I was aiming for and by lunch I stood on top. I descended Platberg via the steep concrete road that accesses the dam and spent the night in Harrismith caravan park. The following day I drove on to Memel for some birding, then Chelmsford dam and finally Wakkerstroom before heading back home.

Amphitheatre (Drakensberg) Jan 2008

Gordon and Nicola picked me up from work on Friday afternoon just before 3pm and we drove without incident straight up to Sentinel car park. George, Brian, Shirley, Eddy and Irma were already ensconced in their sleeping bags and after some shuffling around we soon joined them.

Day 1 (26 Jan): The day dawned cool with lots of fog below and above, but at least no rain in the immediate future. We packed quickly, paid, signed the register, and were off just before 7am. We walked without rush but still made very good time, arriving at the chain ladder before 9am. The path up to here was absolutely sodden and with lots of fog still floating around it didn’t look like it was going to get dryer anytime soon. At the top of the ladders we decided to walk to the lip of the falls before going up to the cave. However, the light westerly that was blowing a little earlier had begun to fade, so cloud was spilling over the escarpment. After watching the first 3m of the falls disappear into the mist, we gathered our gear and slogged up to the cave. I had the intention of walking up Mount Amery but as we could not really see terribly far and I had no coordinates with me for Amery, I decided not to go. Instead we took a good rest at the cave, climbed Crow’s Nest and contemplated going to Mont-aux-Sources. But standing on top of Crow’s Nest, the fog thickened and I got lazy and so we turned around and took our time to collect water some 200m below the cave. The cave was dripping in a number of spots and made sleeping arrangements a little awkward for the 8 of us. To make it slightly easier for all, I decided to finally sleep in the worm hole below the cave I’ve always wanted to try out. I set up all my stuff inside and it turned out to be so cozy that I almost fell asleep in the afternoon. With dusk approaching we started cooking mince, relish and cous-cous and had some pickled beetroot for starters. There was still heavy mist and cloud around when I went to bed but I stayed up reading until about 11pm. During the night it rained lightly on occasion and as my worm hole’s roof was a little shorter than the floor, the end of my mat got a little damp. However, I also noticed a little later that the moon was trying to break through the fog and I eventually slept soundly being reasonably sure that the morning would be clear.

Day 2 (27 Jan): The morning indeed dawned clear overhead with a heavy blanket of cloud below. The cloud once again provided us with a beautiful sunrise but the good weather also urged us to make good use of it. With the rest of the group deciding to go take pictures on the edge, Gordon, Nicola and I made a go at Mont-aux-Sources. A cold but light westerly was blowing and we kept our jackets on during the climb. Reaching the summit in an hour, we took a good look around into Lesotho and were just able to make out the Cathedral and Cathkin ranges pushing through the cloud in the distance. We got back to the cave in 45 minutes and then continued down the ridge to join the rest of the group. The three of us spent some time taking pictures while the others started walking back towards the ladders and we played catch-up soon after. The westerly was slowly fading and by the time we got to the ladders we were again in the upper parts of the cloud with occasional glimpses of Fika Patso dam. We descended the ladders and then most of the males in the party took a fast walk on the path to one of the slippery rock sections we knew we would need to provide some help at for the ladies. Immediately past this rock, we dropped our packs and took a breather but it was barely 5 minutes before the rest of the gang showed up. With Eddy and Gordon helping from below and me stationed at the start of the slippery bit, we first helped Nicola and then Shirley across. Next came Irma. I was holding Irma’s hand as she gingerly stepped on to the first step, when suddenly her footing gave away. Since I was holding her hand I was able to stop her from falling down the rock but she sat down hard on the step we were trying to cross. She immediately told me her ankle is gone. I couldn’t quite believe it because she didn’t fall at all – she basically sat down hard on her foot. When she managed to turn around a little she said maybe its not broken but as she shifted into a slightly better position she said that its definitely broken. It was also noticeable that her right foot had a slightly awkward angle to it. George had started walking ahead so I immediately sent Brian after him. With Eddy and Gordon helping from below and me from the top, Irma was able to shuffle along the ledge to a point where the guys below could help her get off the wet rock. We sat her on a dry rock in the middle of a path and took stock. We only had two options: try to help her down the mountain ourselves or initiate a call-out. First we needed to splint the leg. Having a closer look and feel I was able to tell that it was very possibly a fracture but I couldn’t feel or see any blood which was a good start. I decided not to remove her boot to limit swelling. Gordon took out the aluminium supports of Nicola's pack and these I inserted gently into the boot, on either side of the leg. I used one bandage to secure the aluminium struts to the leg and then another to support the boot and ankle a little more. Although this setup did provide some support, there was still slight movement of the ankle so I got my Drom bag with a little air in it and wrapped it around the entire boot and lower calf, fastening it very tightly with a third bandage. Checking with Irma, she was still able to feel and wriggle her toes. I did not want to give her any medication yet and she agreed to this. She indicated that she’s willing to try and hobble along with support. With Eddie on the one side and me on the other, we lifted her up and barely managed two metres when Irma stopped us and asked that we rather get some help as she cannot do this. Then I changed things a little. I got Gordon to get us a GPS fix, noted we didn’t have cell phone reception, got Shirley and Nicola to get everything Irma would need out of her bag and started completing my first aid and rescue page with all the information. We got Irma comfortably seated and Shirley and Gordon volunteered to stay behind. Nicola was sent ahead with an extra pack so we could make sure that all the gear was off the mountain. Making sure that Irma was comfortable and the others had all they needed, I set off at a brisk pace, soon overtaking Nicola. I got down to the car park in about 40 minutes and used one of the guards cell phones which had reception (coin phone did not accept the coins I put in) to call Gavin Raubenheimer. I gave him all the details I had. He then said he will organize something and let me know. With the call made, I trudged back up the path, meeting first Eddy and Brian and shortly after George. They were doing fine but Eddy was carrying two packs. I took one off him and walked back with them to the car park. With Nicola still up in the mountains after I sent her back to collect car keys, I walked back up to make sure she was still okay. I met her halfway to the first bend and she indicated that everything was still fine at the scene and Irma was very calm and collected. Back at the car park I phoned Gavin again who confirmed that Natal Parks Board and medics were on their way and that we were looking at about 2 hours before they would show up. As we waited, Eddy discovered he still had his 2-way radios in the car and as he wanted to go up anyway, we thought it would be a good idea for him to take a radio and provide some moral support. In addition, we were also trying to get hold of Irma’s son but the PIN code she gave us to her cell phone wasn’t working. Eddy planned to take her cell phone along so she could speak to him herself in case there was reception. About an hour and a half after the call was made, the first ambulance from Phuthaditjaba showed up with two paramedics. We asked them to wait for some more people first before we do anything. Shortly after, another ambulance with 3 paramedics showed up and they indicated that they can walk up the mountain with a scoop stretcher to stabilize and package Irma. I then got hold of Eddy on the radio and asked him to wait for them, as he would be able to guide them to the scene. With the paramedics well on their way, it was only about 30 minutes later that three guys and a lady from Phuthaditjaba fire brigade showed up. They had a golf bag stretcher and some rope with them and I started walking up with them. Finally we got to the contour path and as the cloud ceiling had lifted slightly, I noticed a car pulling into the car park in the distance. I thought they may be Parks Board and got hold of Nicola who was at the bottom to quickly check with them. They confirmed they knew the area well and would immediately start walking up to assist. Just past the small ladder on the Sentinel contour path, we saw the one female paramedic and as we rounded the corner we saw the guys struggling with the stretcher. As the golf-bag stretcher had more handholds, everyone helped to lift Irma on the scoop stretcher straight into the golf-bag stretcher. The paramedics had 3 broad straps that could be hooked over the shoulders of someone walking in the front and at the back but the carry still required support from the sides. With the path being only 1-person wide in places, this was very difficult. Swapping hands regularly we made slow progress over the difficult terrain. Gordon, Eddy and I assisted with the carry where we could and eventually we made it to the top of the zig-zags. The fire brigade wanted to lower the stretcher with a rope belay directly past all the zig-zags, which I think was a good idea since the zig zags were very rocky and steep in places. Unfortunately they had no other gear apart from the rope and I ended up helping one of the paramedics to do a body belay. With two rope-lengths we managed to pass all the zig-zags except the last big one with the fencing. In the mean time, another senior medic showed up and started making the carry efforts more coordinated. This helped tremendously to speed things up. When Irma got to the path above the fencing I made the call to not lower the stretcher with the rope anymore. The reasoning was partly that there was no sufficient anchoring and the body-belay was certainly not safe, the grass, wet from some light drizzle may easily cause the carriers to fall, as none of them had proper boots, causing even more harm and a belay to the bottom path was not going to save us more than 5 minutes. As we approached the home stretch I took over the lead again and we made very good progress to just before the concrete section when I was getting very tired. Irma was carried into Sentinel car park at 18:00. While we sorted out her gear and personals to go with her, she was made a little more comfortable on the scoop stretcher and loaded in the ambulance. She was still alert and reasonably calm but obviously in shock and shivering. The paramedics heated up the ambulance and gave her morphine while I walked around thanking all the people who helped. At around 18:15 the ambulance left in gathering cloud and rain and the rest of our group followed. We stank, were incredibly tired, sore and hungry but we were very glad that Irma was now on her way to professional care and there was nothing more we could do. We thought our efforts were not bad under the circumstances and our two vehicles met again in Harrismith for some late dinner before driving back, arriving home after midnight.